The Difference of Baptism
Rev. Lee Ann Bryce
Community Christian Church
Community Christian Church
January 9, 2011
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by John. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17
The story of Jesus’ birth is found in only two of the canonical gospels. By that I mean that of the four gospels included in our Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, only Matthew and Luke include the story of Jesus’ birth. In contrast, all four gospels contain a story of Jesus’ baptism. And a close reading of each account indicates that all four gospel writers are a bit uncomfortable with the baptism of Jesus.
Think about it. The gospel passages clearly connect baptism with repentance of sin. At the time the gospels were written some 20-50 years after Jesus’ crucifixion as Jesus’ followers were continuing to form their ideas about who Jesus was and the significance of his life and death, the early church was concerned with this question. Was Jesus God? If so, was Jesus without sin? If so, then why did he come to John seeking baptism? It could be said that the event of Jesus baptism might lessen the claims that Jesus had been God.
The fact that an account of Jesus’ baptism shows up in all four gospels is the surest indication that it really happened because if someone tells you something that is not in their best interest for you to know, then you can be reasonably sure that it is the truth. If Jesus wanted to participate in the experience that would become fundamental to Christians, couldn’t he have stood on the shore and offered words of encouragement to those going into the water? Couldn’t he have held out his hand to those who struggled out of the river in their heavy wet clothes? He didn’t need to enter the water himself unless it was to tap John on the shoulder and say, “Hey, you go rest. I’ll take over for a while.”
Our account in Matthew tells a remarkable story. Imagine it, Jesus walking miles through the desert to find John, intent on being baptized; John resisting, Jesus insisting until John agreed; then as Jesus emerged from the water, the heavens opening up and Jesus’ seeing the spirit of God descending on him accompanied by a voice saying, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” Sounds pretty dramatic and if you watch any movie about Jesus from The Greatest Story Ever Told to Jesus of Nazareth you’ll see vivid and moving depictions of this event.
I do believe that whenever anyone is baptized, infant or adult, something happens that, at least metaphorically, is like what Matthew tells us happened to Jesus. For baptism, in our tradition, is a ritual, an opportunity to claim that the baptized, each and every one of them, is loved and claimed by God.
Do you remember your baptism? Maybe you were baptized as an infant and can’t recall how you felt afterwards, but if you were baptized as an adult or if you confirmed your infant baptism as an adult, what was it like? Did you feel different afterwards? Has it made a difference in your life in the years since it happened?
We’re going to see a film clip from a 1983 films, Tender Mercies. It’s a wonderful film set in Texas about an alcoholic former country singer played by Robert Duvall who makes friends with a young widow, played by Tess Harper, and her young son. The scene we’re about to see represents a key event for Duvall that helps to set his life in a more healthy direction. (Show clip 1:03:46 - 1:06:08)
Maybe baptism for you was a life changing, dramatic, deeply spiritual event, more like Jesus’ baptism; something that you recall now with the certainty that you have never been the same from that moment on. Or maybe your baptism was more like it was for Robert Duvall’s character and his young friend; something that felt good, something you’re glad you did, but it didn’t leave you feeling dramatically different than you did before you were baptized. Maybe you looked in the mirror and said, “Hm, I don’t look any different. I don’t feel much different.”
Though baptism is a sacrament that can have tremendous meaning in a person’s life, I don’t believe that our eternal salvation, whatever we understand that to mean, is contingent on it. Some traditions believe this, of course, and so when, for example, an infant is sick and close to death, some would feel that it’s very important to baptize her so that if she dies, she’ll go to heaven. I don’t see baptism in that way and it’s likely you don’t either. So, if it doesn’t save you from the fires of hell, what difference does baptism really make?
Had we continued watching Tender Mercies, the very next scene takes place in a small bar where Robert Duvall’s character, a washed up old country singer, is performing for the first time after his career hit the skids. It’s a modest come back, just a few locals listening. Tess Harper and her son are sitting in the audience. And if you listen carefully to the song, it speaks to the beauty of one very powerful aspect of baptism. Duvall sings, “If You’ll Hold the Ladder, I’ll Climb to the Top.” It’s a song that expresses the beauty of living in relationship with another; of being deeply connected with other people, with people who will hold the ladder for you when you need help; people who you can support when they need it, adding meaning and value to your life.
In baptism, we offer ourselves to God and God claims us. And in baptism we connect with a community of people, like the people of this church. As we travel through our lives, the companions on our journey have such power to enrich our experiences, to draw us closer to God, to connect us to the holiness of human relationships with all of their foibles and their gifts. Take a moment to look around you. Being a part of the body of Christ means that these people are your companions. They have promised to be here for you for at baptism the congregation promises to support you. In our church, after someone has been baptized, the congregation stands and says, “We promise to take you into our love, our prayers and our daily lives as we together strive to build a community rich in the spirit of God to nurture each other.” And, of course, if you have been baptized, you, in turn have promised to be there for them. And the whole glorious mess of us wrapped up together is the body of Christ. We are the flawed, imperfect, in-process, beautiful body of Christ.
What difference does baptism make? Well, I guess that’s up to each of us to decide. For me, the difference is the people I am deeply connected to. For me, it is all of you. Amen.
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