Seeing ourselves through the waters of baptism

On Sunday, I had the privilege of baptizing a 6-month old boy. What a great age! He was a delightful baby - curious but trusting. He was very interested in what was happening all around him, but in a calm way.  A few months later and he'd probably be in that "only Mommy may hold me" stage, and a few months earlier he might just be sleeping, but this guy was engaged in it all.

Our baptismal font is a few hundred years old (it came from England and was in the Anglican church at Jamestown, which was settled in 1607, before it came to Bruton Parish) and we put a silver Revere bowl inside the basin into which we pour the water for baptism.

The baby was very interested in the shiny bowl and the water, and he kept his eye on it the whole time that I was baptizing him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He turned his face toward the water and looked into it with great interest, no doubt seeing his reflection in the bowl through the water.

I love that image. We should always try to see ourselves through the waters of our baptism, which, in truth, gives us the clearest image of who we really are.

We don't use this prayer much at Baptisms in church (because we include baptisms within the context of Eucharist and other prayers are used) but this is a good prayer to remember:

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, grant you to be strengthened with might by his Holy Spirit, that, Christ dwelling in your hearts by faith, you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Amen  (BCP 311)