The renewal of our baptism is a practice to reflect upon when considering worship renewal. A baptismal renewal service is a ceremony that recognizes who we were and reorients us to a God centered life, which is what worship renewal entails. To have an informed viewpoint concerning baptismal renewal, we need to look at the biblical texts that disclose baptism accounts and practice. Considered an initiation rite in the Christian faith, baptism is a sacrament that affirms the person’s identity as a believer in God's salvific act for humanity through Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, baptism conveys various meanings, and Arlo D. Duba in his article called Take Me to the Waters: Ideas for Keeping Baptism Front and Center mentions the followings: • Participation …show more content…
A sudden burst of imagery jumps out of the pages representing, in symbolic form, truths that reveal God. The creation story (Genesis 1:2) and what happened to the wicked in the story of Noah (Genesis 6) portray water as an image that denotes chaos and destruction. By the same token, water represents a source of life and well-being, an element that washes away impurities bringing about healing and also bearing ritual cleanliness (2 Kings 5-Naaman’s healing, Exodus 19:10-11-Moses and the Israelites in preparation to meet with God in mount …show more content…
The homey, everyday water used for washing kitchen utensils and dusty feet, getting rid of grime and making us presentable—this same water hints at forgiveness and holiness.” Notably, the typology of water depicted in the Old and New Testament passages underscores redemption and saving themes that reveal God's plan for humanity. Exodus 14 features the story of the Israelites liberation from slavery in Egypt. The narrative describes the duress endured by the Israelites in their departure from their Egyptian oppressor. Scholarly sources mention that Exodus’ authors recorded accounts that held theological truth passed down through oral tradition. According to the W. Lee Humphreys, “On the basis of literary style, vocabulary, content and theological perspective, many scholars now believe the first five books of the Old Testament to be a combination of four once-distinct strata. … in relation to Israel’s religious traditions: the Yahwist (J), the Elohist (E), Deuteronomy (D), and Priestly