I experience it when other people from around the world e-mail their expressions of admiration for the quality of the programs we have developed. But I also see the mystery of our growth in people for whom tears of grief eventually give way to the joy of newfound hope and love. I see it when someone burdened by great shame and guilt receives and accepts forgiveness. I see it when a once-awkward acolyte grows up and enters the ministry. I see it when estrangement is overcome by reunion, when cold-hearted arrogance is melted by grace, when death gives way to life.
Baptism is the church's sacrament of growth in the Kingdom of God.
We baptize and nurture all who enter the Kingdom at the font. Yet we know that it is God who gives the growth throughout our life on earth and throughout all eternity. Baptism is God's gift of overwhelming grace, given through simple words and ordinary water. You see, baptism is a simple gift for simple souls. It proclaims God's love for even the simplest among us.