Big, Big Responsibility :)

I have not yet written a post about our goddaughter Lilly.  Lilly is the daughter of our best Santa Barbara friends, Shane & Emily.  We met Shane & Emily when we first moved to Santa Barbara and checked out the Anglican church here in town where they attended.  Emily was divinely inspired (teeheehee) to look up my email address on the Westmont website and suggest we hang out!  We got together and immediately hit it off.  Shane and Emily have been such good friends to us and met my deep desire to have friends not associated with the College.  Several months into our friendship, they discovered that they would be adding a little one to their family.  It has been so fun to join them in this journey!  Lillian Honey Holehouse was born in October.  On our first visit to see her, we were asked by Shane & Emily if we would consider being Lilly's godparents.  We were delighted!!

Four months later (this past Sunday), with the visit of their priest who married them, Lilly was baptized with us by her side.  You see, the role of godparents is to play a significant role in the spiritual formation of the child.  We are so honored to have this big, big responsibility!  In the Anglican infant baptism service, it is the godparents who hold the child up front, who name the child, who are essentially the voice of the child as they get baptized.

The priest specifically addressed us, saying:
"You have brought Lilly here to be baptized, you have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would receive her, release her of her sins, sanctify her with the Holy Ghost, to give her the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life.  You have heard also that our Lord Jesus Christ has promised in his Gospel to grant all these things that you have prayed for...
"Forasmuch as Lilly promised by you her sureties to renounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God, and to serve him; you must remember, that it is your part and duties to see that Lilly be taught, so soon as she as she shall be able to learn, what a solemn vow, promise and profession she has made here by you...and chiefly you shall provide, that she may learn the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's health; and that Lilly may be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life; remembering always, that Baptism represents our profession which is to follow the example of our Savior Christ, and to be made like him; that, as he died, and rose again for us, so should we who are baptized die from sin and rise again unto righteousness..."

May Jesus be our guide as we serve in this awesome and wonderful role for Lilly!

Here are photos from this super special day: