Yesterday in sixth grade religion class we read about the Flood. In our discussion today we will talk about the parallels between the Flood and baptism. I have a slide show where I talk about how the number eight figures in baptism partially because eight people survived the Flood. (It’s also because Jesus rose on the “Eighth Day” of the week, and made all things new.)
When I taught this idea in Baltimore, I took a picture of the baptismal font in my church there. It’s a giant stone font with eight sides.
When I taught in Maui, I took a picture of the font there. The bowl on top is a giant shell, but the stand it’s on is eight-sided.
The font in my current church has three sides. D’oh!
So the eight-sided font is not universal… But at least this gives me a chance to talk about the symbolism of the number “three”.
Dang. Still cool, though! I think a lot of teachers would love to use your slide show with their classes. Isn’t there a Lutheran ‘Teachers Pay Teachers’? If there isn’t, there should be.