St Collen's this afternoon (Sunday) revived an ancient and sacred practice of the Christian church when one of its new members was baptized in the swollen and rapidly-flowing waters of the River Dee.
After the morning service the congregation walked across town to the riverbank where Father Lee Taylor, the priest in charge, performed the full-immersion of Dylan Houchin in a ceremony rich with symbolic actions that would have been familiar to Christians in Jerusalem, Milan, Antioch, and other centres of early Christianity.
* The scene watched from the riverbank.
Father Lee explained: "The ceremony draws deeply from both Eastern and Western baptismal traditions, incorporating gestures such as turning to face east and west, a generous outpouring of holy oil on the crown of the head, and tasting milk and honey — a sign of entering the Promised Land and of the sweetness of new life in Christ. These practices harken back to the first centuries of Christian life, when baptism was a vivid, full-bodied celebration attended not only by family and friends, but, according to early texts, by the angels themselves.
"In most churches today, some of these actions survive only in simplified form — a drop of water, a touch of oil, or a small taste of sweetness. While these remain beautiful signs, they are only faint echoes of the richness of early Christian celebrations. In this service, we aim to recover something of that depth, drawing on historical sources and giving them new life here and now."
The baptism included the blessing of the waters, and the presentation of a white garment to symbolise purity and new creation.
After emerging from the river Dylan was given a taste of milk and honey, reviving a practice that stretches back to at least the 2nd century, symbolising entrance into the Promised Land and the sweetness of new life, according to Father Lee.
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