On the random stack of things that magically appear outside my office door from time to time, this week I discovered a scrapbook that caught my attention. It was a scrapbook of the first years of Shepherd of the Hills. I was curious to look at the old pictures, letters, bulletins, and other keepsakes from the beginning of the church’s history in 1969. That was 40 years ago. I recognized a couple of names, but most of the faces have changed since then. One thing that was particularly interesting to me: There was a contest to name the church. Before a name was chosen, the church was referred to as “Northwest Lutheran Mission.” People were given a ballot with suggested names and asked to chose one. Among the choices were: Holy Oaks Lutheran Church (“holy oaks, Batman!”), Mount Sinai Lutheran Church, Paradise Lutheran Church, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, The Cornerstone Lutheran Church, and St. Nikolai Lutheran Church.
Why was this history so interesting to me? I wasn’t around when the church began. It’s not like I’m looking at the scrapbook and saying, “I remember that. Look how funny my hair looked back then!” This scrapbook wasn’t my history; I wasn’t even alive in 1969. Yet it was my history because I’m a part of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. What happened in 1969 at Northwest Lutheran Mission isn’t my history in one sense, but in another sense it is my history because I’m a part of this church.
When we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves, the story of that larger thing becomes our story. Your family history is your history. What happened to your parents and grandparents matters to you. You’re an American. The story of American history is your story. You weren’t there when the Declaration of Independence was signed. You weren’t there during the Civil War. But those stories are your story because you’re an American, a citizen of this country.
Another story you’re a part of is the story of humanity. It’s a story that began well as God created humans in His own image. But it’s a story that quickly included sin as Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden. You weren’t there when Adam and Eve sinned, but their story is your story. You and I have inherited a condition called sin. It’s a condition that has caused all kind of bad things to happen throughout history – violence, oppression, hatred, injustice. And I’m not talking only about history. I’m talking about our lives as well. Even this morning, each of us has probably already done or thought something that we shouldn’t have. We most likely have already sinned today. The story of humanity, a story filled with sin, is also our story.
When Jesus came into the world as a human, He took on the story of humanity. Though He never committed a sin of any kind, Jesus shared in our story by becoming human. By being one of us, He experienced everything we experience, except for the guilt that comes from sin. He experienced unkind people, stress, sadness, bad weather – all the things that are part of living in a sin-filled world. Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Jesus willingly experienced everything we experience. He did not make Himself immune to feeling pain. He might have had allergies or gotten a cold like many of us have suffered lately. He went through everything willingly. The story of humanity became Jesus’ story in every way.
Today, as we celebrate the occasion of Jesus’ Baptism, I’d like to address a question that has been asked many times: Why was Jesus baptized? We believe that in Baptism, God’s creates faith and grants the forgiveness of sins. Jesus had no sins to be forgiven. Why did He insist that John the Baptist baptize Him? Here’s why: Jesus was baptized so that He would identify with us in every way. In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Baptism, John tries to deter Jesus from being baptized by saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” It was Jesus’ idea to be baptized. To fulfill all righteousness, He had to identify with us in every way. Our story – the story of fallen humanity – had to become Jesus’ story completely.
After His Baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. He resisted that temptation, as He resisted every attempt by the devil to sway Jesus from His mission, to die as the sacrifice for the whole world on the cross. The story of Jesus’ earthly life is roughly 33 years of a perfect life filled with miracles and wonders, followed by His death, His descent into hell to proclaim victory, His rest in the grave, His Resurrection from the dead, His post-Resurrection appearances, and His ascension back into heaven. It’s an intriguing, amazing story. And it’s story that can be boiled down to two events: His death and Resurrection, the sacrifice and the victory.
Last week, I met in the worship center with the 4-year-olds from the school and we talked about what pastors do. After I was done showing them my robe and stoles and my private Communion kit and talking about the different places a pastor stands in church to talk about Jesus, I invited them to ask questions. I didn’t realize that 4-year-olds don’t understand the concept of a question. They would raise their hands. I’d call on one. “Yes, in the red shirt.” And they’d look down to see what color shirt they were wearing. And then I’d hear something like, “One time my mommy did this” or “My daddy told me this.” I’d ask, “Is there anything any of you were wondering about that I can answer?” A few did ask questions, but many gave statements or told short stories. One thing I heard more than once was, “Jesus died on the cross” and “Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.”
If you boil the story of Jesus down, that’s what you get. It comes across no more simply than a 4-year-old states it: “Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.” That’s the story of Jesus in a nutshell.
In the Epistle reading from Romans 6, Paul states that the story of Jesus – namely, His death and Resurrection – becomes our story through Baptism. In Baptism, we’re brought into to something larger than ourselves. We’re made a part of the Kingdom of God. We belong to God and to His family. And when you’re a part of something larger than yourself, the story of that greater thing becomes your story. Paul states that “all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death.” Paul goes on to say that “if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His Resurrection.” The story of Jesus is our story. Because we’ve received the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we belong to God. Because water and the Word were joined together in an action that Jesus commanded His disciples to do, we’ve been joined to something larger than ourselves. Because Jesus came into the world to identify with us in every way, we identify with Him in every way because His story is our story.
His death is your death. As long as you live, you’ll sin. You’ll do things that will embarrass you. Things that will hurt others. Things that will cause you to wonder if God can forgive this one because this one was pretty bad. So, we continue to sin even after our Baptism – and we all continue to sin – what then does it mean when Paul says, “We died to sin”? It means that sin is no longer the dominant thing in your life. Sin is no longer able to define who you are. You’re not defined by your sin. That’s not what you’re all about. You’re all about the death of Jesus. The old you, the sinful you, has been put to death as the story of Christ’s death became your story in Baptism.
You’re defined by the story of Jesus, by His death and Resurrection. His Resurrection is His victory – which is also your victory. Jesus has triumphed over death. The victory that is His is yours as well. Paul says we’re “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The power of sin to define us is dead, and the power of Jesus to define us by His story is completely alive and at work. As we’re defined by Jesus’ story, we’re alive to the things that God desires for our lives. God daily gives us to power to resist sin and to say “yes” to the things that He would have us do. We can experience victory in our lives, overcoming our sinful desires and instead living a life of love toward God and the people He puts in our lives. We’ll never have the perfect victory until we’re in the perfect place, heaven. But God does empower us through His Holy Spirit to live with freedom to serve Him and to serve others.
Baptism seems like such a small thing. Water and a few words. Yet it’s a big thing. It unites us to Christ and makes His story our story. It’s a big deal. That’s why families travel from long distances to see a baby being baptized. That’s why pastors hurry to the hospital to baptize a baby who may not survive. That’s why people are baptized on the spot after church. I even know of a young man who was baptized in the swimming pool at a pool party because he thought Baptism was a big deal. It is a big deal. Your Baptism is a big deal. Through your Baptism, the story of Christ is your story. The voice of God the Father spoke at Jesus’ Baptism saying, “You are My Son whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” Because Jesus’ story is our story, these words apply to you as well. God would say to you this day: “You are my child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.
