Martin Luther once observed that the Christian life is not godliness but the process of becoming godly and while, “at present, everything does not gleam and sparkle … everything is being cleansed.” The focus of this paper is preaching baptism as a way of life. It is organized around the questions asked in the baptismal rituals. The questions are ones we ask and thus live throughout our entire faith journey. Such questions are embedded in the very activity of God as we experience them in the sights, sounds, gestures and symbols of Holy Baptism. The style of preaching proposed in this paper is one that appeals to the very rituals of worship and baptism as a source for reflection and preaching for both the congregation and the preacher. By preaching these mysteries, we may rescue baptism from the realm of theological proposition or dogmatic certainty, engender a longing and openness to God and promote authentic discipleship.
