Happy Epiphany

Sunday we celebrate the baptism of our Lord by John the Baptist in the Jordan.  Because of Lutheran's sacramental view of baptism, I feel it is important that we put emphasis on the physical elements that we use, just as we do with our theology.  It bugs me when at a Lutheran Church the baptismal font has to be pulled out of a closet, because this treatment it does not seem to resonate with our emphasis on baptism.


In the church that I have been designing, I have been attempting to create a space with a lot of symbolism, in an attempt to get people to think more about the sacrament.  To be fair, I kind of went overboard with designing it, but I like what I have so far.

The baptismal font is in an octagonal pit at the entrance to the church.   The reason for the location and the bridge is to show that it is only through baptism that we are able to enter into God's presence.  The 8 sides curve in to give the feel of being inside a boat to remind us that God saved 8 people through the flood.  In the stairs are cascading fountains. The stairs descending into the pit are painted red to represent the blood of Jesus,and  the stairs ascending are white to represent being made pure in the waters of baptism.

There is more symbolism and art to be worked into it, I just figured this was good for today.