Fat Tuesday: Come on in, boys, the water is fine!

Lent is an annual opportunity for Christians to reflect on their baptism and 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.

I have put together a booklet of reflections on baptism, one for each day of Lent, and will post each day's reflection here. The reflections are designed for people who have already undergone the rite of baptism, or confirmation of infant baptism. It is my hope that, if you go through the reflections, by the end of Lent you will have a deeper understanding of the experience of baptism, you will be better equipped to tell your story of faith, and you will be ready to reaffirm your baptismal vows (if your church does that sort of thing).

To begin, however, today is Fat Tuesday, the end of Mardi Gras. So today, let’s play! To watch a slightly irreverent movie clip of a baptism, click here. As you watch, you might want to reflect on some of the themes reflected in the clip – or you might just want to praise God for the gift of good humour!