What a great day. In this era of fewer and fewer people making regular church attendance part of their life, having three baptisms on one day is really terrific.
So, just why do we make such a big deal out of baptisms? Well, first there’s the whole thing about the babies…babies are cute…[and these two boys have been such a joyous addition to our 8 am family] [and since the 8 am service has been the service with so many babies, it is great to have a baby here at the 10:30]…babies are innocent…babies are full of potential, of hope, of endless possibilities. Babies are our future and when holding a baby, it’s pretty difficult to be glum about the state of the world.
But baptism is far from child’s play.
As a matter of fact, throughout history, baptism has symbolized some fairly non-kid friendly things:
First, there’s this dying to sin stuff…. “Dying to sin” wasn’t intended to be a metaphor. The full immersion baptism was to be an actual near death experience. The “baptizee” was to be held under water for an uncomfortably long period of time---think water boarding-----so that when they emerged from the water they were literally returning from the brink of death.
And, this was done three times.
Then there’s the whole, “what happens if you haven’t been baptized before you die belief.” The Roman Catholic tradition was that if a baby died without being baptized, their souls were stuck in limbo---not hell, not heaven, but some type of spiritual “way station” where the babies lingered. For eternity. That horrific belief was, only recently, condemned by the Vatican.
And then we have some of our Protestant brothers and sisters who think we’re nuts for continuing the tradition of infant baptism, considering adult baptism to be the only valid method of “making new Christians.”
Baptism has seen its share of disagreements and controversy. But today, Christians do agree on thing: As a “community of the baptized,” we are called to practice the “ministry of the baptized.”
So how, exactly, do we as individuals and we, as community, “do the ministry of the baptized?”
Each of us, as Episcopalians, as Christians, as people trying to live a good life, are called to live, as best we can, the type of life Christ lived: loving our neighbors as we wish to be loved, respecting the dignity of everyone, and, whenever we see injustice, unfairness and wrong-doing, do our best to make things right.
Of course, in spite of our best intentions, we can “miss the mark” (the actual definition of sin) acting in ways we regret. But, as Jesus taught us, once we acknowledge our mistake, our regrettable decision or behavior, and take corrective action, i.e. repenting, we get back on course and move on, not dwelling on our mistakes (or those of others) but getting on with the work we’re called to do. Our baptism compels us to always try to do our best and when we fail, to stand up and try again, knowing that with God, there are always second chances. As individuals our baptism doesn’t allow us to quit.
We can’t quit on ourselves, and we can’t quit on each other.
Being a [baptized] member of a community of faith means sharing our burdens and joys, looking out for one another and, together, reaching out, being the light of Christ in the world.
It’s hard work, work best done with support, so to be strengthened and to strengthen one another we return here, every week (or so…) to be fed, refreshed and sustained by and through this—our-- community of faith. This is how we live into our ministry of the baptized. As a baptismal people we promise that whoever you are—whether you are a member of 80 plus years or whether you are a sojourner, a seeker, a searcher, or a casual visitor, what we are promising to do for TJ Will and Travis, is what we promise all of you. It’s what we mean when we shake your hand or give you a hug and say, “the peace of the Lord be with you.” The ministry of the baptized demands that we care for each and every person who walks through our doors. Whether they are adorable babies, colorful street people, tourists, new neighbors or fallen away friends from years ago, we, as a community of the baptized say to them, welcome, we’re glad you’re here. These are promises made at baptism and they are promises we’re all called to keep.
The promises we’ll make in a moment to (TJ and Will) (Travis) (or—the promises we make when we affirm our faith) compel us to shine the light of hope and joy and peace on the hurt places of our world: the burdened, the lonely, the angry, the lost, the war-torn, the famine ridden, the earthquake, flood and tornado ravaged… As a minister of the baptized, each and every one of us here today, from our longest tenured member, to our newest, has a role to play in spreading the Good News to the world.
In a few moments Will and TJ [Travis] and then all of us, will be sprinkled with holy water, washing them with hope and promises, washing us clean, setting us free. Their baptism and our reminder of baptism frees them and us from hopelessness, loneliness, hate, fear, despair, and death.
You see, the waters of baptism--whether you’re feeling them for the first or the umpteenth time today--the waters of baptism remind us that we are and always will be, God’s children. That we are all loved beyond belief.
So, when the waters of baptism sprinkle over us today, be thankful. Thankful that baptism isn’t about saving us from limbo, or about giving us a taste of death, it’s about promising that when our daily lives become a burden instead of a joy, when we miss the mark and lose our way, we can return to this table which serves as altar, to this bowl which serves as a font of new life, to this community of people who serve as our family, and be refreshed, renewed and recharged; because we are a Community of the Baptized, ministering to one another and to the world in, through and by the Grace of a God, who lovingly created, patiently redeems and always sustains us. Yep, this is indeed, a GREAT day.
Amen.
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