Day 29: Andrew's getting wet

For the past 2,000 years, Christians have held the tradition of baptising new believers on the Saturday night before Easter. If you haven't been to an Easter vigil service, you should do it at least once.

The service starts dark. silent. by candlelight. Scriptures from the old testement are read. We emerge ourselves simply into the story of our faith. No distractions. No music. Just a silent, candlelit church and the telling of a very old story. Then, we rise. The new believers to the faith make their vows and are baptized. Baptized into the darkness of Good Friday. Baptized into the story of faith. And, baptized into the glory of Easter morning. At the moment of baptism, the service changes. The first light of dawn. The first telling of the resurrection. Like the women at the who came to annoint Jesus's body those dark early hours on after Saturday's sabbath, we are the first to find again the empty tomb.

My heart sings with joy. This year, my little Andrew, will greet his first Easter by going down into the water. He will be surrounded by the grace, the healing and the journey that the water brings. And we will be there holding him and lifting him up. Just as the faithful have done for us.