Jan 10, 2016 Sermon: "What does baptism teach us?"

Stephen Baldwin

OT: Isaiah 43.1-7

NT: Luke 3.15-17, 21-22

What does baptism teach us? 

            Several years ago, the youth group accused me of buying my sermons online.  They said I paid $5 for the decent ones, $20 for the really good ones, and $1 for the bad ones.  It’s not an altogether unheard of idea, because there actually are computer programs that will generate sermons for you and websites that will sell you sermons.  I happen to believe that is lazy and disingenuous.   So I write my own each week.  Sometimes they’re worth $1, and sometimes, I pray, they’re worth a little more. 

            But…the youth were onto something.  Let me make a confession.  I don’t steal sermons, but I do steal good sermon ideas.  All the time.  A better way of saying it is that the Holy Spirit inspires me when I read good sermons written by others.  Like this week, I read a fabulous sermon about Jesus’ baptism by William Sloane Coffin.  He begins by asking a simple question, which I ask of you, “What does baptism aim to teach us?” 

            He considers the various options.  It could teach us love.  God loves us no matter what.  It could teach us family.  When we’re baptized, we’re part of the family no matter what becomes of our life, if we become pope or pauper.  It could teach us forgiveness.  Baptism washes us clean of our sinfulness.  All those are true, he says, but he thinks baptism aims to teach us something more powerful: obedience. 

            In baptism, we’re taught obedience to God’s love--we follow God not out of fear but out of love, obedience to God’s family--we have to get along with one another whether like each other or not, and obedience to God’s forgiveness--we must forgive our debts and our debtors, ourselves and our enemies. 

            Baptism is an initiation of sorts.  Into a way of obedient living.  Obedience to God’s love.  That’s why in French Calvinist baptisms, the minister takes a child to be baptized in his arms and says, “Little child, for you Jesus Christ came. He struggled. He suffered. For you he endured the darkness of Gethsemane, the agony of Calvary. For you he triumphed over death. And you, little child, know nothing of all this. But thus is confirmed in the word of the Apostle, ‘We love God because God first loved us.’"

            Some of you, like me, are recovering Baptists, so you remember your baptism.  Others are tried and true Presbyterians and don’t remember yours since it was at such a young age.  Either way, today is a day to reflect on your baptism.  What has it taught you?  What is it teaching you? 

            John says he baptizes with water while Jesus baptizes with the fire of the Holy Spirit.  In other words, not everyone chooses to come be baptized by John.  Only some are obedient.  But no one can escape Jesus’ baptism.  It compels our obedience. 

            I think we’ve seen signs of Jesus’ burning baptism here at Ronceverte Presbyterian this year.  As well as signs of our obedience.  Since we’re having our congregational meeting today, it’s a good time to look back over 2015. 

If you look at the numbers, they were good.  We hosted 14 workcamps last year.  The most we ever hosted before was three.  Those 14 workcamps account for nearly 200 people who stayed at our church and did faith-based community service across the county.  Worship attendance was up about 5%.  Offerings were up 10%.  After decades of small losses each year, we’ve had three straight years of balanced budgets.  And last year, we had a significant budget surplus.  But the thing that tickled me most was that when the session discussed what to do in response to such good numbers, they said, “Let’s do more.”  Let’s do more mission.  Let’s support more local mission partners.  Let’s help out our Presbytery and our missionaries across the world. 

            Numbers are important, but I’ll take quality over quantity every day.  Especially in a small church.  We’re probably not ever going to be a large church or a trendy church or a wealthy church, but we can be a baptized, obedient church.  That’s all God needs us to be. 

            When Jesus came up out of the water, a voice came from heaven, saying "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."  According to the story, Jesus was 30 when that happened.  The last time we heard from him in Luke, he was 12.  Eighteen years had passed.  We don’t know what all happened in the interim, but we know that when he came up out of the water, baptized and obedient, God said, “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.”

            Each day you get up out of bed, the heavens open and the spirit descends on you like a dove and a voice from heaven says to you, “You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”  So don’t beat yourself up too badly, no matter what you’re going through today.  God is well pleased with you.  Once you understand that and put it into obedient practice, you’ve learned the basic truth of our existence: We love God because God first loved us.  Amen. 

relationships.  In battling illnesses.  In mourning.  God provides refuge especially for those who have fallen through the cracks.  Because God has experienced it in the person of the baby boy. 

            Today we celebrate the child’s epiphany.  His appearance to a world at war with itself, a world where good people fall through the cracks.  And we remember that God’s appearance illuminates all those shadows and all those cracks.  We do not know what awaits us this year, but we know that no matter what we face, God will be with us.  May God make an epiphany to you when you need God the most.  Amen.