Sunday, January 10, 2016

January 10, 2016 - First Sunday after Epiphany & Baptism of Our Lord


In the name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
            Have you ever wondered what Baptism is all about? I mean, why do we do it? I think that many of us would say that God loves every single person in the world, and that we are all children of God the moment we are born, if not sooner. Our two-month old daughter hasn’t yet been baptized, but I don’t doubt God’s love for her for one second. We belong to God before we are baptized, so why Baptism? Some might say that in Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit. But do we really want to say that the Holy Spirit can only come through a human action – that somehow by denying someone Baptism that we could deny them the gift of God’s Spirit? I’m not comfortable with that one. Of course, some will say that Baptism is required for personal salvation from Hell, and as pervasive as that point of view is, that conclusion doesn’t really have any solid Biblical or theological basis. So why do we Baptize people?

            Today’s reading from Luke gives us a great opportunity to consider that question. This past week, we celebrated Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus to the world. Prior to Epiphany, Jesus had only been known to a few Jewish characters in the story – shepherds and people in the Temple. But at the Epiphany, the magi from foreign lands come to see God’s salvation in Jesus. On the Sunday after the Epiphany, we always remember the Baptism of Our Lord – which is a furthering of the manifestation of Jesus to the world. There, gathered at the river, the heavens open and the voice of God is heard proclaiming Jesus’ belovedness for all the world to hear.
            After the sermon, we’re going to be renewing our Baptismal vows, which is a fitting thing to do after hearing this Baptism narrative from Luke. This is the first time using the font in our renovated Baptistery, so I’d also like to use this sermon to talk through how our liturgical space is influenced by our understanding of Baptism. It has been said that “praying shapes believing.” The way in which we pray, the words that we use, the actions that we make will influence our beliefs. For example, many of you bow your head when the Cross processes past you – that form of praying shapes what you believe about the Cross, namely that it is worthy of our reverence. However, it is also true that our beliefs influence the ways in which we pray. The ways in which we celebrate Baptism will be shaped by what we proclaim about that Sacrament.
            There are three things that Baptism does – Baptism gives us our identity, Baptism unites us, and Baptism transforms us. First, our identity. If I asked you to write down the top five words that you’d use to describe yourself, what would they be? How about if I asked your friends and family to write five words about you? And what if I asked the people who don’t like you to describe you? What words might end up on your cumulative list?
            It doesn’t matter. In our reading from Luke we heard the one word that describes us all – beloved. In the text from Isaiah, we heard of God’s affection for us: “You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” I know that I’ve said this in sermons before, but I’m not going to stop saying it – you are loved. You are loved, not because of what you accomplished, or how many New Year’s resolutions you keep, or what you look like, or how much money you have, but you are loved because you are you.
            What Baptism proclaims is that nothing can take away that fact that you are loved by God. While the words from heaven are spoken about Jesus, theologians through the centuries have said that we should know that they are applicable to our own Baptisms. Nothing can take that love away – not our rejection of that love, not our forgetfulness, not our sins. This is why, at Baptism, we speak about being cleansed from sin. In Baptism, anything that could ever threaten to separate us from God is stripped away. It’s wonderful that Baptism happens so simply – the only ingredient is water. So every time you drink water, or wash your hands, or take a shower, let that water remind you that you are loved. We can never be reminded too often of our identity as God’s beloved.
            Baptism also unites us, both to God and to each other. We proclaim that Baptism is our initiation into the Body of Christ. You are Baptized and I am Baptized, and so nothing can dissolve our relationship to each other. Baptism also unites Christian of all different sorts. The most liberal and the most conservative followers of Jesus all came into the faith in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We might fight tooth and nail about issues like same-sex marriage, or the meaning of Sacraments, or where authority lies in the Church, but Baptism keeps us all together. If you have been Baptized, you have been Baptized; no one can take that away or deny that they are bound to you because of that.
            When we celebrate a Baptism at St. Luke’s, we’ll start with the Examination of the Candidates up front. The candidates for Baptism, or their parents and godparents if they are unable to answer for themselves, will profess their faith and trust in God and we will join them in reciting the Apostles’ Creed and Baptismal Covenant. This will take place up front to emphasize that the Candidates for Baptism are being united to the whole Body.
            We will then process to the Baptistery. There is a lot of imagery in this motion, which is both shaped by our beliefs about Baptism and seeks to reinforce those beliefs. The journey to the font goes through the congregation, a further symbol that we are united together in Baptism. But the journey to the Baptistery is also intended to evoke a sense of descent into death, with the Baptistery being a tomb of sorts. Archeologists have found that the oldest Baptismal fonts were shaped like a casket or sarcophagus. In his letter to Rome, St. Paul writes “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
            Part of the salvation of Baptism is that it unites us to the victory of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection; so from the earliest days of the faith, Baptismal imagery has involved images of death. Even water itself is a part of this image. In the Biblical worldview, water represented chaos and danger. Given the stories that we’ve in the news this past week about flooding around the Mississippi River, we still know the chaotic power of water. It is the paradox of our faith that we claim a peaceful Messiah as Lord, that through chaotic water we find peace, and that in death we find new life. And so our praying is shaped by our beliefs.
            In the Baptistery, we will give God thanks for water and perform Baptisms. We’ll then process back to the front of the nave. As we do so, we’ll do so with the word “Alleluia.” Alleluia is a word that means “praise God,” and it is the refrain of our faith. Alleluia is the victory shout of Easter morning, and so it is word that we use as we exit our symbolic tomb into newness of life. We’ll then move to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the ultimate symbol and Sacrament of our union with God and each other.
            Finally, Baptism transforms us. If we are given new life in and through Baptism, the question becomes “What do you do with this new life?” As I’ve said before, Baptism is not a status, it is Sacrament; and in Sacraments, things change and grace flows. Baptism names you as God’s beloved, but the love doesn’t only come at the moment of your Baptism, nor does it stop with you. As the beloved of God, we are to be vehicles for God’s love to the world. Baptism not only gives us our identity, it also gives us our call. In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison narrates a story about escaped slaves, and at one point writes “Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
            Interspersed in our reading from Luke today is an odd story about King Herod and John the Baptist. John had been speaking truth to power, and as it often does, that got him into trouble. So Herod closed the prison door, locking John away. As the story of Jesus’ Baptism progresses, we heard that the heavens were opened up by God. Notice the difference in these actions – Herod closes and God opens.
            What does your Baptism open to you? Baptism transforms us by opening us to new possibilities of what happens when we live more fully in God’s eternal love. What closed doors need to be pushed open? What is the Holy Spirit empowering you to do? By January 10, there’s a chance you’ve already forgotten about your resolution for the new year. As we process back to the chancel from the font, I’m going to sprinkle the whole congregation with the holy waters of Baptism as a reminder of your Baptismal vows, your belovedness, and of your empowerment and charge to be transformed.
Being reminded of your Baptism, I wonder what you might resolve to you? How might you be open to spreading God’s love? Might you resolve to volunteer at Rowan Helping Ministries or Prevent Child Abuse Rowan? Might you resolve to pray and read Scripture on a more regular basis? Might you resolve to treat everyone, including yourself, as God’s beloved?
Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for the Baptism of Jesus and revealing your love to the world. As we renew the promises of our Baptism today, help us to claim our identity as your beloved. Empower us through our unity in Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. And transform our hearts and minds to be open to the calling of our belovedness. Amen.