Such powerful images of water. Think about Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, and then the destructive power of that same water when Moses let it crash onto the pursuing Egyptian troops. And think about Joshua and the Ark of the Covenant parting the Jordan River to allow the final re-entry of God's chosen people into the Promised Land. That same Jordan River Jesus is baptized in imbues immense symbolism into this act. It makes Jesus' baptism that much more poignant and historically relevant. That significance imbues our baptisms, and the one we participated in last week, with that same significance and poignancy. That water poured on Shelby's head and sprinkled by me onto you is meant to tie all those symbols together. We are in those same waters as Jesus.

Think about the vows and covenants and prayers that are repeated during the baptismal ceremony, and water is involved in all of it. The power of these water images evokes both life and death: life in drinking and nourishment, and death in raging seas. Think about the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and that massive Tsunami wave that killed thousands of people three years ago. Water can be so destructive and life-taking but is also life-giving and necessary to human existence. So using the powerful images of water for baptism and tying them together with images of death and life actually makes sense.  

In baptism we are called to new life as part of the Body of Christ. We are called to action, to reach to those in need, like Jesus did through his ministry. Wouldn't it be lovely to take these devastating images of the destructive power of water we saw in Katrina and that tsunami wave, and move those images from death to the baptismal rebirth we evoke in our baptismal services? Shouldn't we think about how to take any situation we are faced with in life and see how we can evoke the baptismal images of rebirth and change, and imbue them into those situations?

We talk about death in baptism and utilize the powerful images of water not only because it is inevitable that we are all going to die, but also as a reminder that we are all called to a new and changed life, here and now, with full knowledge that there is life hereafter as well. The baptismal covenants we say are meant to remind us of this obligation, this change and this movement in our lives. Because each one of us is: 

A Precious Jewel.... Special....miraculous....unrepeatable....fragile.....tender....human

The baptismal service and covenants are also meant to remind us that the living, breathing Incarnate God was one with us, shared our life and life experiences, and continues to love each of us as we are, as we have been created, as we all walk this journey together.