In these ten baptismal sermons, George M. Bass explores some of the questions that surface during Lent and Easter:• Does the cross really have anything significant to say about life and death?• Why is baptism so important in the worship of Lent and Easter?• What does my baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ really mean?• Is baptism more than an initiation ceremony into the Christian church?• How do baptism and communion affirm the meaning and validity of the cross during Lent?In the exploration of these questions, Bass hopes to assist pastors and their people to experience a fuller participation in Lent and Easter and the new life all share in Christ.The sermons in the book are cast in the context of the question: "Is the cross still there?"George M. Bass is professor of preaching emeritus, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. He occupied the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Pastoral Theology and Ministry, Homiletics. He has studied at Susquehanna University, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Temple University, the University of Edinburgh, the pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and Cambridge University. His CSS books include The Song and the Story, Great Stories of the Faith, and Lectionary Preaching Workbooks, Cycles A, B, and C.