Stephanie Lind and Nick Dampier strike a rock 'n' roll pose with their instruments before the worship service. |
At a Glance
Theme: Baptismal Imaginings: Swimming with God in the Waters of Life
Faculty Speaker: Rev. Dr. Fred Edie, assistant professor of the practice of Christian education and director of the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation (a.k.a. “Fred”)
Lectionary texts:
Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 3, 4:1
Reflections on the Lecture
Today Fred helped us re-imagine our baptisms.
Christian baptism is not merely an experience that occurred on one particular day; rather Christian baptism is a sustaining event that unfolds over a lifetime, he explained.
As baptized children of God, we are invited to consider our vocation. In light of our baptism the question is not, “will it be ministry for me?” but, rather, “what form of ministry will it be?”
In and through our baptisms, God enables us to make the connection between our being (our new identity as children of God) and our doing (how baptism forms us into a distinctive way of life).
A few of Fred's fantastic quotes...
“Everything we say about water in general the church says about baptismal waters.”
“Faith is the result of symbols [i.e. baptism, Lord’s supper, communal prayer…] deeply lived and richly imagined.”
“People who are baptized are given a new past, a new future…a new identity”
Overheard in the halls of the divinity school...
“Is baptism required for salvation?”
“What is it about being Christian that makes us different?”
“Are we really going to take communion every day?”
“What is worship for? Is it about me or is it about God?”
What's ahead...
Today was the first full day of the academy. The schedule is packed!
Tomorrow everyone will have lunch with members of Hope Creek Nazarene Church and participate in the first day of the arts village.
Dr. Jay Kameron Carter will lecture on Creation and receiving life as a gift.
Day 2 >
Duke Youth Academy
for Christian Formation
The Divinity School,
Duke University
Box 90966,
Durham, N.C. 27708-0966
919-660-3542,
DuYouth@div.Duke.edu | 
