The Life of Discipleship

Dear Friends,

We had a wonderful celebration of St. David's Day on Monday, beginning with our Zoom call with Christ Church in Cardiff, Wales and ending with our service of Holy Eucharist. If you attended worship either last Sunday or Monday, I hope you noticed that one of our liturgical furnishings has been relocated. For those of you who have not been able to worship with us in person recently, the baptismal font is now situated at the entrance to the nave. This decision was made very intentionally, and I would like to teach why this matters. Simply put: the life of discipleship is the embodiment and enactment of our baptism.

Throughout church history, both within the Episcopal Church and beyond, the baptismal font has traditionally been situated near the entrance to the nave. There is an inherent liturgical logic to this placement: just as you entered into Christ's one holy catholic and apostolic church through your baptism, so too should you enter the house of the Lord by passing the baptismal font. Placing the font near the door into the nave provides a tangible and visible reminder of one's baptismal vows, inviting believers to reaffirm their commitment every week. The font is often full of blessed water--just not during a pandemic!--and believers are invited to dip their fingers into it in order to better remember their covenant, and many make the sign of the cross.

I encourage you to intentionally consider your own baptismal vows as you enter and leave the church every Sunday. As you arrive for worship, remember that you have died with Christ and have been raised to new life in him, and that through your baptism you are able to partake in the Eucharistic life of the church. As you leave the church to enter your mission field, remember that Christ has called you to invite others into the family of God through baptism. 

Peace,
Porter+