Looking  back to Saint Valentine's Day - in addition to the Service which included the  renewal of Marriage Vows at St. Mary's (the Church should do all in its power  to uphold the sanctity and sustainability of those sacred and binding marriage  vows) - the day was significant for me in that I  officiated at two baptism - Samuel's at All Saints' and Freya's at St. Mary's;  the latter being that of my darling granddaughter who has brought so much joy  into the lives of all who know and love her - as Samuel has similarly brought  much joy to his family.
 
I never did personally baptise my own  two daughters - we gave that privilege to my two vicars under whom I was  serving - the late Canon Trevor Collins at Boston Stump for Emily and Father David Murray at Chalfont St. Peter for Eleanor.
 
Thinking back over thirty three years of ministry (Good Heavens  - that's almost a third of a century or one sixtieth of the time Christianity  has been around!  No wonder then, that Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch in  his excellent television series and book called! "A  History of Christianity" concluded by stating - "It would be very surprising  if this religion, so youthful, yet so varied in its historical experience, had  now revealed all its secrets."  In other words - the best is yet to  come)).   I must have baptised hundreds if not thousands of people - what a delight it has been so to do.  In all of them - there has been the transforming presence of Jesus.
 
I think that  my second favourite Gospel passage occurs in the second chapter of John's  gospel - where Jesus changes water into wine at the Wedding party at Cana of  Galilee.  Similarly a transformation takes place at baptism.  Baptisms to me  always have a party feel about them ­ similar to that of a wedding.  The reason why Church weddings are so important - as opposed to those that take place in  secular venues - is that when Jesus is involved He makes all the difference.  Candidates for baptism and couples at weddings - receive His divine blessing.  You see, when Jesus walks in to our lives, things change and get better and  better.  He certainly made a difference at that Wedding Feast in Cana when  water used for purification was transformed into the most delicious of wines  to gladden the heart.
 
Baptism is all about the same kind of  transformation.  The Baptismal liturgy uses the ancient imagery of darkness and light to symbolise this transformation.  It speaks not of water and wine, but  of old and new life, of dying and rising again with the Living Lord, of  washing away the past and putting on a new way of being.
 
In  Baptism God welcomes Samuel and Freya (and all the millions of others who  through twenty Christian centuries past have themselves been baptised) into a  new and life-giving relationship which can make a real difference to their  lives as they grow.  I hope and pray that they will know that they are loved by  God and belong to God.
 
In Baptism, God is also making Freya and  Samuel members of the Church.  That may not mean much to them at the moment, but for the rest of us, they are God's gift - new members of the Body of  Christ, helping to complete us and make us whole.  So as we give thanks to God  for them both - as the great festival of Easter approaches - let us blow off  the dust from our own baptism.  For all those who are baptised are also members  of that Body with a part to play.  We all need to play our part, taking  responsibility for the gifts we have each been given to the glory of God.
 
One final thought - St. Valentine's Day was the day two years  ago when I officiated at my father's funeral.  Like me, Dad was far from perfect but he had an irrepressible sense of humour which kept him going  through all the vicissitudes of life and throughout his long final illness.  Above all - he had a strong Christian faith and served for many years as  Churchwarden in the parish church where my own faith was first nurtured.  He  was baptised and confirmed, as an adult, in the private chapel of the Bishop of Durham at Auckland Castle - the home of the Prince Bishops.  As a result of his active faith - I am sure that he and "me mam", who was also a faithful practicing Christian (and countless other Christian people who are faithful to  the Lord and worship and serve him devotedly) continue to worship with the  Church below around God's throne of grace and mercy, in  heaven.
 
As the hymn says "time, like an ever rolling stream bears  all its sons (and daughters) away" but each new and succeeding generation takes their place.  If we are faithful to the Saviour - then, we must do all in our power to hand on the flame of faith that has been handed on to us so that the Light of Christ continues to burn brightly in this land.

Every  Blessing,

FATHER DAVID