Baptism and Belonging: Just Say Yes

"You are a dearly loved child of the King." These are the words spoken by the lead pastor to a young man being baptized on Palm Sunday. This young man embraced the truth of those words, allowed himself to be immersed in the waters of baptism, and made a statement of his public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. 

Though beautiful, this scene may seem unremarkable to many people -an expected benchmark of growing up in the Christian faith. But for this family, and this young man, it seemed almost unbelievable.

One of dozens who went through this right of passage that Sunday, Micah stands out. Adopted from Ethiopia, his skin is darker than that of most of the young people around him. Living with intellectual disabilities and ADHD, his learning, processing, and speech come at a different pace from those of his neurotypical peers. He doesn't drive, isn't planning on college, and hasn't gone on overnights. "Could he get baptized? We didn't know. We'd never heard of a kid with special needs doing that before," said his dad. Though a friend offered With Faith as a guide for how to come alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, so few churches have celebrated individuals with IDD making public professions of faith, this family did not dare to hope their church leadership would support it.

Then the youth pastor, who knew Micah well thanks to weekly interactions at youth group, invited him to the preparation weekend. He inquired what medicine, precautions, supports, and routines Micah would need. The pastor assured his parents that all would be well, and he would be welcome and included. Micah would be missed if he didn't come. The weekend went surprisingly well and brought hope. 

Micah expressed a genuine desire to say yes to Jesus, be baptized, and declare Christ as his Lord. The lead pastor said yes. Knowing Micah and his abilities, this pastor believes that rather than promoting a mentality of likeness, it is the church's responsibility to cultivate fruit that the Lord is growing in people with varied abilities. His mom spent several sessions helping Micah articulate and type his simple statement of faith. In his own words, Micah's creed explains who Jesus is and how he wants to further his own "walk with Jesus and become closer with Him."  

So, into the tank he went! (Sidenote from the pastor: he didn't let his face be submerged, and he firmly gripped the sides of the tub, surrendering to the sensory overload as much as he could.) Palm Sunday was filled with baptisms and professions of faith, hugs and tears of congratulations. There was abundant joy, burgers on the grill, and family and friends marking an impossibly important moment.

But that was just the beginning!

Micah is participating in ministry.

He and his youth pastor spent the early part of the summer preparing to join the youth mission trip in August. Even with sudden changes of plan redirecting the whole trip to a different state, Micah enjoyed the entire week. He was sharing the joy of being a child of the King, serving at a camp, and praying for people on the street.

"Jesus said, 'Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.'" (Luke 18:27)

Where is God calling you to just say yes right now?