Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 42
Romans 6:1-11
Luke 3:1-22
Remember Your Baptism and Be Glad
One thing that I really
enjoy hearing is baptism stories. The
stories are always more varied than the typical ways in which baptisms
occur. I was baptized as an infant and
so, I don't remember the physical act like some of my brothers and sisters in
Christ who were baptized as adults or as older children. My wife, Cathy, for instance, was baptized on
Easter Sunday 2000. She says she
remembers feeling the cold water run down her neck. One of my professors at Duke recalls his
baptism as being quite the "religious" experience. Being Baptist, he describes his full
immersion baptism as being one where it truly felt as if he died and was
resurrected. Although I cannot remember
my baptism the way Cathy and my professor can, nonetheless, I can certainly
remember my baptism and the meaning behind it.
Actually, I remember my baptism almost every time I enter this
sanctuary. But what exactly am I
remembering when I remember my baptism?
Likewise, what exactly should we be remembering when we remember our
baptism?
Well, before we really
think about what we should remember, it may be helpful to think about what
baptism is to begin with. In Old
Testament times, ceremonial bathing and anointing were signs of holiness and
were even used in priestly initiation and consecration. Today, baptism can be described as the
ordination of the laity. It’s the rite
that officially marks us as members of the Body of Christ. It’s our official welcome into the Church
universal.
In our Gospel reading
from Luke, we find Jesus' cousin John baptizing people. John's baptisms were in preparation for the
coming of the messiah. John "went
into all the region around the
In our reading from
Romans, Paul describes our baptism as joining us with Christ. Paul says, "we have been buried with [Christ]
by baptism into death 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" [Romans 6:4-5].
This understanding of baptism is one that unites us with Christ. But that's not all... if you'll notice, Paul
is careful to speak to us in the plural, but our baptism in the singular. When we're baptized, we're baptized into the
same baptism... Christ's baptism. Even when he starts using the word
"you" in verse 11, he is still speaking in the plural. I've found that there's a difference between English
in the north and the English spoken here in the south. In the north, the word "you" is
used for both a single person as well as a group. But here in the south, the word
"you" means just one person.
The word "y’all" means a group. This translation of the Bible was translated
into the English of the north. I think that
the word translated as "you" should be "ya'll" because the
original Greek word means “all of you.”
Paul's telling us that we all share a baptism with Christ and with each
other. When we're baptized, we're
baptized into a group, the Body of Christ, the Church. Baptism is never an individual event, just
like Holy Communion. Both of our
sacraments emphasize our union with Christ and each other.
The understanding that
baptism is not simply about the person being baptized is further emphasized by
the amount of participation the congregation plays in the Baptismal
Covenant. You will notice that most of
the vows that are taken in the covenant are vows the congregation and sponsors
make. In baptism, the Church claims the
person being baptized for Christ. The
Church takes on the responsibility to nurture and care for the person being
baptized. In baptism, the Church marks
the person being baptized for Christ... as one of their own.
This act of marking the
person being baptized has everything to do with what God is doing in the person
being baptized. Listen to what John the
Baptist says in our reading from Luke, "He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire" [Luke
The vows that we make
during our baptism are recognized in our rite of confirmation. Confirmation may take place right after
baptism or even years after baptism.
Since baptism is about God's action and promise to us, we're only
baptized once because God always keeps his promise. We don't re-baptize. Since confirmation is about our promise to
God, we can re-confirm our vows to God.
Although we can re-commit ourselves to God, we take these vows seriously
the first time. And so, confirmation may
be put off until the person to be baptized can more fully understand their vows
in the Baptismal Covenant. Regardless if
the person is able to answer for themselves or not, their care and nurturing
remain the responsibility of the Church... they are a part of the Body of
Christ.
When we remember our
baptism, we don't have to remember the exact moment water was sprinkled on our
heads, or was poured on our heads, or when we were immersed. What is important is that we remember that we
have been marked as children of God, that we're members of the Body of Christ,
that God has granted us grace through Jesus Christ.
SDG