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Proper 8, Year
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Isaiah 2:10-17 Holy Baptism “We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood.” This is how the Episcopal Church welcomes the newly baptized. We welcome them into the family. In baptism we are born anew into God’s family. The Book of Common Prayer calls Holy Baptism “the Sacrament of new birth” and says that Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. The Prayer Book goes on to say that the bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. In other words, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. That for me is the best part. When a baby is born into a household, the family doesn’t expect much of him or her, except to survive and grow. When the little one is old enough to sit up, we put that child in a high chair and bring him or her to the table. It is expected that the child will learn to enjoy eating and table fellowship, and be a lively member of the family. It is also expected that as the child grows, she or he will share in the daily life of the household. I know things have changed drastically since I was growing up, but when I was a child, every member of our family was expected to show up on time for breakfast and dinner. And we had to wash our hands first. We were called to the bath and to the table. During my time as a student at Sewanee, my knowledge of Church History increased greatly. Maybe that’s because the topic was made so entertaining and often so funny by Professor Don Armentrout. He is the Lutheran Minister who has taught Church History at Sewanee for more than thirty years. He has a collection of favorite sayings that most of his students know by heart, such as, “If you know a little church history, nothing will surprise you.” When the seniors are going through the graduation line, Don is often heard to sigh and say, “Pray for the Church.” One of his other favorite sayings that I remember so well is, “You’ve been baptized. Now act like it.” The original Lutheran, Martin Luther, is reputed to have crossed himself every morning and said, “I am a baptized Christian.” What is it about baptism that is so radical and basic? So important? And why does the church make such a big deal about it? The short answer is that it seemed to matter to our Lord Jesus. It mattered so much to him that he identified with the human condition by being baptized himself. If it was important to him, it’s important to us as his followers. As a Sacrament of the church, baptism is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” A Sacrament is given by Christ as a sure and certain means by which we receive that grace. It’s such a simple thing, and yet so profound. One thing for sure about baptism is that it is a dividing line between the old life and the new life in Christ. Once we have been baptized, we are never the same again. We have been born anew into the household of God. That’s also why we don’t do private baptisms. We all need the love and support of our new family the church. The first Christians also took baptism very seriously. They were instructed for at least a year before they were allowed to be baptized. That’s because when they were baptized they declared that Jesus is Lord. They knew this would set them at odds with the Roman government. They knew that once a year they were expected to publicly burn a pinch of incense on a Roman altar and declare that Caesar was lord. As baptized Christians, they could no longer do that in good conscience. So they put their very lives in jeopardy by being baptized. Our baptismal ceremony is much like the ancient’s church’s ceremony, except that we have streamlined it somewhat. At the ancient Easter vigil, the Bishop baptized the little children first. If they were too young to answer for themselves, the parents would answer for them, and take responsibility for their baptism and Christian upbringing. Then the Bishop would baptize the men, and last but not least, they would baptize the women. Since earliest Christianity, the church has believed that Baptism is a Sacrament given by Christ. This is the same Christ who said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” What kind of cross is Jesus talking about? This cross that I wear? Is that what he means? There’s no getting around the fact that our Gospel reading for today contains some hard sayings of Jesus. Taking up crosses. Family members pitted against each other. The Prince of Peace talking about no peace. Losing your life to find it. Is this any way to build a church? For one possible explanation, we can turn to our reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. St. Paul puts the two ideas side by side – the cross and baptism. He draws parallels to help us understand. The verses we read this morning are about baptism. But more than that, they are a meditation on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul had done some deep thinking about his own conversion and baptism, and how that life had radically changed for him. For Paul, Christian baptism symbolizes our identification with Christ. Identification even to the point of being buried together with him and raised from the dead with him. Paul calls this being baptized into Christ. If we have been baptized, God has first claim on our loyalty. About eleven years ago, I bought a book entitled The Message. It’s written by a Presbyterian minister named Eugene Peterson. The Message is a contemporary English version of the New Testament. Mr. Peterson has this interpretation of today’s passage from Romans: “Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ . . . if we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.” “Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.” Christian baptism is also a cleansing from sin. In the Prayer Book, one of the prayers over the water is “that those who are here cleansed from sin and born again may continue for ever in the risen life of Jesus Christ our Savior.” The good news about all this is that sin and death do not win. If we’ve been baptized, how can we act like it? For starters, we can renew our own baptismal vows from time to time. That’s how, with God’s help, we can keep coming to church and receiving Holy Eucharist. That’s how we can persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord. That’s how, with God’s help, we can proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, and seek and serve Christ in all persons. That’s how we can strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being. So what makes us family? What makes us members of the household of God? The shared experiences of Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist. God calls us to the bath and to the table. Such wholesome symbols of family life – transferred over into Christianity. When we come to this altar for communion, we are coming to God’s table. Welcome.
On the grounds of Honey Creek
The Rev. Linda McCloud, Pastor |
