Jeremiah 23:1-6
Luke 1:68-79
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
“A Deep Dive into Baptism”
Friends, it is Reign of Christ Sunday, and we have just welcomed a new covenant member into our congregation and into the family of God.
When I first started to prepare for this Sunday, I was fairly sure that the focus of my preaching would be on the passage from Colossians. I was thinking about Baptism as Belonging, and I loved the way that the letter to the Church at Collosae assured a community of early Christians of their place in the Kingdom of God.
The apostle proclaimed to them the good news that God had rescued them from the power of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Although the passage doesn’t specifically mention baptism as the means through which the transfer takes place, that language of being “transferred” reminded me of our understanding that baptism is not something we do, but is the gracious action of God.
Although it looks like baptism is something that we do – pouring water, saying prayers, and choosing to participate in this ceremony for ourselves or for our children – the text from Colossians reminds us that when we are embraced by God’s love, when we are welcomed into the family of God, and when we are grafted into the body of Christ, that it is God’s action and not ours. It is a gift that we receive, rather than something that we make happen ourselves.
Our Presbyterian Church’s Statement of Belief, “Living Faith,” describes it this way:
By the power of the Holy Spirit
God acts through Baptism.
It is the sacrament not of what we do
but of what God has done for us in Christ.
So today, I want to invite us to think a little more about baptism and its significance, delving into what God has indeed done for us in Christ. I’m going to use section 7.6 of “Living Faith” on the topic of Baptism as a guide, and I’m going to point out some of the ways that each of today’s Scripture readings reinforces the meaning and significance of baptism for us.
Let’s begin by reading the text together:
7.6.1 Baptism is a sign and seal of our union with Christ
and with his church.
Through it we share
in the death and resurrection of Christ
and are commissioned to his service.
7.6.2 In Baptism, water is administered
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
The water signifies the washing away of sin,
the start of new life in Christ,
and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
7.6.3 By the power of the Holy Spirit
God acts through Baptism.
It is the sacrament not of what we do
but of what God has done for us in Christ.
God’s grace and our response to it
are not tied to the moment of Baptism,
but continue and deepen throughout life.
It is a sacrament meant
for those who profess their faith
and for their children.
Together we are the family of God.
7.6.4 Baptism is also an act of discipleship
that requires commitment
and looks towards growth in Christ.
Those baptized in infancy
are called in later years
to make personal profession of Christ.
What is born may die.
What is grafted may wither.
Congregations and those baptized
must strive to nurture life in Christ.
7.6.5 Baptism assures us that we belong to God.
In life and in death
our greatest comfort is that we belong
to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let’s start with the water. Whether it is sprinkled or poured, or whether we are immersed in the water, it is a sign of cleansing – the washing away of our sin, and the opportunity to begin again with a new life in Christ, empowered with the Holy Spirit’s presence and help.
The washing ceremony takes place only once, and perhaps when we baptize a tiny child like Ariel we can’t even relate to the idea that God is washing away her sin. What has she done wrong?
But we remember that the cleansing is not only a present reality, but also an ongoing promise from God. The Holy Spirit is coming to live within her and will guide and help her on her journey through life. When she does make mistakes and do wrong things, that forgiveness and that fresh start will be available again and again. The same is true for you and for me today and always.
If that seems hard to believe, and you wonder whether you are really and truly forgiven for the things you have done or the things you have failed to do, let me remind you of another moment when Jesus showed us how far God’s forgiveness would go.
We didn’t read this text from Luke 23:33-43 that was suggested in the lectionary for today because I was thinking that reading about the crucifixion of Jesus wouldn’t be a great choice for a baptism Sunday. But I probably should have included it.
As Jesus is hanging on the cross and suffering the cruel punishment that he didn’t deserve, he prayed aloud to God the Father from his heart: “Father, forgive them,” he asked, “for they do not know what they are doing.”
Imagine, if Jesus could forgive the Romans who were executing him, and the Jewish leaders who had called for his arrest, and his own friends who had betrayed, denied, and abandoned him in the crisis, can we not be assured that he will intercede for us as well, asking God to forgive us and to renew us in love?
A little later in the same Gospel story, Jesus makes that forgiveness explicit in one man’s life. One of the criminals who was dying on another cross beside him asks for Jesus’ mercy and grace, even as he admits that he deserves the punishment he is receiving. And Jesus assures him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Unlike the criminal on the cross who received Jesus’ loving forgiveness and grace in the final moments of his life, Ariel still has her whole life ahead of her. And the rest of us here today also have some years ahead in which to grow in faith and love in the world.
“Living Faith” explains that
“Baptism is also an act of discipleship
that requires commitment
and looks towards growth in Christ.
Those baptized in infancy
are called in later years
to make personal profession of Christ…
Congregations and those baptized
must strive to nurture life in Christ.”
This part of our statement about baptism reminds us that it’s not something that just happens on one day and then is complete. Baptism is more like the beginning of a journey. And especially when we baptize young children, we should be deeply aware of our responsibility for nurturing and guiding those children in the way of Jesus as they grow up.
The good news for Ariel and for each of us is that Christ himself is the Good Shepherd that the prophet Jeremiah hoped for. In his time, Jeremiah was lamenting the failure of the kings and religious leaders who were supposed to act as good shepherds for the people, but who had neglected their duties and abandoned the people for whom they were responsible.
But the Lord told the prophet that God himself would become the Shepherd of the people: “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock… and I will bring them back to the fold…” And then God promised to raise up shepherds over them who would shepherd them, and they would no longer fear or be dismayed, nor would any go missing.
Just before we baptized Ariel, we stood together in this place and promised to nurture her in faith. We did that, not only as the congregation of First Church, but on behalf of the one, universal Church of Christ.
We are called and equipped by God to be shepherds for one another, gathering all God’s children together in safety and peace. We are like the assistant shepherds of the one Good Shepherd who is Jesus Christ, and we are urged to be faithful in our calling as we strive together not only to nurture one child in faith, but each one of God’s beloved children of every age and stage of life.
There’s one more meaning of baptism that I want to mention this morning, which also highlights the fact that it is just the beginning. Not only will Ariel have the opportunity to learn and grow in faith, but she will also be commissioned and sent to use her own spiritual gifts in Christ’s mission to the world.
You may remember that Jesus himself doesn’t get baptized at the end of his ministry, but at the beginning. And the Gospels tell us that after his baptism, that’s when his mission was clarified, when he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sent out to proclaim and embody the good news for the world.
And John the Baptist, who was a regular person like any one of us, was called to prepare his way – to participate in the mission of Christ by announcing the coming of our mighty saviour.
“Living Faith” says that:
Baptism is a sign and seal of our union with Christ
and with his church.
Through it we share
in the death and resurrection of Christ
and are commissioned to his service.
Isn’t it lovely to ponder and imagine how Ariel will grow to serve God and participate in Christ’s mission in the world?
And while you’re imagining, I wonder how God is calling and equipping you today to serve in new ways as well.
As we baptized Ariel today, we were invited to remember our own baptism.
As “Living Faith” expresses it:
Baptism assures us that we belong to God.
In life and in death
our greatest comfort is that we belong
to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.
We are invited to remember that our baptism is not only a blessing and an assurance, but also a commissioning and a sending out in love. May the Good Shepherd guide us, and the Holy Spirit empower us, as with courage and comfort we fulfill our calling.