Sunday, January 31, 2016

Watermarked: Reflections on Baptism and Faith

Watermarked

Lent. The word brings up dreadful masochistic images of sackcloth and ashes. But in reality, it is an annual rhythm which many Christians use to reflect more deeply on their faith. The forty day period culminates in the Great Paschal Vigil (the Easter service), which is the service at which, traditionally, new Christians are baptised, and all Christians reaffirm their baptismal vows.

Therefore, I have put together a book of readings on baptism, one for each day of Lent. The reflections are not theological arguments. Rather, they tell of people’s lived experience of baptism. They draw from all quarters - fiction, poetry, and memoir, sprinkled with stories from members of my congregation. Some reflections are moving, some are pensive, and some are just plain hilarious! Each reflection is followed by a few questions and a suggested prayer.

If this is something you would like to use, I'd be glad to send you a copy. Send me an email: alison [at] southyarrabaptist [dot] church. It is in pdf format, designed to be read on an iPad. The readings begin with Shrove Tuesday, which is on 9 February this year. I will also post each day's reflection here on the blog.

The painting of the baptism of Jesus is by Paul Gahan, a member of the South Yarra Community Baptist Church.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...