We have had three out of the four biggies in a church leader’s life this week. Baptisms on Sunday, a funeral on Tuesday and a wedding yesterday. What was missing? A new born baby!

Sunday evening was a glorious celebration of new and reinvigored life in Christ. I love how baptism symbolises our old self dying with Christ and being raised in newness of resurrection life. I still remember my baptism forty years ago. It’s a precious moment in time, where the Lord seals our faith in many ways.

The New Living Translation puts Galatians 3:27 well, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” It encapasulates the new nature we have!

Theologically I would say the born again changes happen as we first put our faith in Jesus – as we repent and believe we are born again and 2 Cor 5:17 is activated – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old has gone and the new has come.” Baptism by faith symbolises the old dying and being buried and the new life we now have. In Acts, some were baptised within minutes of coming to faith and for others it took a while!

Straight after the baptisms, we prayed for a younger sister of one of the baptisees who was poorly with sickness form a food intolerance. She stopped bing sick and I got sent a video of her on the fairground rides 30 mins later. God is good!

On Tuesday, some of us went to Ruth Elves’ funeral over in March. It was a glorious celebration of a life well lived for Jesus. It was lovely to hear testimonies from the many of the churches she had been a blessing in, with memories shared of her welcoming people, prophecying regularly and seeking ever more of the presence of the Lord. She is now in the presence of her Lord for ever more, Hallelujah!

Yesterday, we spent the day at Kezia and Bafe’s wedding, which was a wonderfully international occasion and celebration of love. Kezia has been part of our life group since starting work at the QEH, and we look forward to them both getting stuck into church life!

It was a joy meeting so many people from different nations and celebrating a British wedding service and Nigerian and Brazilian style reception. One of the things I love about weddings is getting to meet new people and chatting. When asked what my job is, I had an amazing conversation about faith with a bridesmaid and later quietly prayed for someone else to be healed. Makes me think of Jesus at the wedding of Cana – although no water into wine miracles yesterday. That would have been amazing to see!

Here’s the happy couple with some of the past and present Gateway crew!