David, you are this man. David, God entrusted you with the care of God’s people, and you failed. David, your reign has turned rotten; instead of protecting the vulnerable you are now preying upon them. Instead of sacrificing your life for your people, you’ve demanded sacrifices laid at your feet. David, you’ve become a pharaoh. “David,” Nathan says, “why have you despised the word of the Lord?”
Saying Yes
Anabaptists embrace adult baptism (or baptism at a discerning age), since this is what Jesus models and what is portrayed repeatedly throughout the Bible. For Anabaptists, baptism is a sign of faith, of readiness to be part of the church. The belief is: we aren’t born ready. This leads me back to Lydia.
Not Forgetting
Growing up, I would at different times ask my mom, “what was the best time of your life?” I asked her this question repeatedly, year after year, I suppose always waiting to hear something different. Every single time, she’d reply, “well, my life is pretty good right now.” I just knew though, that there had to be another answer—I figured that the best time of her life had to be when she was a smooth-skinned twenty year old, her potential yet unhampered by kids and the weight of domesticity. Or maybe it was another time. Whatever the case, the best time of her life couldn’t be right then—why would it be? She always seemed to be eluding the question by not telling me about a time that lived on, resplendent in her memory, as the BEST time of her life.