Sermon Baptism of Jesus 2013

Sermon:

Text: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who claims and supports us through our baptism into his baptism.

            The image we see here is by Giotto di Bondone and is a wall fresco inside the Arena Chapel in the city of Padua in northern Italy near Venice. I like it for a number of reasons. The nakedness of Jesus shows his willingness to go through with God’s plan for him. He is bare to his Father’s wishes. And I love the way that the years have worn away the sky really making it feel as if God the Father is breaking through the clouds. It’s hard to see but in the space right above Jesus head is a dove as well. It speaks so much of the Trinity at work in that moment. Father’s Love being transmitted to the Son by the Spirit.  “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

            I was in Palestine during January of 2008 and we drove for a while next to the Jordan river, but we did not get to the supposed site of Jesus’ baptism. We can’t be entirely certain, but it was something close to this without the buildings. A spot where the river creates a small pool on its banks. People would line up and come down through the water where John would be standing hip deep or so and he would dunk them down into the water.

            We don’t really know if John used words or not in this baptism. It is not recorded what he said, we just know he was baptizing for the forgiveness of sins. His baptism would be seen as a ritual washing clean of sins. It would not be a one time thing, people would come multiple times to him to be cleansed. It is not until Jesus’ resurrection that we begin to understand our Baptism as a one time event in our lives. The closer item to John’s Baptism would be our Confession and Forgiveness, where we remember that in our Baptism we have been washed clean.

            The words we use in our baptisms are from the end of Matthew’s Gospel. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” For John the important thing was the water. For us the important thing is the words.

            I have heard many stories of people traveling to the Jordan in order to be baptized there. And yes, that would be a neat thing to take part in, but that baptism is not more important than a baptism performed here with handfuls of water. The important thing is the words.

            As the water flowed over us the words here, or a similar variation were spoken. I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. As the water cleansed us, the words claim us. In our original image we saw that connection between the Father and the Son made by the Holy Spirit. In our baptism we are joined into that connection as well. We are marked, with just a finger, or as I use, some olive oil by a cross on our foreheads. “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”

            A practice I like to do when the font is located near the entrance of the sanctuary is the dip my fingers in and mark my forehead in remembrance of that moment when God claimed me. And it is God who claimed me in that moment, not the pastor who performed the baptism. The water is normal water, the words are normal words, but through them God is present, and the Holy Spirit works.

            Last weekend I attended the baptism of my Godson Micah Benjamin. I now have 4 Godson’s Micah Benjamin, Matthew James, Andrew Ricky, and Gunner Scott. After the service was over on Sunday we were standing around taking some pictures and Corrine, Micah’s mother, who is a seminary classmate of mine was reflecting back to her daughter Ellanora’s baptism that occurred while we were in Seminary. We had the baptism within the Chapel at Wartburg surrounded by other seminarians, professors, and employees. She was reflecting back to the first section of a baptism is referred to as the presentation.

            How many of you have had your children baptized? Let’s see hands. All those who have raised their hands have responded in some what to these words, asked to them by the Pastor. “Called by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the grace and love of God, do you desire to have your children baptized into Christ?” It is a rather large item to say I do to those words and the instructions to raise your child in the Christian faith. It really calls you to more than just showing up to church on Sunday, it calls you to teach about the way of life that Christ calls us to.

            After addressing the Parents, the Pastor addresses the Sponsors. Let’s have hands of those who have been sponsors and have Godchildren. You were asked “Do you promise to nurture these persons in the Christian faith as you are empowered by God's Spirit, and to help them live in the covenant of baptism and in communion with the church?” To which you answered I do. Now, I get to raise my hand to that one. And that’s a pretty large responsibility as well. Part of the responsibility of a Godparent is to help answer some of those questions that the may not to ask their parents. To be the ones who bring up hard Theological and Religious questions. It’s fun stuff too, I’ve started to send a Christmas ornament each year, you get to buy them bibles and fun gifts like that. But, it’s going to be work, you are the one to answer the deep questions of faith they may have, to be one of the people there in the darkest moments of doubt.

            But, there is one more section to this presentation. Let’s see some hands. Who has said we do to this question. “People of God, do you promise to support name and pray for them in their new life in Christ?”  We Do!  I should see everyone hands up.

            This was the phrase that my friend Corrine was reflecting on. When we were at Wartburg, we were surrounded by to be Pastors, and Seminary Professors, and well, we’re rather boisterous when it comes to speaking up in Church. So, when asked this question, there was a huge WE DO! In response. And as she is now in a congregation, she was sort of fearful that she would not hear the same We Do in response. And she was grateful that she had not. The people of Cross Lutheran Church in Burlington exclaimed loudly their support of Micah Benjamin. She initially feared the opposite, I’ve not experienced it here, but I’ve been in churches where when the question is asked there is a rather feeble response, it makes you want to stop and ask them again.

            In many ways I think that this section is the most important of these three questions. We may not have all had Children, or we may have not all been sponsors, but we have all been a member of a congregation where a baptism has taken place. When we look at these words we realize that there are many in not hundreds of people we have promised to support and pray for. And then when I think of all the people I’ve promised to support I realize that there are hundreds who have promised to support me.

            And every time we have a baptism I’m reminded of my responsibility as a Godparent, and as a Child of God praying for my fellow Sister or Brother in Christ, and I’m supported by the fact that my sisters and brothers are praying and supporting me at the same time. In many ways every time we answer that question we are not just promising to support that one person, but we are reaffirming our promise to support one another.

            Take a moment to look around at your neighbors, your fellow sisters and brothers in Christ. I want to ask you a question now, and I don’t want to have to ask again.

            People of God. Do you promise to support and pray for one another in our lives in Christ? If so, say We do! WE DO!

            I want you to feel or mark your foreheads.

            People of God. Do you feel the God the Spirit’s love who claimed you in your baptism? Do you feel God the Father’s love who sent the Son to us? Do you feel God the Son’s love who on the cross, saved us?  If so say We Do. WE DO!

Amen.