Jesus Baptism
Luke. 3:15-17,21-22
"Included, Equal, Responsible"
One of the favorite children’s stories is the many tales of Winnie-the-Pooh. When Anthony was a little younger, he enjoyed carrying around his stuffed Winne-the-Pooh and wanted us to read to him over and over again, the different stories of Pooh bear as he called him. As I read these stories I found Pooh bear to be a pathetic thing who is at the mercy of his surroundings. For example, in one story, Pooh bear comes down the stairs bump, bump bump on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin It is as far as he knows the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way if only he would stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
In the same way, many of us go through life, bumping our heads against the brick walls of our own brokenness and despair wondering how we might change, but never quite succeeding in that change. Many of us are our own Pooh bears not enjoying life, but not knowing how to change or shift the direction of our lives. We go along bruising, bumping ourselves wishing life would change, but not stopping long enough to think about how we might change or shift the direction of life.
As one of the great radio commentators used to begin each broadcast many years, ago with" I’ve got good news tonight." This morning I can say the same thing to each of you as you live your Pooh bear existence, I’ve got good news for you. There is a hope and promise of better thing to come in your life. Yes, no matter how desperate, how low, how depressing your life is, no matter how directionless life seems, I have good news for you. That good news is Jesus Christ loves you and has made you a member of his family by the waters of baptism and because of that, there is hope, there is a promise of better things to come in your life.
Our gospel lesson this morning is the story of Jesus’ baptism as He used this event to understand his ministry - his mission among us. The first lesson and the second lesson are a commentary on the life of Jesus as he was seen as the servant of God among the people calling them into righteousness and hope. In Jesus’ ministry, he calls all people into a relationship with him. He calls them as equals into a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, and then asked each one to live responsibly as they seek to love Him and their neighbor. This morning we are going to see what it means to be in the baptized community of faith, what it means to be brothers and sister in Christ.
As baptized children of God, we can say about ourselves that God has included all people as his children. Each of us are in God’s picture of salvation, not by our merits but by his request, his claiming us in baptism. After this event, our lives are a response to God’s saving grace in baptism. A response, not an insurance policy. Baptism brings us into God’s picture of salvation, but unlike real paintings, we can take ourselves out of the picture by living a life which does not respond to God’s act of grace.
Conrad Thompson formerly of Lutheran Vespers tells this story: "An artist was standing along a beautiful river in France where he was painting a picture of the landscape. A group of children came by and watched the artist as he caught the beauty of the clouds, the river and the trees with his brushes. Finally, one of the girls in the group could not contain her enthusiasm any longer and asked, ’Mister, can you get us into that picture?"
God brought us into the salvation picture by His power through our baptism. It is a picture of beauty, however, we can make salvation something less than beautiful if we remove ourselves from it by rejecting God, his word, his supper, his grace by removing ourselves from the community of faith..
Baptism is not an insurance policy to heaven, but baptism is our boarding pass to a lifetime with Jesus. Baptism begins a relationship with Jesus which is nourished, feed, strengthen, enriched and kept alive by faithfully availing one’s self to God’s means of grace, the word and the sacraments, especially communion. Our journey through life with Jesus needs the encouragement, the strength, the lasting power of a faithful presence in and with the community of believers.
A pastor visited a man who had been missing from the community for a number of weeks. The pastor called upon him and they sat down opposite the fireplace with its warm glowing fire. The pastor took the fireplace tongs, reached in to the fire and took a glowing coal and placed it outside the fireplace on the hearth, They watched as the coal lost it glow, as the heat soon disappeared from it. Then the pastor placed it back into the fire. Soon it was glowing and heat was rising from it. The man said, "Pastor, I get the point, I’ll be in my seat next Sunday." The pastor smiled.
Along with being included and wanted in God’s family, baptism allows us equal access to God’s grace. The good news of God through Christ, God is no respecter of persons. In God’s eyes all are equal.
The following illustrates that point. "In a stately church a noticeably untidy man visited the church for the first time. He was met by one of the smartly-dressed ushers who immediately ushered him to a back pew so that his unkept appearance and foul odor would not upset the decorum of the church.
Another first time visitor stood in the foyer. He was neatly groomed and made a striking appearance in his dark pinned stripped suit. One of the ushers strode proudly down the aisle with him and seated him in the front of the church.
Following the service, the president or the congregation invited the man to dinner at his home.
As they were seated around the table, the food was passed. The visitor helped himself to the delicious looking potatoes placing them on his plate. But then he did a strange thing, he scooped the potatoes into his suit coat pocket. The family watched as he proceeded to do the same with the carrots and the meat. Unable to keep silent any longer the father asked, "Why are you pouring the food into your coat pocket?" The visitor smiled and answered politely, "Judging from where you seated the visitor who came in before me I gather that you invited my suit to lunch so I’m feeding it."
Peter says in the second lesson,"Truly, I perceive that God shows no partiality...." In the eyes of God, each person is equal. You and I stand before God as sinners and through our Baptism we stand before God as heirs to his throne because of Christ’s salvation work through the cross which he bestowed upon us equally. There are no class of saints in heaven. Grace is bestowed upon all of us equally. Paul says in Galatians, 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
The body of Christ, the church, the community of faith is God’s gift to us through Baptism. Because it is a gift we have no right to limit God’s gift, or restrict it, or somehow believe that it is ours. The body of Christ, the church knows no bounds. It is the free gift of God to those who have experienced God’s grace in Baptism as our faith and trust in God’s grace might grow and mature.
Because we are brothers and sisters equally in Christ, as the faithful community of Christ we care, help, pray for, support, those brothers and sisters in the community as if they are indeed "blood relatives."
Also, we pray for, minister to, and evangelize those who ore not members of the body so they might know the love and grace we have experienced in Christ. We do not hoard the good news of Christ, but give it freely to others.
We are in the Epiphany season where we emphasize the light of Christ, the light which shines in the darkness.
Christ is a light which shines in our individual lives and at the same time a light which is spread to others.
Think about a candle for a moment. A candle loses nothing by lighting a another candle. In fact it gains, because there is now two candles in which to see in the darkness. Instead of one light piercing the darkness, now there are two. Each light gives strength and courage to the other. Each soul, each person in the body of Christ gives strength, courage, faith and hope, to the others as they walk together in the darkness of this world.
Our light does shine in the darkness of this world. It is difficult and many times we would rather keep that light to ourselves, however, we should and can be like the boy in the following: " A pastor says: "When I was in high school two tough boys beat up a mentally retarded teenage who was on his way home from school. He missed several days of school and when he returned, we waited together for the bus. I asked him how he was doing as I saw the bruises on his face. ’I’m doing ok, he said with a pained look on his face. After a brief silence he said, ’I’m praying for those two guys. I’m asking God to help them. They really need a lot of help. ’ I sensed there was no bitterness in his voice’ only a profound note of caring. "
Finally, our baptism which we have seen includes each person and is equally given also asks us to be responsible to each other as we walk the journey of faith, Let me illustrate "Once there were 3 people caught in a boat adrift a. sea. Unfortunately, they could not get along with each other. So they divided the boat in 3 sections and each one could decorate his section as he chose. The first person like the color yellow and painted his section yellow. The second person liked flowered wallpaper, so he papered his section, But when the third person, who loved bubbling water fountains, began drilling holes in the boat’s floor, the other two stopped him cold."
My actions, my lifestyle is indeed by personal business, yet when that lifestyle affects others, then the community has a responsibility to ask me to change. Because we have been culled through our Baptism to a community life, we then become responsible for each other in the community. In a sense, I am responsible for your life in faith just as you are responsible for my life in faith. But I think in this culture, in this community we tend to look at faith as something very personal so we haven’t fulfilled our responsibility to each other. Remember in the Baptismal service, at the end, we present the baby to the congregation as I walk with it down the aisle. We do this, because in this act, we, the community is accepting responsibility for that baby’s faith life just as the parents and sponsors did earlier. We have a duty to each other to help each other to keep alive, to keep burning the candle of faith in our lives as it was light in baptism.
Remember the parable of the 99 sheep and the one who was lost.?? The shepherd left the 99 to go to find the one lost sheep. That sheep was important to the community. So with us today. As Paul says, we are little Christ’s to each other, so then we are shepherds to each other. If one sheep strays away from the flock, if one person strays away from the community of faith, we, you and I have a responsibility to go and search for that one. We do need each other as we share the light of each candle of faith as we proceed in this world of darkness. As one light leaves, as many lights leave, as the community becomes smaller, the glow, the power, the strength we give to each other become less. We as the body of Christ are weaker as each candle’s light is gone. So please, if you see another’s candle of faith begin to flicker, or if it should go out, be responsible, extend your light, your faith so faith may be rekindled in that person’s life.
Another area in which we are responsible for each other in this community involves the courage it takes to help another who is having problems.
Let me illustrate.
"A high school teacher asked a student to stay after class for a moment. He was a good student, a pleasant guy, however the teacher said, "Honestly you are the most tedious writer I’ve had in 25 years of teaching.." Those words pierced the boy’s heart. He was hurt. The teacher went on, " Here are some books which can help you. They are about writing."
The boy left hurt and stunned. Months later as he could see his writing style improve, he returned the books saying, "You really burned me that day. I mean you used fire. It hurt!! But you cared enough to do it. Thanks!"’ And he extended his hand in thanks. The teacher smiled and said, "And you cared enough to pay attention."
Do we in the community of faith care enough for each other to confront a wrong, a problem so that, that person might live a better life?????
When someone does confront us, do we care enough to take heed, or do we become angry an d feel they have no right to do that??
Baptism is a unique event in our lives. It is an event which includes everyone. It is applied to each one equally. And it leads us to be responsible for each other in the community and to be a light of hope and strength for those in Christ and those who are still searching.
May your light shine.
Amen
