This morning, I decided to slightly rearrange my office and purge a few things. In doing so, I found enlightenment in the pages of papers that I had written a few years ago when I first entered seminary. I immediately noticed how I have grown and how I remain the same. My thoughts and beliefs are broader and more substantial, my hope is deeper and my challenges are fewer in number. Change occurs within us sometimes without introduction and we don’t really notice it from a distance. Today, I am grateful for the change that allows me to hear the once silent voices in the world and notice their struggle. Further, I am blessed from the ever present movement of Spirit in my life and world, and I render thanks a praise for such.
I am currently studying liturgy and rite keeping in an Episcopal context. Sometimes I find myself lost in the void between my past and present faith journey and I am challenged to level the volume mix between the two to find something harmonious. Today’s enlightenment is in the fact harmony comes from the delicate blending of two or more dichotomous incarnations. Until today, my problem was that I was waiting for harmony to happen external of me; such that I overlooked the blending, stirring, emerging and evolving that was going on within me. Today I hear, see and feel the importance of what we call into the space that we deem holy and I am amazed at the beauty of the newness of God that I see there. I hear songs that I have known for much of my life with new ears, I read scripture that I learned as memory verses when I was a child and it comes to life before my eyes in spirit and truth as it has never done before and I examine the many points of application for all of this in our world and I feel like an overflowing vessel. I think to myself – Wow!
We have been studying the rites of Holy Baptism and the history of such and this journey of learning has allowed me to travel back in time the churches, basilicas and cathedrals of past centuries. I have had a chance to see everything from the magnificent to the primitive and allow each of those to speak to me. I have leaned new words like baptismal font and looked at this rite of initiation culturally, by period of time, tradition and geography to learn how closely we are all connected in these moments of growth, welcome and initiation to the journey of Christ and each other. My assignment was to examine the parts of the blessing of water for baptism. I realized as I studied that water for baptism is really water of life. From my own journey of faith which is the convergence of many paths I was able to borrow from the whole of my own experiences in this rite by infusion, immersion and sprinkling and the saw anew the power of shared belief in these moments. From that emerged this prayer for the blessing of water.
God of many names and beyond naming, we give you thanks and praise for this day and the blessings of baptism that transcend time and understanding. Incline your ear and hear the prayers of your people, who you have called by your name and according to your purpose.
Holy Scripture teaches us that for thousands of years, water has given new life to our land, revived us when the heat from the journey has caused us to be weary and cleansed the dust from our bodies. Today, we stand as empty vessels, before you our ever flowing fountain of hope.
For us individually and as a beloved community, water has been a symbol of life and restoration for us. In this moment we present this water back to you and give you thanks and praise for the path that it travelled to this moment. Through our acts of baptism you make this water holy.
You give us new life and you refresh us with the presence of your sweet Holy Spirit. Through this water, drawn from the earth that you created, may we be reminded of our baptism and the baptism of Jesus. Let this water wash away the old and welcome the new.
Abide with us and share the joy of all those who have been baptized. We render this prayer to You in the name of all that we call Holy and in the name of Christ our blessed redeemer. May this blessing of water, wash over us, cleanse us, prepare us and renew us.
May it be so – Amen!
