Faith Challenged and Affirmed

Faith Challenged and Affirmed

            This is a tale of two calls to minister.

            The first came from my wife’s niece. Her baby had died from SIDS or Sudden

Infant Death Syndrome. The second call came for the maternity ward of the hospital where I was a chaplain intern

            I was asked to prepare a graveside service for my wife’s niece and her dead baby. I prepared by reading, Why Bad things happen to Good People. With that study, I learned in the face of tragedy it is better to affirm God’s presence that to question God’s will. I also became prepared to baptize dead babies.

            I remember going to my supervising pastor with the question of whether it is proper to baptize my wife’s niece’s dead child upon the request of its parents. I was told not to worry about theoretical theology but to be guided by doing whatever I could to comfort. That insight and the knowing to affirm God’s presence in the midst of tragedy would serve me well when I received my second call.

            That call came in at two in the morning. I went in not knowing what to expect. I was confronted by a young mother whose baby had died in her birth canal. Everyone was shock. The nurses were numb. The doctors were bewildered. The woman was angry and in the mood to question God.

            She kicked everyone out of the room but me with my cross. “Reverend ‘Why’ did this happen, I prayed for this baby? Where is God? How could this happen?”

            I braced myself then said, “I don’t know why that happened I would rather have a God not in control then have a god that let this happen. But I believe God is here and cares”

            The woman grunted and asked me to baptize her dead baby, which I did.

            Two days later I saw again and she looked ten years younger. A nurse had delivered a breast pump so she could give away her mother’s milk