The power of water

In the news for the last week we have been hearing about the power of water. A friend of a friend was on her honeymoon in Sri Lanka. She and her new husband were headed to the coast, to spend the honeymoon in a hotel on the beach. Fortunately for them the tsunami struck one day before they were supposed to be there. The hotel they were going to stay at was completely demolished. Now all that stands in its place is rubble and debris.

In chapel on Monday we observed two minutes of silence as a commemoration of those who have fallen silent as a result of the tsunami. As I sat there contemplating the power of the water of the tsunami, I was struck by the power of another kind of water. In the chapel at Trinity we have a baptismal font which trickles water all day long. When it goes quiet in the sancuary, you can hear the sound of gently falling water, and it reminds you of baptism. The time of silence that we observed was filled with the sound of gently falling water.

There is power in that water too. The power to make us God's own. The power to reclaim us from sin and death. The power to wash away all sins; past, present, and future, so that we can stand sanctified before God. As we remember those who have lost their lives in Southeast Asia and Africa, let us also remember that we too have died to our old selves, but we have been born again into a newness of life.