January 7, 2018         The Baptism of Jesus                                       

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a dream. A dream that he received a letter from the white house, inviting him for a visit, telling him to be dressed and outside his home on his birthday. On his birthday, a limosine pulled up, and he was wisked to the airport, and then to a helicopter pad, and soon he was standing on the White house lawn. He was then invited inside, and found himself in the oval office, and there to his surprise, there was a picture of himself and his family on the president’s desk.  The president came in, welcomed the man, and they sat and talked about their families and the country for a bit, mostly about what the president could do for families like his all over the country. About noon, a cart was wheeled in with some lunch, and the man got up to serve himself, but the president said, “no, no, I invited you, let me serve you lunch”, and so he did. And then the dream ended.

This week, when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, someone actually spoke to me on the phone about baptizing their grandchildren! Yeah, stuff happens like that, and my suspicion is that God is directing this stuff that happens.  So I thought to myself, since I haven’t done a baptism yet, let’s talk about baptism in my sermon this Sunday. Part of the liturgy in the UCC Book of Worship, says that three things are going on during baptism. God claims us, we claim God and the Congregation claims us. That’s the short version. Here’s the longer version.

God claims us – You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. These are words from Mark that we hear at the baptism of Jesus. These are also the words that I use in baptism. Baptism is the moment when before a congregation of witnesses, God claims us as God’s own children. Imagine the most powerful person in all of the world, inviting you, welcoming you, caring about you, serving you. That is what is being expressed in baptism. The Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth is claiming you as their own, their acceptance and delight in you!

     We claim God –  this means that there is a fundamental and intentional change in our lives on our part. Remember years ago, when the “What would Jesus do?” movement was popular. That movement came straight out of baptism. We are called to be new people, to make the decisions of our lives based on God’s love for us, and expressed in God’s love for all. Now this is not easy stuff! Remember, after the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism, the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness to face temptation. The president of Eden Seminary, when I was a student, Gene Wehrli told us, it’s when we make a commitment to Christ, that we are tempted by the world. For it is then that we see the ways of men and of the ways of God, and we are called to make a choice. Baptism is not the end of our journey, it isn’t an inclusion into some club, it is the beginning of our faith journey in life, and from that point on, with each act of faith, each decision made trusting in God, we live and grow in our faith, and in discovering God’s blessings in our lives.

The Congregation claims us – I love this part! I like to tell people that when we do a baptism, we are reminded of our own baptism. That we are called to claim this new person as God has claimed us! This is the presence of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and why I believe baptisms should all be conducted before the full congregation on Sunday mornings. I know that there are sheep and goats in every congregation, but beware, sometimes the goats love you more than you know. I’ve seen congregation members care for each other in illness, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the ending of a marriage, problems with children, and on and on. When you are baptized, you enter into a very special family of people who seek to live in God’s love with you and with each other. My own mother, after my father died, has a church family that cherishes her, and dotes on her. I don’t think young people quite get this, and I wish there was a way to share how wonderful this is – especially, since I have seen how wonderfully the people of Union Congregational care for each other! 

And so I hope that you will reflect upon what happens in Baptism, that you will experience God's love in God's claiming of you, that you will intentionally work at claiming God for your life, and that you will appreciate the loving community God has given to you, and seek to be a part of it. Because when you do, then you will grow in your Christian faith, and in experience of God's presence in your life. And that's the good news of Jesus Christ.