The Power of Baptism
Sermon text for January 13, 2008:
Mark 1:4-10
Baptism is one of the great privileges of the Christian faith and one of our greatest joys. When I baptize a baby, I feel like my whole being is smiling, and when I baptize an adult I literally feel my spine tingling with joy. And nothing is more sure of putting a smile on your face than Baptism, because as often as we have witnessed it, it is still a very special moment.
But baptism means different things to different people. For some, it is like an insurance policy that you get just in case something terrible happens. Many years ago I was asked by a mother whose baby girl had died moments after birth if I would baptize her so she would go to heaven. My heart broke for the mother as we talked about her baby and baptism and the love of God. I offered to do the baptism, but first I shared with her that faith teaches us that baptism is not necessary for salvation and that all children have a standing invitation to come to Jesus, who once said, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for as such is the kingdom of God.
So, for some, baptism carries life and death proportions while for others it is just a good excuse to throw a party. Every once in a while, someone without a church affiliation will call the church and ask us to baptize a baby on a certain date, usually the next Sunday, because the invitations to the “Christening” party are already in the mail. Usually they don’t know why we baptize, but they know that others have received baptism and it is a good time to celebrate.
For people of faith, baptism symbolizes our children joining us in the family of God. It makes us feel good, because it strengthens our bonds with each other. But what if baptism is more than that? What if it is more than strengthening bonds, or becoming a part of the Body of Christ? What if baptism is more like signing military enlistment papers just as a war is about to begin? If we can set aside our common understanding for just a moment, I think we’ll see that these “what ifs” are not so far fetched.
Mark tells us that John the Baptizer lived and preached in the wilderness near the Jordan River. John preached so powerfully that huge crowds, moved by his message, repented of their sin and were baptized. But why the Jordan? Why wash in the muddy Jordan when there were many others streams or even the Sea of Galilee that might have served just as well?
The answer lies in the importance of the Jordan in the history of the People of Israel. Centuries before the time of Jesus, the Jordan formed the Eastern boundary of the Promised Land. Under Joshua’s leadership the people moved across the Jordan and moved into the future God had prepared. This crossing of the Jordan marked the beginning of the conquest of Palestine and the starting point of the Kingdom of God.
Throughout the centuries, the people retold stories of crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land. In some ways it was Israel’s finest hour and the time when God seemed most near to the people. Not surprisingly, the people yearned to experience God’s blessings again. They hungered for renewal in their personal lives, and certainly in their national life as well. Over the years, many believers returned to the Jordan in a faithful remembering, to re-enact the moment when their ancestors first moved into the land which God promised them. These mini-dramas were like prayers of hope.
And so it was that John called people into the wilderness of the Jordan, to a re-enactment of the ancient story and to the possibility of living once more as People of the Promise of God. It was a time of renewal, of cleansing, and of claiming God’s promises. The newly baptized and renewed people went back into their communities intent on reclaiming the Promised Land from Rome. Their ancestors took the land from the Canaanites. Under the power of Baptism, the believers would take the land from Rome. So baptism became a dangerous symbol of resistance which set believers apart.
And so it was that Jesus went to the Jordan to be baptized by John. While he did not need forgiveness, his baptism provided a living symbol of resistance. It helped the people believe in a new and better day. After his baptism, Jesus moved into the community, declaring the Kingdom of God, while others thought that they lived in the Kingdom of Rome.
The Bible tells us that as Jesus came up out of the water he saw the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him. And the voice of God confirmed Jesus’ special status, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I and well pleased.” In Mark’s gospel this baptism seems to be Jesus’ enlistment papers. From that moment on he lived conspicuously in opposition to existing power structures, so that by the end of his life, leaders of his own people hated him, Herod wanted to kill him, and Pilate was afraid of him. Clearly Jesus’ baptism set him apart from the power structures of his day. And I suggest that in our baptism we also live in opposition to the existing powers. We don’t have to confront people or wave a flag. All that we need to do is live differently and tell others why.
I struggled to find a way to illustrate what baptism should mean to us and then I remembered a story I read a few years ago about Jews who insisted on living in the City of Hebron. Hebron is a hotly contested City on the West Bank – in other words it is under Palestinian authority. Both Jews and Muslims claim the city rightfully belongs to them because tradition says that the patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith are buried there. About two hundred Jews lived there at the time the article was written, surrounded by a couple of hundred thousand Palestinian Muslims. These Jews stay there despite persecution and even death threats because their faith tells them to offer a Jewish presence in that place. They present an alternative way of looking at the world in a place that is clearly hostile to their witness.
This is the way our baptism into Christ calls us to live in the world. We offer an alternative to the way the others live. Our baptism should encourage and empower us to demonstrate the glory of God by being the opposition to the way things have always been done. Our baptism is a badge of honor which we need to wear bravely in a world that does not understand our values.
When we understand our baptism in this way – as enlistment papers
into the cause of Christ – we will one day hear the voice of God say, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.”
Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Mark 1:4-10
Baptism is one of the great privileges of the Christian faith and one of our greatest joys. When I baptize a baby, I feel like my whole being is smiling, and when I baptize an adult I literally feel my spine tingling with joy. And nothing is more sure of putting a smile on your face than Baptism, because as often as we have witnessed it, it is still a very special moment.
But baptism means different things to different people. For some, it is like an insurance policy that you get just in case something terrible happens. Many years ago I was asked by a mother whose baby girl had died moments after birth if I would baptize her so she would go to heaven. My heart broke for the mother as we talked about her baby and baptism and the love of God. I offered to do the baptism, but first I shared with her that faith teaches us that baptism is not necessary for salvation and that all children have a standing invitation to come to Jesus, who once said, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for as such is the kingdom of God.
So, for some, baptism carries life and death proportions while for others it is just a good excuse to throw a party. Every once in a while, someone without a church affiliation will call the church and ask us to baptize a baby on a certain date, usually the next Sunday, because the invitations to the “Christening” party are already in the mail. Usually they don’t know why we baptize, but they know that others have received baptism and it is a good time to celebrate.
For people of faith, baptism symbolizes our children joining us in the family of God. It makes us feel good, because it strengthens our bonds with each other. But what if baptism is more than that? What if it is more than strengthening bonds, or becoming a part of the Body of Christ? What if baptism is more like signing military enlistment papers just as a war is about to begin? If we can set aside our common understanding for just a moment, I think we’ll see that these “what ifs” are not so far fetched.
Mark tells us that John the Baptizer lived and preached in the wilderness near the Jordan River. John preached so powerfully that huge crowds, moved by his message, repented of their sin and were baptized. But why the Jordan? Why wash in the muddy Jordan when there were many others streams or even the Sea of Galilee that might have served just as well?
The answer lies in the importance of the Jordan in the history of the People of Israel. Centuries before the time of Jesus, the Jordan formed the Eastern boundary of the Promised Land. Under Joshua’s leadership the people moved across the Jordan and moved into the future God had prepared. This crossing of the Jordan marked the beginning of the conquest of Palestine and the starting point of the Kingdom of God.
Throughout the centuries, the people retold stories of crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land. In some ways it was Israel’s finest hour and the time when God seemed most near to the people. Not surprisingly, the people yearned to experience God’s blessings again. They hungered for renewal in their personal lives, and certainly in their national life as well. Over the years, many believers returned to the Jordan in a faithful remembering, to re-enact the moment when their ancestors first moved into the land which God promised them. These mini-dramas were like prayers of hope.
And so it was that John called people into the wilderness of the Jordan, to a re-enactment of the ancient story and to the possibility of living once more as People of the Promise of God. It was a time of renewal, of cleansing, and of claiming God’s promises. The newly baptized and renewed people went back into their communities intent on reclaiming the Promised Land from Rome. Their ancestors took the land from the Canaanites. Under the power of Baptism, the believers would take the land from Rome. So baptism became a dangerous symbol of resistance which set believers apart.
And so it was that Jesus went to the Jordan to be baptized by John. While he did not need forgiveness, his baptism provided a living symbol of resistance. It helped the people believe in a new and better day. After his baptism, Jesus moved into the community, declaring the Kingdom of God, while others thought that they lived in the Kingdom of Rome.
The Bible tells us that as Jesus came up out of the water he saw the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him. And the voice of God confirmed Jesus’ special status, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I and well pleased.” In Mark’s gospel this baptism seems to be Jesus’ enlistment papers. From that moment on he lived conspicuously in opposition to existing power structures, so that by the end of his life, leaders of his own people hated him, Herod wanted to kill him, and Pilate was afraid of him. Clearly Jesus’ baptism set him apart from the power structures of his day. And I suggest that in our baptism we also live in opposition to the existing powers. We don’t have to confront people or wave a flag. All that we need to do is live differently and tell others why.
I struggled to find a way to illustrate what baptism should mean to us and then I remembered a story I read a few years ago about Jews who insisted on living in the City of Hebron. Hebron is a hotly contested City on the West Bank – in other words it is under Palestinian authority. Both Jews and Muslims claim the city rightfully belongs to them because tradition says that the patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith are buried there. About two hundred Jews lived there at the time the article was written, surrounded by a couple of hundred thousand Palestinian Muslims. These Jews stay there despite persecution and even death threats because their faith tells them to offer a Jewish presence in that place. They present an alternative way of looking at the world in a place that is clearly hostile to their witness.
This is the way our baptism into Christ calls us to live in the world. We offer an alternative to the way the others live. Our baptism should encourage and empower us to demonstrate the glory of God by being the opposition to the way things have always been done. Our baptism is a badge of honor which we need to wear bravely in a world that does not understand our values.
When we understand our baptism in this way – as enlistment papers
into the cause of Christ – we will one day hear the voice of God say, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.”
Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 10:26 AM
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