As you come into the church, you arrive first at the font. The font is the place of entry into the Church as a people, which is why it is located at the place of entry into the church as a building.
Here we might consider the sense of belonging, to both place and people; and new beginnings, of life, or of a chapter of life…
We no longer use the original font, as it leaks! Instead, we use a moveable font made from two wooden pews by a member of the congregation, Ken Turner.
Think about the family you belong to, in all the joy and sorrow of human relationships. Hold their faces in your mind’s eye, before God.
If you are baptised, you might like to dip your finger in the water in the new font, and mark your forehead with the sign of the cross, to remind yourself that you are part of God’s family.
You might like to write a short prayer for anyone in your family or among your friends who is at (or hoping for) a new beginning: a new baby, newly-weds, a new start, a new job…
Leave your prayer in the old font.
Here are some Psalms you might like to read, on the theme of the beginning of life, and of belonging to God’s family:
St Peter's, Birkdale 