Harvest and Baptism

Continuing from yesterday's concert and supper -
This morning there was a full church again. It was a combination Harvest Festival and Baptism. The latter was very special. The baby's grandfather lived in the village. Her father works all over the world and lives in Azerbaijan. There is no Christian Church there, so he asked for his daughter to be baptised where her Grnadfather lived. People came from all over the world, which was also very special. Because it was Harvest Festival, there was a good local turn-out too. And lots of children!
The wee babe was not so wee! - about 4 or 5 months at a guess. She was very good, but did not get rid of the devil! She loves showers, as her mother takes her in with her. Consequently, water being poured over her head was kids stuff!! It was not until later in the service that she started to cry - she was hungry, wasn't she? A bottle solved that.
The Harvest part was good too. Lots of things - earth, seeds, plants, flowers, an instrument used at harvest, (a small instrument for measuring moisture content in the grain) water, bread and wine - were taken up to the altar by a small person, with a grown-up to say what was there.
We sang harvest hymns. The majority of the congretation went up to the altar, though some went for a blessing, as did the children. The children had been drawing a picture of what grows on the ground, while the sermon was on - and after too!
It was a noisy, busy service that meant a great deal. If you want to go to a Communion Service where you have quiet and can concentrate, you do not go to such a service. But I say to all those (usually oldies) who think that children should be seen and not heard, - read your New Testament and remember that Jesus said 'Let the little children come unto me' etc.
There was a very young gentleman with curly blond hair in front of me. At the end I said to him and his Mum that if I had had one, I'd give him a gold star. It was the first thing that really made him stop and look at me! (He really had been good!) His mother said how nice it was to see a smily face behind, because sometimes all she gets is black looks! Children are the most important - they can be won or lost - we oldies are either in the church or not there at all.

Quite enough of that. I came home and after lunch got on with the garden. I am trying to get things tidied up before the weather goes bad on us. Today, I had help. He finished off cleaning the green house roof, as I had not been able to reach it all yesterday. Then he cut the top out of a pillar type conifer growing by the house, which really must not get too tall. He also took out some bits of the top of a holly that had been missed last time he got at it. In between wondering if he was going to fall off the ladder and generally bossing him about (!) I was weeding pruning etc.

Now blogging after roast lamb. A good day!