Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus
by John in the Jordan.
Normally when I preach on this day I
deal with theological issues revolving around this event. If we are
baptized to cleanse us from sin, why did Jesus, who was sinless, need
to be baptized? What does, or did, it mean for the Incarnate God to
submit to a man at a river in the desert? Scripture says that the
heavens were opened to Jesus, he saw the Spirit descending, and he
heard the voice – was he the only one who had this experience or
were there other witnesses? Or something else along those lines.
But today is different, because today
we have an actual baptism to perform and celebrate. Which means that
instead of any number of theological issues being the focus of the
sermon, the focus is the actual baptism happening here. But even so,
there are still theological issues to consider with a baptism.
The first, and biggest, and what I want
to concentrate on is, “Why?” Why do we bother with baptism at
all. In this age of welcoming all, or seeing God's grace given to
all, why do we still participate in the rite of baptism?
The primary reason as I see it, and the
first explanation for it in the Catechism is this: Holy Baptism is
the Sacrament by which God adopts us and makes us members of Christ's
body. Baptism gives us our official adoption paperwork. Through our
baptism we become members of the family. Through our baptismal
adoption we are bestowed with certain rights and responsibilities.
Through our baptism, we have the right
to be educated about this thing we call Christianity. We have the
right to be loved as we are and as we change and grow. We have the
right to be treated equally, with the same dignity and respect we
treat others. And through our baptism we have the right to a place
at the table, to be fed with that spiritual nourishment that is the
body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Today we welcome Dean, and Leonie &
Lila into our family, into this part of the body of Christ, and we
are witnesses as those rights are bestowed upon him.
But through our baptism we also incur a
set of responsibilities. We have a responsibility to seek out
Christian education to further grow in our faith. We have a
responsibility to turn away from sin, wickedness, and evil powers.
We have a responsibility to follow Christ, first and foremost in our
lives. We have a responsibility to love God, neighbor, and enemy,
treating all with dignity and respect. We have a responsibility to
pray, worship, and give on a regular basis for the spread of the
kingdom of God.
Obviously Dean is too young to grasp or
understand all this, and Leonie & Lila are on the cusp of
understanding, which is why they have godparents to help them on that
path. It is also why they have all of us, because we also have a
responsibility to support them in their life in Christ.
Which brings me to a second issue, and
that is this: Why do we baptize infants who are unable to make this
decision themselves? This is the very reason many denominations will
not recognize or validate infant baptisms – a person needs to be
able to make their own mature commitment to follow Christ and not
have it forced upon them as infants or small children.
But remember this: Baptism is that act
by which we are adopted into the household of God and the body of
Christ. We are adopted.
Over my life I have known several
people who were adopted children. They belong to families not by
blood or of the will of the flesh but by the will of the family. For
which of us would say about a child in need of adoption, “Wait
until they are old enough to make a mature decision as to which
family they want to belong?” None of us would make that statement.
And it is by virtue of their adoption
that they are bestowed with certain rights and responsibilities.
They have the right to be loved as they are and as they change and
grow. They have the right to be treated equally with the same
dignity and respect as other family members. They have the right to
be fed.
They also have responsibilities given
to them as part of the family. They have chores to do. They need to
work for the support of the family. They need to pull their own
weight. They need to behave in certain ways.
So just like children adopted into
earthly families have rights and responsibilities, children adopted
into this heavenly family also have rights and responsibilities. And
today we are bestowing those rights and responsibilities upon these
children, Dean, Leonie, and Lila. Today we are standing with them,
offering our love and support as we promise to help guide them
through this thing we call Christianity.
Today we adopt these three children
into this part of the family tree. Today we welcome them into the
household of God. Today we give them their first taste of the
heavenly banquet.
May the Lord bless them and keep them.
May the Lord make his face to shine
upon them and be gracious to them.
May the Lord lift up his countenance
upon them and grant them peace.
Amen.
1 comments:
For a couple waiting for the baptism of their great-grandson, this is very meaningful. Thanks!
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