Pentecost 14A 2023

14th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have you ever seen the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? - it came out in 2000, about a gang of thieves in the 1930s, deep in the South. As they’re evading capture by the long arm of the Law, they’re in the woods one day, roasting gophers over an open fire, discussing their hunt for hidden treasure. As they do, a crowd of a couple hundred men and women in white robes walk slowly past them toward the nearby river, singing “Down to the River to Pray.” As they reach the water, they form lines, where everyone in attendance gets baptized by their preacher. The criminals - Everett, Pete, and Delmar - as they observe this, they are captivated by the scene. Everett laughs it off while mocking their Christian faith as a scam. Delmar however, is so taken by this spectacle, that he drops everything and takes off splashing through the water to the front of the line, speaks to the pastor, and is immersed in the water and brought back up again. Here is part of the dialogue that follows:

Pete: Well I’ll be… Delmar’s been saved.

Delmar: Well that’s it boys. I’ve been redeemed. The preacher done washed away all my sins and transgressions. It’s the straight and narrow from here on out, and Heaven everlasting’s my reward.

Everett: Delmar, what are you talking about? We got bigger fish to fry.

Delmar: The preacher said all my sins is washed away…including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yadsen.

Everett: I thought you said you was innocent of those charges?

Delmar: Well…I was lying. And the preacher said that that sin’s been washed away too. Neither God nor man’s got nothin’ on me now. Come on in boys; the water is fine.

As amusing as this scene might be, there’s still a powerful truth here. We are led to question Delmar’s sincerity, and whether he’ll truly appreciate the gift he’s just been given in baptism. And just to set the record straight, Lutheran practice is perfectly fine with immersion. We just don’t have the capability to do it here. If someone asked me to do an immersion baptism, I’d be happy to, so long as the church joined us there.

Is there anything in that scene that disagrees with our Lutheran understanding of baptism? Here’s a quick review of the Small Catechism on The Sacrament of Holy Baptism:

The Book of Concord First

FIRST

1 What is baptism?

2 Answer: Baptism is not merely water, but it is water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word.

3 What is this Word of God?

4 Answer: As recorded in Matthew 28:19, our Lord Christ said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

SECOND

5 What gifts or benefits does Baptism bestow?

6 Answer: It effects forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and grants eternal salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare.

7 What is this Word and promise of God?

8 Answer: As recorded in Mark 16:16, our Lord Christ said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

THIRD

9 How can water produce such great effects?

10 Answer: It is not the water that produces these effects, but the Word of God connected with the water, and our faith which relies on the Word of God connected with the water. For without the Word of God the water is merely water and no Baptism. But when connected with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul wrote to Titus (3:5–8), “He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. This saying is sure.

FOURTH

11 What does such baptizing with water signify?

12 Answer: It signifies that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil lusts, should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance and be put to death, and that the new man should come forth daily and rise up, cleansed and righteous, to live forever in God’s presence.

13 Where is this written?

14 Answer: In Romans 6:4, St. Paul wrote, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

My biggest critique of what Delmar experienced is that it is not the preacher who is doing the washing away of sins. It is Jesus Christ through his Word. “He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour...” [Tappert, 349.]

Among Christians, there are typically 2 camps: those who practice infant baptism, and those who practice what they call “believers’ baptism”. Obviously, we are baby baptizers, as we’ll celebrate with baby Bodhi shortly. For us, baptism is a gift from God. It is how God claims me as His child, and in so doing, all my sins and transgressions are washed away, and Heaven everlasting’s my reward. Just like Delmar.

As we celebrate this Sacrament in a few minutes, I’d like you to read carefully what is said: what does God say to the baptized? Both the infant, and the rest of us who are already baptized? Since Bodhi can’t speak for himself, what do his parents and family say to God? What do they say to their child? What do they say to the church? Finally, what does the church say to the family, and to Bodhi?

In short, there are promises that are made. Obviously, God promises forgiveness of sins and salvation in baptism. God promises His Holy Spirit to come up on the newly baptized. And that means also the gift of faith. It is this faith that is a seed to be nurtured and cared for. And that’s what the promises of both the family and this church are about - nurturing Bodhi’s faith. And as we make those promises, I hope and pray that we are each reminded of our own baptism and the promises made to us, and the promises we have made for our children.

This is not a coincidence; this is intentional. While we don’t come back and get re-baptized like in the movie, we are constantly called to remember our baptism. Sometimes it’s very blunt; when we baptize a new Christian, we can’t help but remember when someone close to us was baptized. Or, as on Easter Vigil, part of that service is taken from these very same pages, and we are reminded of it. Other times are just a bit more subtle. Our weekly liturgy points to our baptism in several places: when we call God “Our Father”, we are reminded that in baptism He has claimed us. Even better, when we come to receive the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded of what Christ did for us on the cross, that his suffering and death paid the price for our salvation… our eternal reward.

But we must be careful not to treat baptism as simply holy fire insurance. It is the beginning of a life of faith. It is the entrance into the Body of Christ, into a life that is not conformed to the world around us. It is the beginning of a life that is intended to be conformed to our Savior. This is a journey that takes us from our natural tendency to sin, to the kind of faith and trust that helps us grow to be more like Christ. If you wonder what that looks like, then today’s lesson from Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of the most detailed explanations of the Christian life that you’ll find in the Bible. And it’s fairly straightforward:

Let love be genuine. (Love sincerely; don’t fake it)

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (“evil” is that which is destructive…or counter to God’s will; “good” is that which flows from God)

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. (The [brotherly] love of Christians should be like that of the members of one family” [Lenski, 767-768] … treat each other as a loving family…because that’s what you are.)

Outdo one another in showing honor. (be happy to help honor others, do not seek honor for yourself first)

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Don’t be slow to serve the Lord. You have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit; “fervent” here means “boiling or seething” - your spirit must move you to diligence, like a steam engine whose boiler has reached top pressure.)

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Joy and hope are connected in Scripture, and rightly so. And when we have hope and the joy that comes with it, we are better poised to be patient in tribulation. And all of this is strengthened when we spend time in prayer.)

13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (The saints are our church family, and hospitality refers to those outside these walls - our neighbors. The church is called to minister to both.)

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (On this list, this may be the hardest to actually do, but it is how we are called to treat those who don’t treat us well.)

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Seems simple enough, but remember this: joy that is shared is doubled; sorrow that is shared is cut in half.)

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. (Our pride gets in the way of this one…but if we are serving Christ, then his example of humility is the bar set for us. It’s difficult to follow, but important to try.)

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. (Another that goes against our nature and instinct, but if we are to live the life of faith, this is the rule we must follow.)

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Two qualifiers here: “if possible” and “so far as it depends on you”. Clearly, it may not be possible to live peaceably with everyone. But our Lord, whom we serve, has instructed us to make the attempt.)

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (When I am tempted to repay evil for evil, I remind myself that God’s justice is not only perfectly just, but also delivered at exactly the right time, and in the right amount. My revenge would most likely be wrong in timing, appropriateness, and probably even in justice. I’ll just leave it to Him.)

20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Not easy, but it is God’s will for us, and it is how we will love those who very likely don’t love us.)

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Paul ends how he began…we are servants of God, and we are to walk in the light, agents of God’s good. The tools and instruments we choose, and the methods we use, must reflect that.)

So for Bodhi’s family - Dane and Robin, Godparents, grandparents, great grandparents… and for his new brothers and sisters in Christ: we all have a high bar set for us. Think about this list that Paul has given us. If everyone operated this way, how much better would the world be? We obviously can’t make others live this way… but we can aspire to this ourselves. We can hope for this for our children and teach them this. And we can shape the world immediately around us in this way. We can make it a little more the way God wants it to be. And *that* is how we will let our light so shine before others that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. When that light shines, the world is a better place. That’s what we want for our children, and that’s what our Heavenly Father wants for ALL of His children. Let’s encourage one another as we make that light shine.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.