Jem's Baptism
Children's Story
Jem was exceedingly nervous. Today was the day of his baptism, and he wasn't looking forward to it one bit. It was all so unfair.
It had started at school, when the vicar came to take assembly. As usual, the vicar had been utterly boring and Jem had taken no notice at all of anything he'd said, since Jem's thoughts were firmly fastened on the football match later that day. But back in class their teacher had started asking questions about the assembly, which had apparently been about baptism. She asked everyone who was baptised to put their hands up. Jem, along with about three-quarters of the class, had no idea whether he was baptised or not. So homework that night was to find out.
Jem's Mum had laughed when he'd asked the question. "Baptism? What's that, then?" she'd asked.
"I think it's like christening," Jem had volunteered. "You know, when you take the baby to church and get water poured on its head."
"Oh!" said Jem's Mum. "No, we never had you done. Never got round to it, I suppose. Doesn't seem to have done you any harm, though."
Next day, Jem's teacher had asked the question again, "How many of you are baptised?"
Jem sneaked a look around and discovered to his surprise that most of his friends had been done. Unfortunately Tom Winters the class bully had spotted the look and seized the opportunity to torment Jem. At break, the Winters gang had made a circle round Jem, pushing and punching, kicking and scratching him, all the time shouting and jeering that Jem was a heathen and not fit to be in their school.
"I'm not a heathen," yelled Jem, not knowing what a heathen was but disliking the sound of it, "I'm not!"
"You must be," sneered Tom Winters, with a push that sent Jem reeling, "you've never even been baptised!"
"I'm going to be!" yelled Jem, before he knew what he was saying. But then he was caught, for Tom thrust his face close to Jem's and said, "You're lying! You're nothing but a dirty, little heathen liar!" and Jem was forced to say, "I'm not! Get off me, you pig and I'll prove it!"
Then he'd had to persuade his mother to ring the vicar, so that he could go back to school next day and tell them his baptism was fixed for the following Sunday.
But unfortunately, it hadn't worked out quite as easily as he'd planned. Instead of saying, "Next Sunday? Yes, that'll be quite all right," the vicar had said he needed to come round and talk to Jem. Jem thought it was very unfair. If you got done as a baby, it just happened to you and you never knew anything about it. Why couldn't it be that easy for him?
The vicar had asked all sorts of awkward questions like, "Are you sure you want to follow Jesus for the rest of your life?" and Jem had kept his head down and muttered "yes" or "no" in what he hoped were the right places. He couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Then he'd dutifully watched a video about a baby being christened, and assured the vicar he really did want to be baptised, as soon as possible.
Now, the day had arrived, and suddenly Jem was shaking and his knees felt like jelly. It was worse because his teacher thought it was so marvellous that she'd suggested the class go along to watch, and the Winters gang had taken up the offer. Jem knew he'd never live it down. And his mother was looking all shiny faced and proud, which made it even worse.
He muttered his way through the responses, covered with embarrassment, then stood with his head bowed over the font. Suddenly, to his amazement he found himself thinking, "Help me Jesus, to follow you." He had no idea where the thought had come from, and was about to lift his head to see whether someone else had said it when he felt water being poured over him from a great height. He shut his eyes as the water cascaded, and heard himself thinking, "This is God's love cascading over me, washing away all the hurt I've ever felt in my life." Again, he didn't know where it had come from, but it was such an incredible thought and such an incredible feeling that he gasped. As the vicar finished saying, "..in the name of the Holy Spirit", Jem looked up. Hovering in the great stained glass window was the most beautiful butterfly he'd ever seen. He knew instantly that it was a sign of God's promise that he would always be with him, whatever happened, and that he would always love him, whatever happened.
Jem's eyes shone, and as the vicar made the sign of the cross on his forehead, he knew this was the most important day of his life, for things would never be quite the same again. And he suddenly knew how lucky he was that his Mum hadn't got round to 'getting him done' when he was too small to appreciate it. As he took his lighted baptism candle from the vicar, Jem knew that all he wanted was to be with Jesus and to know that love for as long as he lived.
Jem looked up at the butterfly and smiled.
It had started at school, when the vicar came to take assembly. As usual, the vicar had been utterly boring and Jem had taken no notice at all of anything he'd said, since Jem's thoughts were firmly fastened on the football match later that day. But back in class their teacher had started asking questions about the assembly, which had apparently been about baptism. She asked everyone who was baptised to put their hands up. Jem, along with about three-quarters of the class, had no idea whether he was baptised or not. So homework that night was to find out.
Jem's Mum had laughed when he'd asked the question. "Baptism? What's that, then?" she'd asked.
"I think it's like christening," Jem had volunteered. "You know, when you take the baby to church and get water poured on its head."
"Oh!" said Jem's Mum. "No, we never had you done. Never got round to it, I suppose. Doesn't seem to have done you any harm, though."
Next day, Jem's teacher had asked the question again, "How many of you are baptised?"
Jem sneaked a look around and discovered to his surprise that most of his friends had been done. Unfortunately Tom Winters the class bully had spotted the look and seized the opportunity to torment Jem. At break, the Winters gang had made a circle round Jem, pushing and punching, kicking and scratching him, all the time shouting and jeering that Jem was a heathen and not fit to be in their school.
"I'm not a heathen," yelled Jem, not knowing what a heathen was but disliking the sound of it, "I'm not!"
"You must be," sneered Tom Winters, with a push that sent Jem reeling, "you've never even been baptised!"
"I'm going to be!" yelled Jem, before he knew what he was saying. But then he was caught, for Tom thrust his face close to Jem's and said, "You're lying! You're nothing but a dirty, little heathen liar!" and Jem was forced to say, "I'm not! Get off me, you pig and I'll prove it!"
Then he'd had to persuade his mother to ring the vicar, so that he could go back to school next day and tell them his baptism was fixed for the following Sunday.
But unfortunately, it hadn't worked out quite as easily as he'd planned. Instead of saying, "Next Sunday? Yes, that'll be quite all right," the vicar had said he needed to come round and talk to Jem. Jem thought it was very unfair. If you got done as a baby, it just happened to you and you never knew anything about it. Why couldn't it be that easy for him?
The vicar had asked all sorts of awkward questions like, "Are you sure you want to follow Jesus for the rest of your life?" and Jem had kept his head down and muttered "yes" or "no" in what he hoped were the right places. He couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Then he'd dutifully watched a video about a baby being christened, and assured the vicar he really did want to be baptised, as soon as possible.
Now, the day had arrived, and suddenly Jem was shaking and his knees felt like jelly. It was worse because his teacher thought it was so marvellous that she'd suggested the class go along to watch, and the Winters gang had taken up the offer. Jem knew he'd never live it down. And his mother was looking all shiny faced and proud, which made it even worse.
He muttered his way through the responses, covered with embarrassment, then stood with his head bowed over the font. Suddenly, to his amazement he found himself thinking, "Help me Jesus, to follow you." He had no idea where the thought had come from, and was about to lift his head to see whether someone else had said it when he felt water being poured over him from a great height. He shut his eyes as the water cascaded, and heard himself thinking, "This is God's love cascading over me, washing away all the hurt I've ever felt in my life." Again, he didn't know where it had come from, but it was such an incredible thought and such an incredible feeling that he gasped. As the vicar finished saying, "..in the name of the Holy Spirit", Jem looked up. Hovering in the great stained glass window was the most beautiful butterfly he'd ever seen. He knew instantly that it was a sign of God's promise that he would always be with him, whatever happened, and that he would always love him, whatever happened.
Jem's eyes shone, and as the vicar made the sign of the cross on his forehead, he knew this was the most important day of his life, for things would never be quite the same again. And he suddenly knew how lucky he was that his Mum hadn't got round to 'getting him done' when he was too small to appreciate it. As he took his lighted baptism candle from the vicar, Jem knew that all he wanted was to be with Jesus and to know that love for as long as he lived.
Jem looked up at the butterfly and smiled.
