All life – including the variety we see in nature – is a parable of the future community of the kingdom of God. Just as the air surrounds us, or as a blowing wind engulfs us, we need to be immersed in the blowing Spirit, who unites and renews everything. And just as water washes and cleanses us every day, so in the symbol of baptism we witness to our purification from everything that is of death. This “burial” in water, which is once and for all, signifies a complete break from the status quo; it is a vow of mortal enmity toward the evil in us and around us. Similarly, the lifting out of the water proclaims resurrection in vivid imagery and in unforgettable clarity.

After the dying of autumn and winter comes the blossoming of spring and the fruit-bearing of summer.