Page 2 - A Different Kind of Birth Narrative

These are the words of our hope.

Only one baptism is necessary. But it is good to have reminders of the union that we are invited to
share through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, with the Creator.

Today we will touch water, and remembering its sacredness, recall that each one of us is God’s
beloved.

Anytime there is a need we can touch water or immerse ourselves in water as we remember that we
are a forgiven people, that we are empowered to start each moment anew whenever we catch
ourselves giving in to a temptation –

Having a temptation is not a sin, but anything that draws our attention or our trust away from God has
the power to hurt us. And so we ask the Creator to help us notice our movements away from God so
that we can repent. And if we are slow in turning back to the Creator, if we find ourselves burdened
with shame, we can prayerfully wash ourselves with water, and ask for the grace to let go of the
debilitating weight of our guilt.

Water is both sacred and sacramental – it calls to mind God’s eternal and creative compassion – may
both its grace and its defilement through greed or carelessness call us into action on behalf of others.

May we experience water as a means of rebirth and newness of life.

Amen.

Holy One, we thank you for the blessings of this day.
We praise you for the earth, and for the sun and moon, and all the stars.
We bless you for the order you create out of chaos.
We thank you for one another, and for all our relations,
but most of all we thank you for the love with which you created us,
and which sustains us even now.
With awe and wonder we acknowledge your undying love for us
which ever triumphs over suffering and death.
Bless us, we pray, so that we might be nurtured and strengthened here;
so that we might be a blessing in your beautiful but wounded world. Amen.