Epiphany and The Flood

How does Noah and his family's adventure, their baptism by flood in which they were drenched and surrounded by water that killed everything around them relate to Epiphany?

Water kills and water cleanses.

To be immersed is to die, to ascend from the immersion is to be reborn. To be reborn as a bonafide Child of God.

Noah and his family experienced the first and model baptism. Surrounded by the drowned dead, and then by nothing but water for weeks on end they were transformed, reborn into Children of the Most High God. This experience gave God the opportunity to recreate humanity and the world.

Yet, when it was over God pledged that He would never again destroy the world and humankind by flood.

Instead, baptism was instituted as a symbol of the ark's purification and rebirth process. (This is why exploring life in the ark is so valuable to understanding the depth of baptism.) We can do in a few moments what took over nine months to accomplish with the rebirth of humankind and this world.

When Jesus emerged from the waters of His baptism, the Holy Spirit alighted on Him in the form of a dove, and God the Father was heard proclaiming Jesus as His Son with Whom He was pleased. Could this be likened to the dove that returned with the olive branch in his beak to announce that the beginning of the new world was at hand?

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, began a new world comprised of 'as many as received Him, to whom He gives the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.*' These enjoy the kingdom of God within, and life everlasting. Jesus ushered-in the third and last beginning of this world, a watershed event in human history.

The annihilation of evil and wickedness by water, and the emergence of new life as reborn children of God happens with every baptism because it occurred during the forty days of rain, and was confirmed at Epiphany.

Let's each of us be baptized in our souls with Christ today that we may hear our Father who art in heaven say that He is well pleased with us too.

Evangeline

* John1:12,13