When Fr. Mark asked me to preach during Lent on Wednesday night, I was excited when he gave me the topic of Baptism. Specifically, United in Christ in Baptism. However, we were snowed out and Mark asked me to save my sermon because there were a couple times during the next year when I could use it. One of those times being tonight.
Mark knows how much I like the topic of Baptism and some of you also have heard me say the same. I always tell my confirmation students to watch me at Baptisms and they will see me tear up when the Priest says “you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” What could be better than that?
Paul tells us in Romans tonight that we are baptized in death with Christ. He says, “we are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
I’ve been reading a book called “Walk in Love.” It’s about Episcopal beliefs and practices and is written by Scott Gunn & Melody Wilson Shobe. They have a section in the book that describes baptism in our prayer book as a s series of actions.
The first action is “Union with Christ in his Death and Resurrection.” This is exactly what St. Paul talks about in Romans. We are mystically joined with Christ when we are baptized. The old sinful self dies. A new person is raised to life, and we receive the promise that we too will be raised at the last day at the resurrection of the dead. Remember we are joined with Christ in baptism.
The second action, “Birth into God’s family, the Church.” Baptism is the entry to the church, to the community of those who have committed themselves to follow Jesus. But it is more than a membership requirement; in baptism we are adopted into God’s family. Paul says in Ephesians, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” God’s story is a story of adoption. We are all adopted into God’s family as chosen children of God. Remember you are chosen as his children.
The third action is kind of long so I’m going to paraphrase. It is “Forgiveness of sins.” To understand this, we need to go back to creation. We were all made in gods image and made holy good. God gave us freedom and we made bad choices. We wasted the freedom and goodness of God and left her own devices we would continue to sin. In baptism we are cleanse from sin and are made clean and new.
Paul says in verses three and four “or don’t you know that all of us who are baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? We were buried with him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too my live a new life. “
Paul also says of Jesus “the death, he died, he died to sin once, and for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” And later in the passage, he says, “for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” In this grace, the forgiveness of our sins gives us that new life. Remember, we are forgiven!
The last action is “New Life in the Holy Spirit “remember when John the Baptist came and preached that the people be transformed and be prepared for the Messiah, who was to come. He said in Matthew, “I baptize you with water for repentance quote by John added an important teaching, one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” When Jesus left his disciples, he promised to send the Holy Spirit! Let us remember the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The song we just sang before the baptism remembrance was written by Michael Seward in 1981. It’s very cool that it was included as a hymn in our 1982 hymnal because this would have been a very contemporary song at that time. The author uses a lot of scripture, including Paul’s letter to the Romans and Ephesians. This is a perfect song tonight, and actually one of my favorite songs for baptism. I love all the references to scripture, including “cleansed in the blood of Christ, the King; heirs to salvation, trusting his promise, and dead, in the tomb, with Christ or king; one with his rising; freed and forgiven.” And lastly, “marked with a sign of Christ, our king; born of one father, we are his children.”
We are buried into death with Christ in our baptism. We are raised to life with him in the resurrection. We are forgiven. Tonight, as we stand vigil at the tomb, awaiting the resurrection of our Lord, and tomorrow morning, as we celebrate his resurrection, let us remember we are joined with Christ in baptism. Remember, we are chosen as his children. Remember, we are forgiven and remember the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And always, always remember that “you were sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ on forever.” Amen!
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