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The blessing of Plum Creek’s water and the spirit

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By Paul Farley

On the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 19, parishioners of St Andrew the First-Called Orthodox Church braved the chilling wind to gather at Lockhart City Park to ask God’s blessing on the waters of Plum Creek for the new year.

The Orthodox Church sees that the blessing of water was prefigured in the Old Testament by the story of Moses and the bitter waters of Marah. The Lord showed Moses a nearby tree, which he cut down and threw into the water, and the water became sweet (Exodus 15:23-25). It’s no coincidence that the Apostles routinely referred to the Cross as a “tree,” (Acts 5, 10, and 13; Galatians 3; 1 Peter 2), and that in the blessing service the priest throws a large cross into the water three times.

The most important example, of course, is the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. But for a Christian, the idea that Jesus “needed” baptism seems absurd — he was born, lived, and died without sin. The Orthodox Church understands that by being baptized in the Jordan, it wasn’t Jesus who was sanctified; it was the water, and indeed the entire world, that was sanctified.

The martyr Irenaeus of Lyons († 202) wrote that the purification of one’s sins occurs “thanks to holy water and invocation of the Lord’s Name,” while Tertullian of Carthage († 220) said that water was consecrated “as soon as God is called upon it.” Writing in the 4th century, Basil the Great explained that blessing of water is an example of an early oral tradition of the Church, echoing the Apostle Paul: “brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word [orally], or our epistle [written].”

In the blessing service, the Gospel of Mark was read: “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the Heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The people gathered prayed for the entire world and the new year we’ve just begun:

* For the peace from above, and the salvation of our souls.

* For the peace of the whole world, the good estate of the holy churches of God, and the union of all.

* For this land, its authorities and armed forces.

* For this city, for every city and country, and the faithful that dwell therein.

* That the Lord may deliver us from enemies, and confirm in us oneness of mind, brotherly love and piety.

* For seasonable weather, abundance of the fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.

* For travelers by sea, land and air; for the sick, the suffering, the imprisoned, and for their salvation.

* For all those who ask God for aid and protection.

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