Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
January 11, 2004
Baptism of Jesus C
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
January 11, 2004
Dear friends in Christ,
Today, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, and because of that, I didn’t have to look too far for a sermon topic. We will be talking about Baptism—your baptism, my baptism, and the Baptism of Jesus. Each of us probably has fond memories of baptisms that have been meaningful to us—the baptism of our children, grandchildren, or dear friends. Some of us might remember our own baptisms as adults, and how important that day and the decision that led up to it were. Every baptism is special.
As a pastor, baptisms are about the best thing I get to do. I get to assist in the making of a new Christian. It’s a tremendous honor for me.
So what is baptism all about? What does it mean, and what do we as a church teach about it? I’d like to begin by saying what it isn’t.
Some people think of baptism as “joining the Jesus Club.” We all know what it means to join a club like the Brownies or Boy Scouts or the Kiwanas. Most of us have joined some club or another and know that every club has its rules and regulations. So some people think that baptism is the initiation into the “Jesus Club,” and as members, they have to follow the “Jesus rules and regulations.” We do become a part of something when we are baptized, but it’s not quite like joining a club.
For other people, baptism is like “hell insurance.” They want to make sure their baby is baptized, so that if something happens, the baby won’t go to hell. Ninety years ago, when my parents were born, it was common not to take the baby out of the house until it was baptized. Often, the pastor even came to the home to baptize the baby. Just in case.
Thirty years ago, when my best friend’s daughter was born, Grandma came to stay for a while. One day, my friend caught her mother baptizing the baby in the kitchen sink. Just in case her daughter didn’t get around to taking that child to church for a dunking. Grandma wanted to make sure that the baby had her “hell insurance card.”
Well, I don’t believe that that’s how God operates. I do not believe that God condemns the innocent un-baptized. And if I were you, I wouldn’t believe it either.
Then, there are other people who go to the opposite extreme. They want to wait until the child is older so that they can decide for themselves if they want to be baptized. This is a variation of the argument that says parents should not impose their religion on their kids, but should let the kids choose one when they grow up. I think we all know about how well that works out. Choose based on what? A child raised without a religious foundation has nothing on which to base a religious choice. We do not “impose” our religion on our children. We share our belief system with them. And there is no reason to wait to share what we believe.
Baptizing children as infants is something like adoption. When families adopt a child, they don’t typically wait until the child is old enough to agree. We don’t wait until they come of age and then ask them if they want to be a part of our family. So it is with baptism. We just can’t wait to make them part of our family of faith, part of the family of God.
Let’s turn now to the story of the Baptism of Jesus, and how we can use it to understand our own baptism.
The story of Jesus’ baptism is this; Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. John felt unworthy to baptize Jesus, but Jesus insisted. Jesus was dunked in the river, and as he came up from the water, the heavens were opened. The Spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said; “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
There are three points in this story that tell us what baptism is about. All three begin with the letter “S”, so they should be easy to remember. The three are SPIRIT, SON, and SERVANT.
First, of all, when Jesus was baptized, the SPIRIT of God came down upon him. This Spirit was the very presence of God. It was the same Spirit that was present at creation, when God created the world, the same Spirit that spoke through the prophets. Now, it rested on Jesus.
As a consequence of having that Spirit, Jesus was empowered to amazing things. By the power and Spirit of God in him, he turned water to wine, controlled the wind and the waves, cured the lepers, healed the deaf and blind. He was able to confront and defeat the powers of evil, when he himself was tempted in the wilderness, and when he drove evil spirits out of the demon-possessed. Throughout his ministry, Jesus tamed the demons around him. He demonstrated that God’s power is stronger than evil, and taught us something about our battles with evil.
In our baptism, that same Spirit that came down upon Jesus came down into our lives as well. When we were baptized, the Spirit of God came into us and made us members of the community of the Spirit. When the Spirit lives in the community, there are several things that begin to happen. The Spirit and the Spirited Community give us a strength to cope with life that we wouldn’t have otherwise. As members of a Spirited Community, we are empowered to support one another in our daily struggles. When the Spirit lives within us, we are enabled to fight the evil around us and within us. In baptism, we get the Spirit. That’s our first “S” word.
The story of the baptism of Jesus also tells us about the SON. That’s our second “S” word. When Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan River, he was declared to be the Son of God; “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus, soaked to the skin, pleased his Father.
When my kids were little, they loved to play in the water. It was hard to get them into the tub, but even harder to get them out. They would play in tub till the water got cold—we called it “puddling.” Everything got baptized—Barbies, Legos, My Little Ponies and Tupperware. And I loved to see them like that—in the tub, as natural as they were the day they were born, soaking wet, skin all wrinkled and pruney. They were beloved to me, and I was well pleased with them.
Now that I am caring for my Mom, we have a similar ritual. Whenever I bring her to our home from her nursing home, we have what we call “a Spa day.” It always involves a long soak in the tub—no toys, but lots of bubbles. And as I help her wash her body, which is pruney whether she is in the water or not, she is, to me, beloved.
When Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan, God called him beloved. My beloved Son. And so it is when you and I are baptized. God likes to see us wet. It doesn’t matter whether we are eight days old or eighty years old. God likes to see us wet, washed in the waters of baptism, clean and free from sin. For this is how we become God’s beloved sons and daughters.
One final “S” word from the story of the baptism of Jesus. That word is SERVANT, and it is not as obvious at the first two—Spirit and Son. The words of the voice of God which come from heaven when Jesus is baptized are the same as God’s words to the prophet Isaiah, describing the Suffering Servant; “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Isaiah, chapter 42, tells of the Suffering Servant. As Christians, we believe that Jesus was that Suffering Servant.
In Isaiah, a book of the Old Testament, the Suffering Servant is the one who carries the sins of the whole world on his back. In the New Testament, when Jesus carried the cross, that’s what he did. In the Cross, he carried the sins of the whole world on his back. You and I were baptized to get rid those sins. We don’t have to carry them any more. Jesus has done that for us. We don’t have to despair because of past failures. We only have to look to Jesus, who is our strength, our Savior, and our hope.
Baptism? For some people, baptism is not that important. For some, baptism is just a sprinkling of water on a baby’s head. Baptism is like hell insurance that protects you from the wrath of God. Baptism is joining the Jesus Club with all its rules and regulations.
What happened in Jesus’ baptism? Three “S” words happened. 1) The SPIRIT of God came upon Jesus, just as it comes upon each of us as we are baptized. 2) Jesus was declared to be the SON of God, with whom God was well pleased, just as God is well pleased with all of his son and daughters. And, 3) Jesus was anointed as the SUFERING SERVANT, who carried all our sins.
Aren’t you glad you are baptized? And if you aren’t, don’t you want to be?
AMEN