enter the Way

This picture is of my friend The Rev. Billy Tweedie, rector of Resurrection in Austin, with his son Liam standing by ready to net a trout. Billy and his twins joined Trinity by the Sea for our retreat to Duncan Park, Colorado. He led us in reflections each night during compline (night prayer.) He focused on just a few of the teachings of Brene Brown's "The Daring Way." The first night we learned the (important) differences between guilt, humiliation, and shame. The second night we learned about compassion, and the importance of boundaries in practicing compassion. Finally, the last night, we learned about courage...the important ingredient to living a vulnerable, compassionate life in which we learn from the experiences of guilt and humiliation, without letting shame rule our decisions. The teachings were helpful, and it was something to ponder each night while on retreat.

After the first night's teaching, as we were just settling into the rhythm of the retreat, Tracy reminded me that her husband, John had not yet been baptized, and asked what was required for him to be baptized.

We have talked about baptizing him since their premarital conversation a year earlier. He was interested in an immersion in the living waters of the gulf, yet we still hadn't gotten our schedules aligned for the occasion. As if we were living the scene out of the Book of Acts, John said something like, "See, here is some water, what's to prevent me from being baptized now?" (Acts 8:36) Or maybe he just said, "Let's do it!" Most of our group had already left the creekside gazebo to get ready for bed, so we gathered everyone again, and with prayer books and flashlights in hand, we headed back down to the creek. It was a giddy gathering. We prayed for John, blessed the creek's living waters, and in he and I went. He was plunged into the icy waters, and came up with a gasp. Safe on the banks, he commented, between excited breaths, "That woke me up!" I said, "That's the idea."

The next night, we read, together, the baptismal covenant, so we could all remember what we are getting ourselves into by living baptized lives. Welcome John, and thank you for acting out the teaching! Baptism is an act of becoming vulnerable and it is even humiliating (being dunked under water, coming up cold and soaking wet), which reminds of our humanity and our dependence upon God. Ultimately, it takes courage to enter the death of Jesus, and to be reborn in his resurrection; then to practice the compassionate Way of Jesus---reread the baptismal covenant for a reminder (BCP  p. 292) In short, John's baptism illustrated for us the Brene Brown teachings (she is a student of Jesus, too.)