STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Sarah writes about the artistry that went into the creation of the Chapel's full immersion baptismal font.

I had the pleasure of chatting with George Knight M.Arch. ꞌ95 this past Thursday. George is the architect who did our most recent Chapel renovations and created our full immersion baptismal font.

After entering an office suite painted navy with accent furniture of orange (and after being joyfully greeted by his dog, the very friendly Ginger), we went to George’s conference room. For the next hour, he shared stories with me about his work on our baptismal font—the research his team did on early Christian baptism rites, the many visits to area churches that he and Fr. Bob made, the challenge of creating something that was beautiful, understandable, functional and safe. By the end of our time together, not only was I surrounded by his memories, but also by the physical mock-ups and models that helped George and his team transform the Chapel and create our baptismal font.

“Did you notice the lettering above it?” He asked as he handed me a square of wood with precise,  gold lettering on it.

I admitted that I hadn’t.

“The verse, which is Matthew 28:19, was hand-lettered by a sign painter.”

George proceeded to tell me that sign painting is now a lost art, but he and his team were able to employ someone to do this specialized work before it was replaced by vinyl transfers.

“And do you know what the painter told me?” George continued, “He told me that you can’t free-form letters when painting a vertical surface. To make them perfect, you have to make an outline first.”

To make them perfect, you have to make an outline first.

Today’s readings, including an earlier verse from Matthew, challenge us to think about the holy outlines we make in our own lives. How do we walk in the way of our Lord and observe God’s commandments? Do we trace them with pessimism or with hope? Are they thick lines that keep others out or light and airy lines and allow others in? Are they drawn with fear and suspicion or with compassion and love?

We are on the cusp of beginning the second week of Lent. We still are at the beginning of noticing, of returning. And as we move deeper into this season, let us take time to make new outlines in our lives—outlines of hope, outlines of love.