We talked about our love of infant baptism and all got a little bit jealous of Marc, who has one on Sunday. He can talk about this reckless world and all the hard things that might befall that baby girl someday. He can hold her in his arms and be honest about what’s she’s up against…but that she’s not alone.

Then we wrote our own mock-baptism liturgy. “As a sponsor hands her a candle you should say, ‘Welcome to the shitstorm, little one. Here’s your flashlight. It can get pretty dark out there.’” (And then we sang Welcome to the Shitstorm to the tune of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n’ Roses. Duh.)

“Welcome to the shitstorm. Here’s your flashlight.” That’s the truth! When we come around someone at the font, we don’t pat them on the back and say, “Follow your heart”. No. That would be dangerous and lonely living.

Instead we give them a small flame and speak words of welcome. We promise that we’re all in this together - no matter how weird and hard life gets. Baptism drenches you in waters that refresh for a lifetime. They are enough to carry you through every evil - every division, every disagreement, every judgement, every trial. They are enough because they call us together so our light grows brighter and breaks through the storm.

- Pastor Meta Carlson, “Welcome to the Shitstorm”