When you pass through the waters you will be redeemed. The waters could be those of the Red Sea when Moses parted them and the people walked through and the mud squished between their toes. The waters could be those of baptism of Jesus. Water is vital for life. We need water to survive. And so, when Christians needed a symbol for what it meant to be part of the community of faith, we turned to water.
As Christians we place water, which we know is vital for life, on the forehead of the one being welcomed into the Church, let it evaporate, and proclaim that there is something else that is vital of life: being claimed as God's beloved and being part of a community of faith. Water is what connects us. Moses knew this. Jesus knew this. And Isaiah knew this.
Within the faith we proclaim God was willing to come to earth, incarnate - in the flesh - of Jesus. And through the water, we also welcome a person into the Church - known as the Body of Christ. Incarnation, living life in the flesh, is vital to our faith.
We hear echoes of Jesus' baptism, where God proclaims Christ is God's beloved. Where did the Gospels get that image, look at verse 4. "You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you." And those words surround every time we gather around the font and baptism someone in the name of the One who Creates, Redeems, and Sustains us.
I encourage you over the coming days to pay attention to water. Water you drink, cook, and clean with. Each time you feel water wash over your skin and refresh your throat, remember your baptism! And may you sense the traces of God's grace in that.
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