Water surrounds us all the time. From dewdrops on wild rose petals to ice dripping from the roofline to the water in our own bodies, water is everywhere. Yet how often do we stop to think about what water means to us, to our lives, to the life of the planet?
Most spiritual traditions place a high value on water as an external symbol of an inner sacred reality. In the language of the Nehiyaw (Cree) people of this land, the word water, "api", means literally "my life". In the Christian tradition, God hovers over water in order to create life. And science teaches us that the first element to condense out of the original gases of the universe was water in the form of ice.
Water therefore represents the first things that arise in the world when life is actually beginning to unfold. As a spiritual symbol it reminds us that there are also first things that must arise within in us in order for our spiritual life to unfold. You may or may not have thought of your spiritual life or the spiritual life of your loved ones this way ... that is, as a creation that is continually under construction. Yet this is God, the Creator's first gift to you. You and your loved one are the Creator's handiwork and God is already running through your life like an ever flowing stream. Within you and your you already posses the elements of your own spiritual awakening and deepening, so that you may be fully alive physically and spiritually throughout your life.
Before proceeding further, listen to one or more of these songs about water.
Most spiritual traditions place a high value on water as an external symbol of an inner sacred reality. In the language of the Nehiyaw (Cree) people of this land, the word water, "api", means literally "my life". In the Christian tradition, God hovers over water in order to create life. And science teaches us that the first element to condense out of the original gases of the universe was water in the form of ice.
Water therefore represents the first things that arise in the world when life is actually beginning to unfold. As a spiritual symbol it reminds us that there are also first things that must arise within in us in order for our spiritual life to unfold. You may or may not have thought of your spiritual life or the spiritual life of your loved ones this way ... that is, as a creation that is continually under construction. Yet this is God, the Creator's first gift to you. You and your loved one are the Creator's handiwork and God is already running through your life like an ever flowing stream. Within you and your you already posses the elements of your own spiritual awakening and deepening, so that you may be fully alive physically and spiritually throughout your life.
Before proceeding further, listen to one or more of these songs about water.
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If you are seeking baptism for yourself, take time to reflect on sxxxx.
If you are seeking baptism for a dependant loved one, a child, or are sponsoring a baptism for a loved one such as a grandchild (with parental permission), take time to think about why you want baptism for that person. What is the significance of baptism for you? What is it you hope will happen in your loved one's life as a resuilt of having been baptised? What do you think baptism means?
And if you were already baptised at another time in your life and are now seeking to confirm or reconfirm your earlier baptism,
