We have pined so much for salt water that we decided to re-watch the excellent Shetland crime series based on books by Ann Cleeves, and we're a little unsettled by how little we recall from the first time round! An episode we watched last night included a baptism ceremony, and I actually recalled it --figures. I didn't remember that the liturgy which was an ancient rite, rarely used now but perfect for a murder mystery. The questions included:
Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?
I do
The next question asked about rejecting Satan. When was the last time any of us heard about sin, or evil. or Satan, the Prince of Darkness? I ask this as someone who rarely referred to any of the three in sermons in latter years,even though sin and evil and Satan are all biblical and I believe in all three, although perhaps not in the manner I did as a child and teen.
What really caught by attention was the notion of the glamour of evil, which is such a powerful and accurate description. We regularly witness the misuse and abuse of power, often it hugely destructive ways. People are exploited and killed, ecosystems are destroyed, justice is subverted. As archaic as these phrases may sound to 21st century ears, if there really a more accurate way of explaining what goes on in world?
Through the years I did use a United Church liturgy which asked the question:
Desiring the freedom of new life in Christ,
From time to time I was asked whether this question was a bit strong, and my answer was always no. And who knows, if I had known about the old liturgy I might have sneaked glamour in there!
Pulling the trigger on COVID baptism
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