“Do you know the name of this Sunday?” asked the SCS Teacher.  Elizabeth knew that the name of the Sunday is always printed right below the date on the front of the bulletin.  So she quick looked and then answered “This is The Baptism of Our Lord Sunday.”

“That is correct Elizabeth,” said the SCS Teacher.  “Today we will talk about when Jesus was baptized.”

Now, maybe some of the children, like Elizabeth, knew that when Jesus was baptized, he was 30 years old.  Jesus went out to the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing LOTS of people and Jesus too was baptized.  He walked right down into the water in the Jordan River (by the way, the Jordan River is a very narrow, shallow river, not at all as big and wide as the Susquehanna River!) and when Jesus was finished being baptized, he was completely wet, all over, all his clothing and all, cause he got right down IN the water!  It’s a good thing it was a warm time of year when Jesus was baptized.

But not all the children KNEW this.  So some of them, like Running Chairs, pictured the baptism of Jesus like this:

“Hmmm, like, you know, Christmas was just like a few weeks ago, so Jesus must still be like a tiny baby.  So probably his mommy, Mary and his daddy, Joseph stood beside John the Baptist, like in their place of worship and John the Baptist held Baby Jesus in his like arms and he sprinkled a little water on Baby Jesus’ forehead just like when Pastor Ed, you know, like when he baptizes a little baby, like you know?”  Running Chairs did not know she had a very mixed up picture in her mind of when Jesus was baptized.

So Running Chairs, picturing Jesus as a baby, asked “So like did Jesus you know cry when he got wet?  Did John the Baptist carry him around in his arms afterwards?”  And Elizabeth, picturing Jesus as a grown up answered “He probably weighed 170 pounds Running Chairs, I don’t THINK John the Baptist carried him around.”

So now, Running Chairs is picturing Baby Jesus weighing 170 pounds! Oh dear!  It would have taken Mary AND Joseph AND John the Baptist to carry around a baby THAT big!

“So, like did his mommy, Mary and daddy, Joseph and like the whole family and friends go out to a restaurant for dinner, like afterwards?” asked Running Chairs.

“I don’t think his mommy and daddy were there,” whispered Elizabeth to Running Chairs.  So NOW, Running Chairs is picturing this really BIG Baby Jesus WITHOUT a mommy and daddy.  And Running Chairs said “Oh dear!  Poor baby Jesus!”

Sam said “I think you are all mixed up, Running Chairs.  Jesus was NOT a baby when he was baptized.  He was a grown up.  And it happened in a river, not in a church!”

“Like I never like knew that like ADULTS could get baptized.  I thought only, like babies, you know, got baptized,” said Running Chairs 

And Sam said “Last spring, when my Dad and I came to Pastor Ed’s church he talked to us in his office.  He explained that it is important to be baptized.  Even Jesus was baptized.  So I got baptized when I was in second grade and Dad was 30.  And believe me, Pastor Ed did NOT carry us up and down the aisles to show us off!”

“OHHH!” said Running Chairs, finally getting a more accurate picture of when Jesus was baptized! THE END

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