Holy Water

Have you noticed that the baptismal font has water in it for Lent? Rev. Peter blessed a basin of water and placed it in the font for us to use in this holy season. As we enter Church we are invited to dip our fingers into the water and make the sign of the cross on our bodies or on our foreheads, as a reminder of our baptism, when we were marked as Christ's own forever.

This has been a meaningful practice for me in this season of Lent. I was already in the habit of doing this on baptism days when I pass the font to go to communion. But I enjoy seeing the font full, and it calls to mind all of the baptisms we have celebrated at Church. So many of these babies have grown up in our midst - what a blessing!

In the Good Shepherd Atrium we talk about gestures as a way of praying with our bodies. We show the children the gesture of making the sign of the cross and wonder with them about what it might mean. The image that has stayed with me, and that is brought to mind as I make the sign of the cross with the sanctified water is that of a shield - I am covering my whole body with the presence of Jesus and it goes before me into the world in all that I do.

When you see water in the font, feel free to dip your fingers in and make a cross on your forehead or over your body as a reminder of the blessing of baptism and the joy of belonging to God.

Baptism of Our Lord

The Jordan River

In honor of the feast of the Baptism of our Lord, I've been flipping through my pilgrimage photos and thought I would post a few here.

Along the banks of the Jordan.

We visited Yardenit, a baptismal site along the Jordan River. Today, the Jordan River is generally very small, and much of the water that once flowed through it is now siphoned off for other uses. But at Yardenit, the river is a good size and very beautiful.

On the day we visited, Yardenit was busy - crowds of people, lots of baptisms, and many things for sale. I had been looking forward to spending time at the Jordan, but this felt a bit too commercial and I was turned off by it.

Mark 1:9-11 is written in many languages around the site.

In the midst of the crowds, Mary Jo read us the scriptural account of Jesus' baptism from Mark, and we wandered along the river. Anthony found a very quiet spot and we went down a little flight of stairs and put our feet into the water.

I can't explain it, but the experience suddenly became very intimate, as if we were the only people there. Our priests blessed us and I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as we splashed in the water and laughed together. It was one of those holy moments that you don't see coming! As a result, I have very fond memories of our trip to the Jordan and still feel blessed by it!

The sunset was breathtaking as we left Yardenit that evening.

Making Connections: Baptism

Last Sunday was one of those great days in the True Vine Atrium when the children were making connections. In preparation for a baptism, several of us were sitting together making cards for the baby. When the children want to make baptismal cards we set out all of the card materials for them to contemplate, copy and trace.

One six year old who hasn't yet seen all of the baptism materials was tracing a picture of the priest with his hand extended over the baptismal font.  "What's the priest doing?" she asked.

I looked at her drawing.  "Oh-- we've seen that gesture before, haven't we?" I asked.

An older girl leaned across to see.  "That's the same gesture the priest makes over the bread and wine!"

"And what's the priest asking for at that moment?" I asked.

Several children tried to answer at once.  "He's asking God to make Jesus a part of the bread and wine for us so Jesus will be in us," the older girl answered.

"I wonder what Rev. Peter might be praying when he has his arm extended over the baptismal font?" I said.

An eight year old boy answered. "He's asking God to send Jesus in the water so Jesus will be in the baby. Hey-- The priest is making that gesture on my card too!"  Everyone crowded in to see what the priest was up to now!  "He has his hand out over the baby, the family, and everybody in the Church," the boy told us.

"What do you think is happening here?" I asked.

"He's asking God to send Jesus to be inside all of us!" he said. The children continued to talk happily about the sign of the cross Rev. Peter makes over the congregation as he blesses us each week.

Such beautiful connections!