Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

By Amy Jones, Class of ‘94, hospice chaplain with Providence Health Systems in Portland, OR.

Jesus' Baptism by John. Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful. Photo by Al Caldwell.

THANKSGIVING OVER THE WATER (Paragraph 2)

The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.

In the fullness of time you sent Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb. He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit. He called his disciples to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection and to make disciples of all nations.

Declare his works to the nations, his glory among all people.

He was 53 and facing the end of his life.
Cancer. Weeks to live.
There were also outstanding warrants for his arrest
when he was admitted into hospice care.
Sometimes a terminal prognosis
can be reason enough for warrants to be dropped.
He was estranged from his teenage sons.
Supervised visits only.
I only knew pieces of his story.
So many obstacles
which could prevent this man
from believing he was
worthy of grace and finding peace within his soul.
Did this man believe
he had been loved by God
throughout his life?
His wife wanted to make sure he was saved.
I wanted to make sure this man found peace with God
and with himself.
He had been baptized.
I reminded him of his baptism.
"Remember your baptism... and be thankful."
In the fullness of time you sent Jesus,
nurtured in the water of a womb.
He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit.
He called his disciples to share in the baptism
of the death and resurrection and to make disciples of all nations.
I was a sister in Christ speaking to a brother.
Perhaps he was a lost sheep.
Was my heart open enough to reveal Christ to him?
We came from such diverse backgrounds.
His living room was transformed into a cathedral.
A backless and broken chair transformed into an altar.
I spoke about the grace of God
displayed in the elements of communion.
I conducted a full ritual while he puffed on a cigarette
and commented- asking questions of a ritual
he had never heard before.
This was his first communion service.
He and his wife partook of the elements
and consumed all of the bread and juice.
The grace of God burst forth
like a gushing stream in those
redeeming moments.

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