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The Week Ahead
Wednesday 29th July
- 09:45
- 14:00
Thursday 30th July
- 09:45
- 11:00
Friday 31st July
- 09:45
- 15:00
Sunday 2nd August
- 11:00
- 19:00
Monday 3rd August
- 09:45
- 18:00
Tuesday 4th August
- 09:45
- 13:15
Wednesday 5th August
- 09:45
- 14:00
The Story of Baptism & the Birth of the Christian Faith
Baptism is full of imagery and metaphor. It is the Sacrament by which we are given life in all of its fullness – the life of Christ. At baptism we become co-workers in Christ, members of the Christian community with others throughout the world and throughout time.
In Mark's Gospel we hear that Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan by John (his cousin). This was a new religious rite of purification, of cleansing. A way of ridding oneself of all impurity and having a fresh start. St Mark reports that God the Father was close to those being baptised: "Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'"
The dove is the traditional Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit. The cross is also closely associated with baptism because we are called to die to the world and be born again to God. Christ's Easter journey of passion, death and resurrection is lived out in the baptismal rite.
The Church quickly integrated baptism into its theology of initiation. Baptism was a sign of membership. In the early years of the Christian Church after the resurrection appearances of Jesus, Christians began to be persecuted for their belief in Jesus. The early Christian movement was known as "The Way" and its earliest motif or badge was the fish.
In the days of the persecution of the ancient church, the Ichthus (pronounced ikh-thoos) was sketched in the sand or dirt when a believer met a stranger. If the stranger was a believer also, he or she would then respond and the two would know it was safe to discuss the Jesus without fear of harm. Today, the Ichthus is seen frequently to signify a person’s Christian baptismal faith.
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