TAKING OUR BAPTISMS’ SERIOUSLY

(Preached on Sunday, January 9, 2005)

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.”                                          -Matthew 3:15

 

The husband of the new minister opened the door of their home one Saturday afternoon.  The young couple that greeted him giggled a little and then said, “We were having a party with the folks next door, and they said a lady reverend lived here.  We thought it’d be kinda sweet if she could pop over and baptize our baby.”  The lady reverend’s husband tried to explain that baptism was a very serious business, but he could tell they weren’t really listening.  “If you’d like to leave me your phone number, I’m sure she will call you to arrange a time when you could come and talk about your child’s baptism.”

“Nah,” they said.  “No sweat.  We just thought it’d be cute.”

 

Baptism is one of the most beautiful and powerful things we do in the Church.  Too much of the time, though, we in the church do not take our baptisms’ seriously.

Not just when we make them “cute” and “sweet.”

Not just when it becomes “the thing to do” because Mom and Dad or Grandma want it done.

But we also don’t take our baptism seriously when we approach it with a once and for all, mission accomplished, sort of attitude.

Yes, the moment of baptism is a saving moment in which the person being baptized, (or the parents of the child) accepts the love and forgiveness of God. 

But it is not a destination, a point of arrival.

Baptism is a beginning. 

It is a recognition and celebration of God’s love and forgiveness in our lives. 

It is also a time of change, not a once-and-for-all change, but the setting of our lives on a new path.

It is the first step on a journey of transformation.

 

That is the first thing we learn from Jesus’ baptism.

His baptism marked the beginning of this ministry.

It marks the beginning of his purpose for being here.

After his baptism Jesus went about doing good, healing the sick, walking with God, calling the disciples to be witnesses to all that he did, including his death and his resurrection.

 

It is said that Martin Luther, wrestling with sin in his life, wrestling with temptation and fear, would find victory over these trials by touching his forehead and saying aloud, “I am baptized.”

Not “I was baptized,” remembering a ritual from a distant past when his forehead was damp, but “I AM baptized,” affirming that God works in us continually by the Spirit.

 

We remember Jesus’ baptism today because it is a model for our baptism. 

The second thing we learn about baptism is that it is an act of obedience. 

John is out there baptizing people for the forgiveness of their sin and suddenly there is Jesus standing before him, waiting to be baptized. 

John is so surprised that he blurts out, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 

But Jesus submits explaining that he does so “to fulfill all righteousness.” 

This is the first time in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus speaks, and as such, this statement is very important.

It sets the tone for the entire gospel story. 

When Jesus speaks, he speaks about his obedience to God’s righteousness.

 

By submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus is showing all the world the movement towards life, a downward submission to the will of God.

This is an especially difficult idea for us, citizens in the United States of America in the 21^st century, to wrap our minds around.  After all, if there is one value we all agree upon in this nation it is freedom.

We cherish, zealously guard, and exercise our freedom.

So it is difficult for us that Matthew’s gospel opens, not with a declaration of freedom, but with an act of obedience.

Instead of Jesus coming into the world with power and might, in such a way that convinces the world that God is supremely powerful and in control, we see Jesus willingly getting down in the water, standing knee deep in the Jordan with the rest of us human beings.

To be divine is here defined as submission, obedience.

Jesus’ baptism is a sign of his total, complete linkage to the will of God, the fulfillment of God’s righteousness in the world.

 

So, if we are going to take our own baptisms’ seriously then we must  understand that, because of our baptism, we are no longer our own.

We belong to another — to God.

And God’s will should be the most important thing in our lives, more than our will, more than our families, our children, our spouse, our company or job or business.  In our baptism we have been claimed by God as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.

That is our identity, and it is “sealed by the Holy Spirit.”

 

That identity brings with it privilege and responsibility.

The privilege is to know, just as Jesus knew, that we are “beloved of God” and God is pleased with us. 

The privilege is to know the affirmation of God in our own hearts and lives.

The responsibility is to seek to submit our lives, emptied of all our wants and desires, selfishness and greed, fears and prejudices, so that we are able to be filled with grace. 

The responsibility is to a life of obedience, seeking God’s path, and turning more and more of our lives over to God’s direction and guidance. 

The responsibility is to live our lives not for our selves, but for others — first for God and then for all those God sends us to love and care for with compassion and mercy.

The responsibility is to live our lives more and more like Jesus lived his life, taking seriously his teachings and allowing them to transform us.

 

None of this is easy.  Responsibility never is easy.

I believe that is part of the wisdom of the church every year remembering the baptism of Jesus.  It is serendipitous that it is always the first or second Sunday of the New Year. 

This is a time when we are looking at our lives, evaluating and re-evaluating them.

This is resolution time.  So it is an excellent time to examine our lives as baptized followers of Jesus — to take stock of how we are being transformed into the people God wants us to become and where we are falling short and need to pay a little more attention to God’s guidance.

 

This isn’t an easy thing to do.  Change never is easy.

But we can do hard.  The apostle Paul lived a life that was extremely hard, but he bore witness to the truth that he could “do all things through him who strengthens me.” 

We can do hard, too, but it helps if we reinforce our desire to change with a concrete, ritual action.

Making a vow in front of others is one way to give some importance and momentum to our efforts.

 

So, I want to invite you to take a few minutes this morning and renew your commitment to God and renew your baptismal vows.