No snatching!
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).
Read John 10:19–42
We become part of Jesus’ flock by being baptised. Many of us cannot remember our baptism, given that it is customary in our Lutheran tradition to be baptised as a baby. It is worth revisiting the significance of that action and acknowledging its lifelong status.
We are baptised ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. Being baptised has been likened to being adopted. I worked as an adoptions social worker in South Australia for several years. During that time, I was privileged to witness all aspects of the process, including the grief of relinquishing parents, the sadness of people who are unable to conceive a child, the joy that the placement of a baby or child brings to a family, and for some adoptees, the importance of knowing who they are and why they were adopted. I also know that being adopted does not change who your birth/biological parents are. The act of adoption makes the adoptees the legal parents of a child and gives them all the duties and rights of a parent.
As baptised children of God, we have been received into the church and become part of God’s family. It’s a permanent arrangement. Jesus claims us as his sheep and promises that no-one can take us away. The Parable of the Lost Sheep highlights the importance of each of us to the Good Shepherd. No matter what we say or do, we are still precious to him – no-one can snatch us out of the hand of the Good Shepherd.
Those of us who are godparents have the gift of that special relationship with our godchildren and a responsibility to encourage them in their faith journey. That does not end with a baptismal celebration or even at confirmation. I believe it is a lifelong relationship. What do you think?
Good and steadfast Shepherd, thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for the gift of baptism and of godparents and godchildren. Help us to be faithful to the promises we made at our baptism and those of our godchildren. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is a mother of two, grandmother of three and godmother of four. She is allegedly retired and lives in Adelaide. Colleen trained as a social worker, and after working in the foster care program at Lutheran Community Care in South Australia, she became the director and served in that role for 13 years. Colleen serves on a number of boards and committees within the LCA and the wider community.
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