Mercy Before Memory

“The LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deut. 30:6)

Dear congregation,

A baby comes to baptism, but won’t remember it. She won’t recall the water, the vows, the triune Name, the prayers around her, the parents that hope, nor the congregation that witnesses. God remembers. His mercy reaches us, before our first thought.

This shows us that our deepest need sits beneath all we can do. Before a child speaks or even breathes, she needs a new heart. Before she will ever walk, or walk in faith, she needs inward circumcision. The sign touches the body. Only the Spirit touches the soul.

Circumcision of the heart means God will cut away what is dead in our heart and in the hearts of our children. Every covenant child needs more than water. She needs to become holy by grace. More than hearing of Christ, she needs to be joined to Him by faith and a life of repentance. She needs the life of Christ’s gracious covenant.

The verse also brings hope. God teaches parents to pray for real love alongside decent behavior and family ways. That love can’t be made in the nursery or the pew. The Holy Spirit pours it out.

So we carry our children to the font with confession and hope. We confess that a splash of water will not wake the dead. Yet, we hope because the God who gives the sign, will also give grace in time. We confess they are born in Adam. We hope because Christ welcomes sinners and gathers His lambs.

Before memory, mercy. Before speech, promise. Before understanding, the name of the triune God. And after all our sprinkling, preaching, praying, and teaching, one plea remains: Lord, circumcise the heart of our seed, that they may love Thee and live.

Your friend and pastor,

J Lewis