Sigridur Gudmarsdottir Analysis

Water, the element that sustains life is the nourisher of both the body and soul. It is no small wonder that this most abundant substance which maintains a human’s physical being, also sustains humanity’s spiritual essence. Water represents the first of the sacred sacraments—Baptism. The holy ritual of Baptism could be seen as the first gate one must pass along the Christian’s journeying road, and is synonymous with a person forged in new life. Both Sigridur Gudmarsdottir and Roderick C. Meredith bring two, strikingly dissimilar, perspectives of Baptism to the forefront. While Sigridur Gudmarsdottir is focused on water’s manifestation as a sacred symbol for spiritual development; Roderick C. Meredith seems to be concerned with the sacred rite
Living in the heart of Mississippi, I often visit the many wondrous creeks and river systems. It is a complete joy to submerge oneself in the water; indeed, I find myself being drawn closer to the divine, and immersed in that which was so lovingly fashioned by the creator. I think it might be fruitful to delve into a particular property of water that I hold so dear, and I often relate this directly to students in my ministry. When one is submerged, it is similar to an act of embrace; as a matter of fact, water acts almost as though it were trying to form a bond. I find myself at one with nature as the water surrounds and envelops the physical senses, just as God embraces the spiritual senses. Though Christians have long developed an attitude that the sacramental water of the church houses are somehow superior (or more holy) to those of the natural landscape, this is not the case; furthermore, this view “stems from a Greek tendency of preferring the spiritual to the physical and embodied.” (Gudmarsdottir 115) Therefore, Christians have come to regard the symbolic water of Baptism as something holy, and the supply which gives us physical vitality as
Where there is water, there is life; indeed, the sacrament of Baptism represents life—new life in Christ. In that regard, it can be seen as the birthing point of the Christian’s new spiritual path. Gudmarsdottir contemplates on the similarities of fire and water, for “their movements consist of endless repetition, of recognition.” (110) One can see these are words of not only a minister, but a Christian mystic who feels the presence of the spiritual embodied in the material realm. There is one fundamental difference I believe that should be touched upon, separating the two elements of fire and water. Flames can never embrace the flesh, for they burn. This is not to say that fire does not have soothing qualities, as it certainly does; however, that is warmth from afar. This is one of the greatest reasons why the two elements are seen as the antithesis of each other in the Christian tradition. Water might be the element that brings a re-birth in the faith; on the other hand, fire is seen as the eventual punishment for those who do not accept the