Dear Lexi,

Difficult task for a secular sort, even more so when we exclude the Hebrew Bible.

Pity as here is a nice snippet from Psalm 139 which goes;

 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

I do love "for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" since it so eloquently sums up my feelings when my firstborn arrived.

Good luck Lexi.

Dear csteele,

I only asked for Readings from The New Testament
because the poster who gave me the
Readings from The Old Testament at the beginning
of this thread chose ones, for whatever reason,
not with the best intentions.

However, I am delighted with what you've given.
Psalm 139, In Praise of God's Omniscience is
wonderful. Thank You so much. I shall certainly pass
it on to my son and daughter-in-law.

I've been reading Rabbi Marianne Williamson's
collection of thoughts, prayers, and rites of passage.
In her book she has - several prayers that I am including in
the collection that I'm sending to my son and his wife.

Again, Thank You for your input. It shall be passed on
to my son and his wife.

Hi Lexi,

I'm not sure how religious your son and daughter-in-law are, so I don't know how appropriate my suggestion would be - but I'm particularly fond of the story of the journey to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Travellers heading along that road are joined by a stranger who keeps them company and comforts them as they mourn the loss of the Messiah (shortly after Jesus' death). As they settle in for the night, they discover that the stranger is, in fact, the resurrected Lord.

For most 21st Century Christians, I think this is an appropriate reading for a Baptism. It reminds us that, even when we don't realise it (or don't want to realise it), the Lord is still with us. Most people's experiences of Christianity seem to wax and wane - some people are deeply religious their whole lives, of course, and some are religious in name only; others let their faith lie dormant for some time but pick it up again when it makes sense to them. I suspect that the latter category is the most common. A child may be Baptised but only discover or develop his faith at a later date. For these people, it may be comforting to know that the Lord was with them all along. The Baptism is the beginning of that connection; later sacraments or personal experiences consolidate it. The journey to Emmaus reminds us that the relationship may have hidden beneath the surface, but it was always there.

If your son's son follows that path, I can think of fewer more appropriate readings for him.

That's my opinion, of course. I think the other suggestions (with a few notable exceptions from early in the piece) are all remarkably apt as well.

Hope I've helped!

Dear Oktokonoko,

I don't think my son is overly religious even though
he was raised as a Catholic (attended Xavier College
here in Melbourne). His wife was raised as a Lutheran
(she's German), however I know that she's not religious.
So you've helped a great deal and I shall pass your
Reading, "The Road to Emmaus," onto to both of them.
Thank You.

Lexi,

Good luck in choosing your readings for the Baptism.

I would suggest using quotes that Jesus actually stated himself. Afterall Jesus = Christ = Christian.

Included in Philo's selection was this line

Lk 2:24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

This is a very ugly part of "Moses laws" and not a "Law of the Lord".

How can the killing of any innocent animal in ritual sacrifice be something God would want?

Now I am not suggesting for a second that you would do such a thing, but the fact that in Jesus' times it was considered reasonable is highly questionable and just plain ugly.

Dear Opinionated2,

Don't worry. My son and his wife have already
made their choices with the guidance of the
Parish priest. This thread helped a great deal.
However you're right - the killing of anything
was not considered appropriate.
Thank You for your concern. And I do appreciate
all the positive contributions. I'm still shocked
and saddened by the one negative response but as
RObert pointed out - I should have been prepared
for it. I wasn't. I guess because I still believe
that most people are decent human beings and
I'm surprised when sometimes I'm proven wrong.
Although that happens only rarely.