I last wrote one of these meditations in 2021. At that time, I wrote: “For the early Christians, Lent was a time of preparing for the baptism of converts to the faith. I like to think of the 40 days of Lent as a time of remembering our own baptisms.” As a retired Presbyterian pastor (who loves St. John’s), these words from a Presbyterian resource are very important to me: “The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of Creation, of the Flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God’s creation and to
the grace of God’s covenants with Noah and Israel.”
Recently my husband and I had the opportunity to participate in our granddaughter’s baptism. The officiant was a Roman Catholic priest, our daughter-in-law’s uncle. He graciously invited Steve and me to participate in the service. I cobbled together a prayer, which included these eloquent words (which are not my own):
We thank you that baptism is for us the water of new creation,
the cleansing flood, the covenant rainbow,
the Red Sea of victory, the anointing of salvation.
Shower us all with your spirit,
and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
May it be so!
Submitted by Meta Cramer