A Baptismal Remembrance
I made a quick trip to Massachusetts this week to plan for the installation of the new (to us!) United Methodist bishop. We will be sharing our bishop, Thomas Bickerton, with the New York Annual Conference, which covers the greater NYC metropolitan area through the Catskills as well as Long Island and western Connecticut. At the conclusion of the service, representatives from both conferences will lead the gathered congregation in a baptismal remembrance, with attention drawn to the waterways that connect us. Here’s a sneak peek, written by my colleague, Rev. Alicia Veléz Stewart:
Beloved, water is something which connects us all. Our very bodies are made of water. Our church was born of water and the Spirit.
And so we recognize how water not only prompts us to recall our baptisms, but also serves to remind us that we are connected as a people.
Today, we remember the waters that flow through New York and New England, rivers that have sustained life, brought communities together, and shaped the very landscape we share.
The watersheds and rivers of New England which feed the Hudson River, flowing through New York to the Atlantic, remind us of the strength and endurance we are called to in our faith journey and speak to the way we weave together our stories, our communities, and our hope in Christ.
The waters of the Boston and New York Harbors, where so many arrived seeking new beginnings, remind us of the grace that welcomes each of us into the family of God.
With these waters, we are reminded that baptism is not just a past moment, but an ongoing invitation to live as new people, to embrace the relationships we are called into, and to celebrate the ways we are connected through God’s love.
This attention to the flowing of water reminds us of how inconsequential our boundary lines can prove to be. Whether drawn on a map to form political borders or over our hearts to form idealogical ones, water—and the earth—call us to an empowering and enduring connectivity that we cannot avoid, try as we might.
As we conclude our creation-centered worship series this week and head ever closer to Election Day, I pray that our spirits may be stirred toward this unity. That love of our neighbor and our watersheds might call us both to engage politically (please vote!) and offer compassion whatever the next round of outcomes.
As a reminder, UCU will be open for prayer on Election Day from 8 am - 5 pm. If you’re interested and available, please sign up to host so we can publicize this opportunity for the community.
Pastor Jen
