It is our great joy to witness the sacrament of holy baptism during the worship service this morning. It is our custom to give a child a bib or banner on the day of their baptism designed and handmade by members from our congregation.
The design, pictured below, is embroidered on unbleached muslin fabric and uses a palette of sunrise and sunset colors. The circle reminds us of the eternal God who is without beginning or end. It encloses three fish and a triangle, symbolizing the trinity. The banner placed next to the communion table is of the same design but rather than including the child’s name, features the Greek acrostic for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, and Savior” referred to by early Christians.
In baptism we are marked by God, and the bib and banner are reminders of our belonging to God. Indeed, many families keep this gift as a constant reminder of their being welcomed into the family of God at their baptism.
The original design for the bib was created by Claire Wolterstorff’s mother, Gezina Kingma. Claire made many of the early bibs and later updated the design. Over the last several decades, Grace Bradford has made the bib and banner for each baptism. We are thankful for the ways in which Claire, Gezina, and Grace have offered their creativity to add beauty and meaning to this moment of the worship service.
