The Other Side of the Vows

Post Author: Elizabeth Wallace

So many times I have been the one asking the questions – “Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love?” or “Do you promise, through prayer and example, to support and encourage this child to be a faithful Christian?” and yet this time, I was the one answering them. Suddenly, I felt a little unsure – would I make a mistake and answer a “Will you?” question with an “I do” answer? I didn’t know where to stand, and I felt underdressed without my robe.

I found myself wanting to say the words along with the minister, but it wasn’t my place. This was the first baptism I have attended where I was a sponsor, not a congregation member or the minister. Sponsor seems like such a generic term – used loosely to describe everything from a restaurant owner who provides t-shirts for a softball team to someone who promises to teach a child about the faith. I like to think of myself as Jackie’s fairy godmother and honorary auntie instead. I see my role as sponsor as someone who will love and encourage her, pray for her, teach her about God, and help her pick the perfect pair of shoes for any occasion.

I have to admit that from the time this baptism was scheduled, I was secretly hoping that my best friend Jill and her husband Jeff would ask me to be Jackie’s sponsor. And to my great joy, they did. So last November, I stood at the front of their church with them and watched as Jackie was baptized as a child of the covenant.

A few weeks ago, after reflecting on this experience, I began to write a hymn. I’ve noticed over the years that there is a shortage of baptism hymns, at least in the hymnal that my church uses. I wanted to capture the beauty of that moment, the holiness of it. And so I wrote. Most times, when I write a hymn, the words come quickly. Fully formed phrases find their way onto the page. But not this time. For several days, I wrestled with the words – often waking in the middle of the night to scrawl the lyrics on a piece of paper next to my bed.

What follows is a labor of love, as I try to express what this baptism meant to me. I know that I stood that November morning in the same place where many other mothers, fathers, and sponsors have stood, over the years, feeling awkward and uncertain, and yet knowing full well that something holy was taking place before my very eyes.

Child of God

Tune: Dix (“For the Beauty of the Earth”)

Child of God, your life is held
From first cry to final breath,
In the gracious arms of Christ,
Who destroyed the powers of death.
Child of God, be raised with him
Child of grace, set free from sin.

Precious are the spoken words,
Sweet the path the waters trace,
Holy sign upon your head,
Water streaming down your face.
Child of God, hear what we say,
You belong to Christ today.

Marked as God’s own by this seal,
Safely held in love’s embrace,
In this sacrament receive,
Words of promise, words of grace.
Child of God, no more your own,
You belong to Christ alone.

Know, dear child, that love abounds,
And new life is given here.
At this font you are God’s own,
As the Spirit hovers near.
Child of God, all things are new,
When Christ leaves his mark on you.