Psalm 1
And he will be like a
tree firmly planted by streams
of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
One of the things young children learn about seeds is that
they require three things in order to grow: dirt, sunlight, and water. In this
muddy, dusty, dirty season of Lent in which we are burying those things that
must die, we continually immerse ourselves in God’s baptismal waters. Death and
baptism go hand in hand. As Paul writes to the church at Rome: “Do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into
His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).
We enter the Lenten wilderness with a watering can close at
hand, so that we might emerge in newness of life.
We give you thanks, O God,
for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters
and by your Word you created the world,
calling forth life in which you took delight.
for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters
and by your Word you created the world,
calling forth life in which you took delight.
Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family.
Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom.
At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit.
By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons,
making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.
Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom.
At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit.
By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons,
making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.
We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life,
and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
Shower us with your Spirit,
and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
Shower us with your Spirit,
and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Thanksgiving for Baptism, Evangelical Lutheran Worship
I was a bit amused in reading the insightful posting by Pastor Mike. One of the first things we learned (or more strongly--had drilled into our heads) in an agronomy course on Soils during my studies in agriculture at the University of Illinois is that we were studying "soil", not "dirt". Dirt, we were informed, is just that--something dead and without benefit. Soil, however, is something complex, life giving, and interesting. Death, it seems, is more like soil than dirt. It is complex, for sure, but much more. Like soil to plants, death is part of our hope for life--for us life eternal with Christ. But, as we usually don't want to put our hands in dirt, so we'd like to avoid death.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that distinction, Alan! Great reflection!
ReplyDelete