Super Bowl-of-Water Sunday

Today was a very important day in the "life" of Sophie Olivia Moberg, Suzanna's relatively new baby doll. No, not her first-ever Super Bowl on TV. Today was the day that she was baptized! Yes, you read that correctly.

Recent baptisms in church sparked the idea in Suzanna's mind that her own baby ought to be baptized. She asked if we could baptize Sophie at home, and we agreed. Suzanna has waited patiently as we've moved the baptism day from the original date that she chose to the next day to the next . . . until, finally, today we felt we should do it after church (at which there was yet another baptism).

When we got home, we stayed in our church clothes, and Suzanna dressed Sophie in the baptism gown and bonnet that she, Abigail, and Hillary each wore for their own baptisms. To appear pastoral, I slipped into the Jedi robe that Susan created for our recent costume party, and Susan filled a shallow pasta bowl with some water and set out a white towel to dab Sophie's head after the event. When Suzanna and Sophie appeared in the living room for the baptism, Suzanna was carrying her large stuffed reindeer, Rudolph, who was wearing the men's sport coat that had been part of Suzanna's Halloween costume. She set Rudolph down beside her and Sophie, and we all looked at Rudolph quizzically. But it was so obvious once Suzanna explained it: You can't have a baby without a dad, and he needs to be at the baptism, too. (Fortunately, Sophie takes after her mom in appearance.)

We started the service at the piano, where I played--and we all sang--both verses of the hymn "All Who Believe and Are Baptized." Then I led the service of Holy Baptism as printed in the hymnal, and Abigail and Hillary served as godparents, saying the "I do"s wherever the printed service indicated that the sponsors should respond. Susan played photographer, standing at the far end of the living room and trying to stifle her giggles to avoid disrupting the otherwise solemn service and to prevent all the photos from turning out blurry.

Godparents Abigail and Hillary flank the happy family: parents Rudolph and Suzanna with Sophie Olivia.

Hillary is filled with the Holy Spirit, evidently, during the singing of the hymn. Rudolph is amazed, too; look at how he's staring at her. I don't know what Abigail is staring at. Sophie appears to be in the gut-buster hold by her mommy.

The solemn ceremony begins.

The girls were completely "into" the moment, especially when it came time to douse Sophie's head with water from the pasta bowl. I suggested holding the stiff doll by its ankles and dipping it head-first like a tortilla chip into salsa, but Suzanna would have none of it. Instead we treated Sophie like a real baby, and she didn't cry at all when I gently splashed water on her head and then dabbed it dry with the kitchen towel. I reminded Suzanna and Rudolph, too, that each February 3rd henceforth, they ought to light a candle in honor of Sophie Olivia's baptismal anniversary and talk to her about this special day and its meaning for her. Suzanna agreed; Rudolph stared blankly ahead. Deadbeat dad.

"Sophie Olivia, I baptize you in the name of the Father [splash] and of the Son [splash] and of the Holy Spirit [splash]. Amen."

The post-baptismal head dabbing with the sacramental kitchen towel.

At our previous church, the pastors carry newly baptized babies up and down the middle aisle so that all congregants can get a good look while the congregation sings "Jesus Loves Me," a tradition that we carried out with Sophie, too. We ended with a family photo (Suzanna + Rudolph + Sophie) with the pastor (me), presumably for Sophie's scrapbook. All three girls were delighted to have participated, and Susan and I were delighted when it was over and we could stop biting the insides of our cheeks. It's certainly a day none of us is likely to forget soon!

"Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so."

Sophie Olivia, child of God, along with parents Suzanna and Rudolph and pastor Daddy.