Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
A little show and tell for you this morning. “This certifies that Daniel Brady Locke, son of John and Susan Locke was received into the Holy Christian Church through The Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Claremont, NC on July 19, 1987. Signed by Pastor Stanely L. Stiver.
This is my Certificate of Baptism. My show and tell for the day. I also have, believe it or not, a bulletin, a picture, and the baptismal cloth used to dry my head. I can never remember what hymn we sang that morning, so it’s nice to look back and see we sang “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.”
July 19, 1987. That’s the day God washed over me, cleansed me, made me whole, and made me an heir to the promise of eternal life. That is the day that God named and claimed me as God’s child. And from that moment on, there was NOTHING, is nothing that I could/can do, thank God, to change that. Daniel Brady Locke, child of God.
Now, believe it or not, I don’t remember much of anything about that day. And to be completely honest, I didn’t know many of the specifics of my baptism until my seminary application directly asked questions about my baptism.
But pictures from that day tell me that I was surrounded by my parents and grandmothers, my 5 year old brother, aunts and uncles, and of course a entire congregation of people I didn’t yet know.
At 6 weeks old, I was introduced to the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Water was poured over my head. I was cleansed. I was washed clean from the power of sin, death, and the devil. God intimately and inextricably claimed me forever.
How many of you can recall your baptism? Certainly most of us have no actual memory of the event, but rather do you know what day you were baptized? Who were your sponsors? In what community of faith were you baptized. Do you recall the promises made by God? By your parents and/or sponsors? By the community of faith.
Or if you haven’t been baptized, have you given any thought into being baptized? Do you desire to be apart of the body of christ, to die in a death like Christ, and rise into new life like Christ?
To be washed by the water and claimed by God as a child of God?
Or best yet, how many times have you participate in a baptism? As a family member, sponsor, or simply a member of the congregation? How many times have you replied “We Will and we ask God to help and guide us” when the pastor asks, “Do you promise to support and pray for the newly baptised in their new life in Christ?”
I grew up in the church. The ELCA was born when I was a year old. The Lutheran church is all I’ve ever known. And even though as a kid I didn’t know much about my baptism or the significance of being baptised, I distinctly remember the font. It was made of wood and stood about 4.5 half feet off the ground. It was about a foot and a half wide and was in the shape of an octagon. It had pretty, decorative wood carvings around the edges. I have seen many like it since then.
But what I remember most is that it had a silver, metal bowl that sat in the top and there was a wooden lid with a cross on the top. And for my entire childhood, the font sat off to the side of the sanctuary, with no water, and the lid on top. It was only opened and filled when there was a baptism.
In retrospect, it seems so strange to me that we would keep something so central to our faith, a sacrament none-the-less, something so foundational to our identity, that we would keep it off to the side and out of mind unless needed. Why not bring it front and center. Prominent and overflowing. A constant visual reminder of the grace of God. A testament to who and whose we are?
Today we celebrate Baptism of Our Lord Sunday. Following Advent and Christmas, we continue to the season and Spirit of Epiphany...of Christ being made known, and we celebrate Christ being baptized in the river Jordan.
And Today, our gospel text brings baptism front and center. John the Baptist was busy preaching and teaching. He was on the scene out of the wilderness and he had developed quite the following.
Our text says that people were filled with expectation, eager with anticipation. They were questioning whether John might be the one. The messiah they had longed for.
Then John does what in my opinion is one of the most humblest things in all of scripture. Rather than play up the crowds and anticipation and soak in their affection and curiosity. John steps out of the way. He moves to the side. He points to Christ. John redirects their attention. He bows out and lifts up Christ.
And out of the crowds, out from among them, Jesus comes forth to be baptized. And what seems like just another baptism, this one has a different result. The heaves split open and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Front and center, at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, God declares Jesus as God’s son, a beloved child, in whom God is well pleased. Jesus is the Messiah, the one hoped for. All of the crowds’ and the world's expectations fulfilled and assured in that moment.
About the time I was in late elementary school, Pastor Stanley Stiver retired from St. Mark’s, and we welcomed a wonderful man, named Jim Stephenson. Within his first week, he made two major changes to the worship space.
First, he pulled the altar away from the wall. I’ve since learned that they were called Walltars. Anyways, he moved it forward so that he could stand behind it during communion.
The second thing he moved was the font. He placed the baptismal font in the front of the sanctuary, just in front of the steps. He removed the lid and filled it with water. And every single sermon, after reading the gospel from the pulpit, he would make his way to the font and preach from the water. He had a small index card for his notes, and no matter what the topic of his sermon, no matter the text he would always always find some way to play in the water.
He was notorious for splashing around in the water, reminding us of our baptism. His affection for the font and the water gave deeper meaning and and appreciation for who and whose we are. He was known for dipping his hands in the water and saying, “in the name of the father, the name of the son and the name of Holy surprises.”
On his last day as our interim, after reading the gospel from the pulpit, he made his way to the font. Looked down and Smiled as three goldfish swam around in the font. He said, “I wondered how long it would take for this to happen.”
Pastor Jim brought baptism front and center. I couldn’t tell you much detail about my baptism, but to this day I can tell you with confidence that Pastor Stephenson's commitment to keeping the sacrament front and center has stuck with me. I credit him for my love and affection for the sacrament.
Jesus, God made flesh, born among us took on death and was victorious. Jesus conquered the grave and the abiding promise of God was fulfilled. God overpowered sin, death, and the devil, making way for new and life eternal.
And it is in the waters of baptism that God claims us as God’s children. Marked with the cross of Christ, Sealed by the holy spirit. The heavens torn a part, the Spirit descends. God makes us heirs of God’s promised salvation. God’s victory over death.
God folds us into the story of compassion, love, grace, peace, and forgiveness. God clothes us in mercy. And NOTHING, absolutely nothing, thank God, can change the life we have in God.
Baptism is God’s action. God’s claiming of us. God’s choosing and naming. God welcomes us into the body of Christ and makes us heirs to the most incredible promise. God does this purely out of God’s own goodness. God’s love is that powerful.
On this second Sunday of Epiphany, we celebrate baptism, we bring it front and center intentionally, lest we ever forget who and whose we are. In the waters we die to our old selves, we are made new. We belong to God. Our identity, in the most holistic sense is inextricably connected to God.
And out of the waters, everything else in our lives is to be a expression of that grace. A testament to that gift. That child of God and the body of Christ is our one and only true affiliation.
In the waters God washes away the divisions of world. Race, ethnicity, sex, gender..all the marks of human-made division fail in the grace of God to offer salvation in this holy sacrament.
Make no mistake that every group, organization, party, club, or other affiliation is a choice we make in our lives. Some may have dues or regulations, rules and commitments, but in the end, they’re all choices and they all have the ability to fade away. But baptism, God’s grace-filled claim on God’s people never, never fades away. Never expires.
This is why baptism and remembrance of baptism is so important. I love love love our font. I admit I wish it was deeper, but I’ll save that fight for another day. I love that we literally have to walk around it in order to enter and exit the worship space. And if it weren’t cemented in the back of the church, there’s a good chance I’d be splashing in the water right now.
A few weeks ago, during the birthday for Christ service, I was standing in the back with Tracy Williams and her two daughters. Cassidy and I were looking at the font and whispering to one another about the font and what it means. So I dipped my fingers in the water and sprinkled a bit at her and said “remember your baptism.” Cassidy, without missing a beat took her hands in the water like you would in a pool and shoved a big ol wave back at me. Tracy turned around immediately and I confessed that I instigated.
Martin Luther said that we should rise every morning, splash water in our face, make the sign of the cross, and remember that we belong to God.
The waters are a foundational, integral part of who and whose we are. If you don’t already, I encourage you to acknowledge the gift of God’s grace each day. Make the sign of the cross when you wash your face. Open the ELW to page 228 and remember the promises made. Run your fingers through the water when enter and exit this space. And thank God, who is well pleased, that there is absolutely nothing in all of creation that can change that truth.
Amen
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