Remembering Our Baptism

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We hear those words from Isaiah and in light of this past week the mere mention of fire may be difficult to hear. For that I’m sorry. Here the fire is not necessarily literal fire as we’ve seen across our news feeds this past week, but trials, difficulties, persecution, hardship. These things will not consume us. I had a conversation with a dear friend yesterday and we allowed ourselves for a moment to wallow in the difficulties of circumstances we’re facing. Then we agreed God is in control, and there’s nothing we can do to change it, so we choose to keep trusting in our LORD.
This morning I saw a video that has gone viral of a family literally standing on the ashes of what used to be their home in Altadena singing together in worship of our Lord. It reminded me of our series in Job where after losing everything Job sat on the ash heap and worshipped.
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
I want to focus on the waters and God’s call mentioned in our Old Testament reading.
Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
Think of all the times the waters did not harm. You might remember Noah and his family on the ark. Or all of Israel passing through the Red Sea or crossing the Jordan River into the promised land. You may remember the water pouring forth from the rock to quench their thirst.
Look at all that the LORD says through Isaiah regarding His people:
Isaiah 43:4 (ESV)
Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
God is calling all called by God’s name. It’s an image that we might think of about heaven. All the people coming to the throne to worship and live in eternal peace.
Our New Testament reading is from Luke 3, and surrounds Jesus Baptism. Luke’s description is brief:
As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Imagine what it might have been like to have been on the shore of Jordan there with John as Jesus approached, was baptized and then to witness him praying and the Holy Spirit come down upon him.
Imagine watching Jesus come up out of the water, make his way onto shore and begin to pray.
Imagine seeing the Holy Spirit come down.
Imagine hearing the voice from heaven. “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
An Inherent Desire
An Inherent Desire
There is in all of us an inherent desire to be loved, to be affirmed, to be claimed to have that sense of belonging. How incredible might it be to realize this was true of Jesus as well.
And how much more incredible to recognize that God the Father gives this to Jesus at this moment.
If you’re a dad, claim your children, tell your children you love them. Tell them that you’re pleased with them. Tell your daughters, tell your sons, it’s not stupid, it’s not mushy, they need to hear it! In my work with men especially it’s a common theme that they never heard their father’s say to them “I love you.” They say they knew their father loved them, but they longed to hear it. For far too many it’s too late.
This fact is fodder for sitcoms, we know it to be true, and yet too often these words remain unspoken.
Luke 3:22 (ESV)
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are MY BELOVED Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Note what God says to Jesus: “You are MY BELOVED.”
It’s not just God saying, “Jesus, I love you.” In this moment God is saying something deeper. The term “beloved” is not just saying someone is loved but that they are held dear, valued, a long standing affection. Parents are you conveying that to your children? To your spouses?
God doesn’t stop there.
Luke 3:22 (ESV)
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”
Again, something we long to hear from our parents, those we look up to, those we value, that we “please”. We’re not talking about being people pleasers, we’re talking about parents valuing and being pleased by their children.
Do you let your children know they please you? Your spouses?
Let’s back up a bit and look at what is happening in this scene.
The people are coming to be baptized. What form of baptism is this?
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Repentance - it’s a washing, symbolic cleansing and forgiving of our sins. Think about this - this is people recognizing how they were not following God’s Law and choosing to be baptized and washed in the waters, receiving forgiveness.
Last week we spoke of New Year resolutions and an opportunity to change course if you will. Your baptism is a chance to change course as well.
As Christians we look at our baptism as this moment as well. A person being baptised is asked the questions regarding repentance and trust in Jesus.
Do you turn from the ways of sina nd renounce evil and is power in the world?
Who is your Lord and Savior?
Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his word and showing his love?
Will you devote yourself to the church’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers?
These are the questions we ask a youth or an adult at their baptism. I remember well standing on the beach at Fort Casey on the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a blustery day being asked these questions. It was my junior year of high school, and I had only made my first profession of faith the year before. Wading through the waves toward my pastor he placed a cloth over my face, and I was plunged beneath the surf into darkness, and rose again to light and cheers as the cloth was removed.
It was a powerful moment for me and a critical mile post in my faith journey.
The challenge for many of us is we are part of the Reformed tradition and many were baptized as infants, unable to answer these questions for ourselves. It was our parents who brought us for baptism, they were the ones who professed their faith and committed to raising us in faith.
Yet we have stood when we’ve had communion and professed our faith. We have come together and affirmed our faith again, and again, and yet sometimes we forget - the old is gone; the new has come.
In John’s first pastoral letter he writes these words:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We’re going to take some time today to remember our baptism. Before we do this, I do want to ask if there is anyone here that has not been baptized?
Bless you.
We want you to also have the opportunity to remember baptism you will be focusing on your potential future baptism and I invite you to speak with me up here immediately following our service.
Together, we’re going to affirm our baptism and I will invite you to join in reading the words on the Screen as they appear.
Remembering Our Baptism
Remembering Our Baptism
Hear these words from Scripture:
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Beloved people of God, our baptism is the sign and seal of our cleansing from sin, and of our being grafted into Christ. Through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the power of sin was broken and God’s kingdom entered our world. Through our baptism we were made citizens of God’s kingdom, and freed from the bondage of sin.
Let us celebrate that freedom and redemption through the renewal of the promises made at our baptism. I ask you, therefore, once again to reject sin, to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, fthe faith in which we were baptized.
Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?
I renounce them.
Who is your Lord and Savior?
Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
will you be Christ’s faithful disciples, obeying his word and showing his love?
I will with God’s help
Affirmation of Faith
Affirmation of Faith
Let us affirm our faith together.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Reaffirming Our Baptism
Reaffirming Our Baptism
I want to invite you each to come forward, and remember your baptism (or in some cases looked forward to your baptism) know that as you go forward the old is gone, the new has come. You are no longer the person you were before. The sins of the past are in the past you step forward new.
Remember your baptism and be thankful. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN
We’re going to do this for one another, so as you step forward, don’t be afraid to use the screen as a script. We’re going to say to each other - note there is a giver statement and a response:
Giver: (Name), remember your baptism and be thankful,
and know that the Holy Spirit is at work within you.
Receiver: Thanks be to God.
Then the receiver becomes the giver for the next person. If you’re unable to see the screen, please don’t be shy, I’m happy to prompt you.
The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
To God be the glory. AMEN
Please, let me pray for you.