Sun 10 Jan 2010
David Orendorff Luke 3:21-22 January 10, 2010
I ask you to trust me for 30 seconds. Close your eyes and absolutely no peaking. I promise not to reveal what I see. If you have not been baptized would you raise your hand. Thank you. You may open your eyes. I will explain why I asked later, but first I want to talk about the meaning and history of baptism.
I am going to spend much of the sermon giving the biblical and church history of baptism. Some of you will find this interesting. Others will be bored. I know this upfront. And truthfully I had misgivings about submitting you to this lecture. But as I prayed I felt guided to risk it and do it anyway. But I also felt led to ask you to take a risk. At the end of the history I am going to ask those who have not been baptized if they would like to be baptized today. And I am going to ask those who have been baptized if they would like to renew their baptism. So listen knowing I am going to ask you for a decision.
The primary source for our understanding of baptism comes from Jesus’ Baptism by John as reported in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels.
Matthew
3.13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
3.14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 3.15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 3.16 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; 3.17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”,
Mark
1.9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 1.10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 1.11 and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”
Luke
3.21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 3.22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”
Matthew, Mark and Luke agree that John baptizes Jesus; that the heavens opened; that the Holy spirit descended like a dove; and that a voice spoke from the heaven calling Jesus son.
Luke and Mark agree that Jesus’ baptism is a personal revelation; the voice speaks to Jesus directly saying, “You are my beloved son…” For Matthew Jesus’ baptism is a revelation to the community for the voice from heaven says to all, “This is my beloved son…”
Luke adds to Mark that all the people were baptized and that Jesus was praying after his baptism and before the descending of the dove. In Mark and Matthew Jesus sees the heavens (plural) open, in Luke the heaven (singular) opens. Luke specifies that the Holy Spirit descends in bodily form (as opposed to a spiritual form) onto Jesus. Mathew and Luke leave the form of the Holy Spirit open.
As you can see there are some basic agreements and some significant differences in the reports of Jesus’ baptism. From the beginning baptism has been a source of controversy among Christians.
From where did the idea of baptism as a sacrament come?
- Judaism - Baptism was both a purification process to be clean before God (wash hands, take a bath, priestly and congregant preparation for temple, feast, etc.) and the initiation process for a proselyte and is performed only once in a person’s life.
- Hellenism (the culture of the Roman Empire) - sacral baths are wide spread in a number of religions of the time (Eleusinian, Bacchic, Egyptian religions, Isis, Mithras, Apollinarian games and the festival of Pelusium). The thought was that whatever was unclean before god (physical or spiritual) could be washed away with the right kind of bath.
- The baptism by John most closely resembles the Jewish proselyte rituals but also carries the meaning of purification before God. John’s baptism prepares the people for the coming of the messiah with confession and forgiveness.
- Jesus is never reported to have baptized anyone. But in Matthew 28:19 Jesus says that his disciples will “baptize” all the nations. Whether this is a command to perform a baptismal rite or is related to purification of all peoples by the life of the disciples is still debated.
- The rite of baptism seems to have been practiced among us Christians from the very beginnings of our faith. Paul names a few of those he baptized in I Corinthians 1:14-17.
- The rite of baptism meant the acceptance of Jesus’ forgiving grace; the proclamation that Jesus was the Lord of all; the reception of the Holy Spirit to work healing and justice in one’s life and the congregation’s recommitment to be the living body of Christ.
- There was great diversity in the practices of the early church including both infant and adult baptism, full immersion and anointing, open air and in a sacred building, running water and still water, pronouncing the name of Jesus only or use of the full trinity, and more. This diversity has been tough for those who what things just right and has led to intense (sometimes deadly) discussion. The congregation in which my mom was raised recognized only adult baptism by immersion. My father’s family was Methodist and it was their practice to baptize infants. My twin sister and I were the first born to mom and dad and there was an intense discussion about whether we would be baptized as infants or choose our own baptism date as adults. Mom conceded to dad’s family but had grave and frightening misgivings (at the time) about the eternal fate of her children.
Baptism in the United Methodist Church
- There are two ritual sacraments (sacred moments) in the United Methodist Church, baptism and communion. Other Christian organizations include as sacraments marriage, ordination, healing, reconciliation, foot washing and more.
- Communion is a frequently repeated sacrament. Baptism, though frequently repeated by the congregation is a onetime sacrament for an individual.
- Adult baptism is the individual’s acceptance of faith and commitment to practice faith and thus embraces membership in the Universal Christian Church. Therefore those who have been previously baptized a Christian (regardless of denominational affiliation) are not re-baptized by the UMC.
- Parents decide for their children whether to perform infant baptism or adult baptism. Adult baptism is the sacred moment of accepting forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, proclaiming Jesus as Lord and the commitment to a Christian life. Infant baptism is the family’s and church’s inclusion of the baby into their faith and their commitment to raise the child in the faith. Baptized infants will accept the faith for themselves at the age of confirmation.
The Rite of Baptism in the UMC - UM Hymnal, pages 33-39, numbers 1,4,5/6,8,9(without parentheticals),10,11,16.
1. Note the language of family. To be baptized is to be a member of the Christian family, thus the tradition of addressing each other as brother and sister. This is a sacrament (sacred/holy moment) of proclaiming the belonging to the family of God; it is the proclamation that each member of the family is an action of God to heal the world; it is the affirmation that God takes this action in us by water (purifying us) and spirit (giving us power to become Christ like in person and deed). And finally, the rite of baptism is the acknowledgement that all this is grace; is a free gift of God’s.
4. These are the questions of faith - the renunciation of sin seeking forgiveness and transformation, the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in the power to do good deeds, and the confession of faith in Jesus as Lord with a willingness to unite with the church/family of God.
5/6. The commitment to raise the baptized child or practice one’s faith in the Jesus’ family of God.
8. The commitment of the family to be family
9. The common Trinitarian confession of faith usually done without the parenthetical additions which is the ecumenical version of the historic Apostle’s creed.
10. The thanksgiving over the water remembers all the ways water has been important in the history of God saving us and the world.
11. This is both the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands. The laying on of hands goes directly back to the earliest apostles who we believe received the Holy Spirit from Jesus when he touched them.
16. Again we find explicit family language which welcomes the baptized into the family as well as the renewal of the family covenant.
There you have it. Now what will you do with it?
