Walking Wet: Living Our Baptismal Promises in Daily Life
Welcome to Walking Wet, a Lenten Series developed by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod and the Virginia Synod focused on the promises made at baptism. The five baptismal promises, which are made whenever someone is baptized, provide guidance as we live as a child of God in the world. These promises are meant to drench us daily in God’s love and grace - promises for each day, not merely meant as a one-time deal at our baptism. You can see the promises in the baptismal service on page 228 in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal.
This series is designed to start on Ash Wednesday and continue throughout the season of Lent providing weekly suggestions for worship, engaging scripture, and living out each of the 5 baptismal promises.
For each week, there are three sections:
1. Worship which includes:
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- a scripture passage that can be used as the main text for a midweek Lenten service or a Sunday sermon series,
- a weekly prayer that can be used in worship or at a Lenten meal, and
- three possible preaching prompts for each week.
2. Engaging the Story and Exploring the Promise which includes:
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- reflection questions for a Bible study on the scripture passage of the week or as a small group discussion guide,
- an invitation to read a section of the small catechism, and
- additional resources from Enter the Bible, a website from Luther Seminary.
3. Living Out Your Baptismal Promises which includes:
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- discussion starter questions that can be used at a Lenten meal or included in the worship bulletin for home reflection,
- a watchword* which can guide your weekly reflection and serve as a lens to shape your contemplative waiting,
- a diaconal image** to serve as way to connect to the baptismal promise and frame the week,
- a children’s book recommendation that can be read as a children’s sermon/kids’ time during worship, as a Sunday School option, or for parents to read at home, and
- suggestions for daily practices for individuals to integrate a baptismal promise into their personal lives each week.
All the resources, with the possible exception of the children’s books, are free or should be easily accessible locally. The hope is that you will be able to incorporate the elements that are most appropriate to your community into your Lenten practice this year.
* The idea of the Church using a “watchword” is explored by Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand in their book “When Church Stops Working” as a means to help congregations wait and watch for the Spirit. They describe a watchword as similar to a password and as a word that holds both mystery and story: “a shorthand for your experience with the living God” (pg 106). This is slightly different from the Moravian use of a daily watchword Bible verse. In all uses, a watchword can help direct our attention. In this Lenten series, it can even serve as a meditative mantra or contemplative lens for the week. Notice where you see God showing up through the watchword.
** The 5 diaconal images (foot-washing; table-waiting; storytelling; bridge-building; and bearing the light) as described by Deaconess E. Louise Williams in her keynote address at the DOTAC (Diakonia of the Americas and Caribbean) Conference in Manitoba, Canada in June 2002. A copy of her keynote address can be found here: https://www.ducc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Claiming-Authority-Address-to-2002-DOTAC-meeting-Louise-Williams.pdf.
This Lenten series was developed by Deacon Kat Tigerman, the Director for Evangelical Mission in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, and by Pastor John Wertz, Jr., the Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop in the Virginia Synod. If you have suggestions for additional resources that could be added to the series or questions, you can contact Deacon Kat or contact Pastor John.
