re: #9 Anymouse 🌹

Well, it’s a Lutheran church (I don’t know if they do holy water).

juanitajean.com

LOL someone took out a billboard in Texas supposedly dragging Democrats and did a marvelous job on misspelt words and decorative punctuation.

Heh. Some high church Lutherans do.

The big secret? It’s tap water that the priest (well, for us Anglicans) says this prayer over the water:
Almighty God, who through the water of baptism has raised us from sin into new life, and by the power of your life-giving Spirit ever cleanses and sanctifies your people: + Bless, we pray you, this water for the service of your holy Church; and grant that it may be a sign of the cleansing and refreshment of your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(at the + he performs a sign of the cross while touching the water) My priest usually adds this antiphon:
I saw water proceeding out of the temple, from the right side it flowed;
And all those to whom that water came shall be saved. Alleluia.

What to make of it? To you, it’s still tap water. To my mother it was something important (she had holy water from her trip to Lourdes after her cancer diagnosis). Me? As with most church rituals, at it’s best it is a symbol of all that is good and light in this world and a reminder of the good we should try to do for all people. Good enough for me to dip my fingers in the font and make a sign of the cross even though no amount of water is going to get me into heaven.