The Sacrament of Baptism

I want to start with the beginning of time...

God created the world, and established the covenant of works (Genesis 2:16&17) with man. The requirements of this covenant were: man could eat of any tree in the Garden of Eden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he did so, he would die. His relationship with God would be broken and he would struggle with sin for rest of his life.

Man shattered his end of the covenant, consequently falling into sin (Genesis 3). The perfect relationship he had with God was severed. Because Adam and Eve fell, all man is now dead in sin. We are completely insufficient, dependent and utterly unable to do any good in our own strength. We all deserve God's punishment and wrath for eternity.

However God, in His grace and mercy has another plan. This plan is called the covenant of grace (Genesis 3:15). God promised Adam and Eve, and through them all man, that He would send a mediator. A mediator who would be sent to come between Himself and man, taking the punishment for man's sin. This Mediator is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If man believes in Christ, seeing himself as a worthless sinner in the sight of God, and seeing Christ as Savior, man is free from this curse of sin. Christ takes the blame, the guilt, and the sin. He came to die, so that we can be set free.

As a sign of this covenant to Abraham, God instituted circumcision (Genesis 17). All male children were to be circumcised as a reminder that they, as children of believers hoping in a coming Christ, were under this covenant. They were given the same promise as their parents were, and even though they could not understand it yet, they had a responsibility to believe in the coming Christ as Savior from sin as they became older. Parents had the same responsibility to believe, but also to teach their children about the coming Christ.
Years later, Christ did come. He overcame sin and death. He won the victory over Satan, so that we may be free from the wrath and punishment of sin. As New Testament believers we believe in a Christ who has come. We are not looking at shadows of what is to come; we can clearly see the glory of Christ's redemptive work.

The Covenant of Grace lives on between the Father and His people. The Covenant Promise continues to be given to children when they are conceived. The outward sign has changed (circumcision), and no longer holds significance, just as the ceremonial sacrifices. Nevertheless, God comes to us with the same promise (Acts 2: 38&39). Children of those who have taken hold of the promise and believe, are given the sign of baptism. Those who have been baptized have the great responsibility to plead upon that promise, and believe in Christ as our Savior from sin. God has promised to save those who believe from sin, and He will not forsake it.

The baptism of infants flows directly out of the Covenant of Grace. God comes to us while were are still sinners and promises salvation through Christ if we believe. This was signified in the Old Testament through circumcision and continues on throughout the ages; signified through the baptism of infants.

Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7

Last night in Youth Group we went over the last two of Ecclesiastes to conclude our study of the book. What hit me was the way that Solomon describes the process of aging. The words that he uses are poetry. The kind of poetry and use of metaphors that make me smile.

It is also a very good call to reflect on our youth, and what we are doing with it. We are called to heed the call of Christ, and live for Him, before we are too old. Why waste years of our lives serving ourselves when we can bring glory to God?

What are you going to do with your life while you still have the time and energy to do it?

 

1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
² While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;

These are the days when you are still young
³ In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;

Weakness. Losing teeth. Losing eyesight
⁴ When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.

Your hearing is affected
⁵ Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.

Old people become scared and worry. They lose the desire to work. And finally we all die.

Next verse: Hair becomes grey

⁶ Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
⁷ Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

A Change of Attitude (because I don’t know what else to call it)

I was doing some research for a school project, and came upon a statistic that said that only about 71% of Canadians have a full or part-time job. Now, I didn’t back that stat up with more research, but I think it is fairly close to reality.

This reality is incredibly sad. We live in one of the richest, well off countries in the world, and over 25% of our population doesn’t have any kind of job. Our literacy (ability to read) rates are not near as high as they should be either.

We can ask, “why?” We can try theorize about the how. We can blame it on the economy, the government or the number of new immigrants, anything. But, what is really going to change our country around?
It is called a change of mind. A mind of diligence and perseverance. A desire to learn and work and provide.

Attitudes need to be changed in all levels of society, from the poorest of the poor to the Prime Minister sitting on the seat in Ottawa.

And the only thing that is going to change those attitudes is essentially Christ. Naturally we don’t gravitate towards work. We are lazy.

So… starting the change? It starts with YOU, with ME. Sharing Christ’s love and gospel. Engaging in conversations and reaching out to people. Praying for lives and hearts to be changed. Having a vision of change.

The Wilderness vs. the Contentious Woman

The other day at lunch time Mom was reading from Proverbs 21. We were reading verse 19, which says, “Better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.”

We have heard that verse lots of times… and the thought is repeated throughout Proverbs. We know what it means.

Well, in the mind of a ten-year-old boy who would live outside if he could, this verse took on a literal meaning. It went something like this…

“Of course. I want to live in the wilderness anyways, so why don’t I just forget about the woman? No woman will want to live in the wilderness anyways.”

Problem solved. The wilderness always wins.

You will never have to deal with a contentious woman if you just don’t have one? Right?

I love little people logic. Sometimes it just makes total sense…

 

It is also a warning for us though. Ladies, don’t ever be that woman. EVER. Men, be careful in who you marry. Don’t marry a woman who is going to get under your skin every day.

Gift Giving -White and Navy Blue Chevron Dress

A family in our church just had a little girl last week. I made her big sister a Navy and White Chevron Maxi Skirt in the spring, so I thought it would be fun if they could match. :) 

A white knit bodice and lined chevron skirt. I added gathers to the shoulders for a more feminine look. I tried something new by adding the opening at the back. I think I like it. The hem of the skirt is left raw, so the stretch is kept, and just to add a bit of extra detail. :)

In the end, I love how it turned out. Simple, yet super cute. The best part is that the sisters match, but aren't totally the same. 

Congratulations Adrian and Katie!!! May your little lady grow up to bless many around her. May she become a woman who follows the Lord. :)

Re-Fashion: Cardigan Re-sizing

My sister and I bought these really warm cardigans at Tommy Hilfiger a couple of winters ago. They are the warmest ever, and yet so versatile and classy. I got the navy one in a size smaller, my sister got an oatmeal-grey. My sister’s didn’t fit very well, as it was a size too big, and was going to be donated. I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass, so I re-sized it.

I followed simple re-fashion steps, taking in the side and arm seams. There are oodles of tutorials out there, you can also ask me questions if I am not clear enough.

I laid out the smaller one on top of the bigger one, and pinned where I would have to sew.

 

Don’t cut your sweater, just sew down the sides. You can trim off the excess, but be careful. Because these are knitted sweaters they will unravel easily; I would suggest using the serger.

I’ll admit it… I truthfully didn’t even cut the excess off, and you can’t even tell. I made it a bit looser for a more comfortable, relaxed look anyways.

The bigger one is a bit longer on both the body and the sleeves, but I don’t mind. :) Sleeves are usually too short on me anyways, so this is perfect.

Pair this newly-fitted cardigan with a jean skirt, a scarf (that is actually not a infinity scarf, but was tied into one), fleece-lined tights and boot socks.

The result: I super warm, yet classy outfit for these freezing cold temperatures we have been having.

*sorry for the horrible pictures. Frustrating problems with my camera*

Gift Giving – Jumper Set

Close friends of mine had a little girl at the end of January, so I wanted to give them something really special. And what can get more special than handmade, right? ;)

I took a size 3-6 months jumper from the shop, and added a diaper cover. For the diaper cover, I again headed over to Dana’s awesome tutorial. I love how her tutorials are so simple and easy to follow, and give you lots of room for creativity. I went simple on this outfit, but I love the fabric and the extra detail on the hem of the jumper. And you truthfully can’t get any cuter than a diaper cover. :)

A special gift for a special little girl!!! Congratulations Matt and Jess!!! :) May the Lord continue to richly bless you as you strive to raise your little lady in the fear of the Lord!!!