January 7, Baptism of Our Lord, Communion Sunday

Lesson: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon Title: Imitation

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INTRODUCTION

Many ministers could, from personal experience, tell of strange names bestowed upon infants at their baptism, but few could equal the following story recently told by the Bishop of Sodor and Man. (1)

A mother who was on the lookout for a good name for her child saw on the door of a building the word "Nosmo." It attracted her, and she decided that she would adopt it.

Some time later, passing the same building, she saw the name "King" on another door. She thought the two would sound well together, and so the boy was baptized, "Nosmo King Smith."

On her way home from the church where the baptism had taken place, she passed the building again. The two doors on which she had seen the names were now closed together, and what she read was not "Nosmo King," but "No Smoking."

XXX

There is a wonderful story of Alison, who had recently been baptized, being asked by her father if she wanted to go to church. "Yes, let's go," Alison replied enthusiastically, "and let's take little Tommy and get him advertised to!"

  1. This Sunday in the Church calendar is the Baptism of the Lord

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MAIN BODY:

  1. Jesus comes to John to be baptized.

    1. He waits until all the people have been baptized.

    2. Jamison, Fauceet and Brown in their commentary on verse 21 write:

21. when all the people were baptized--that He might not seem to be merely one of the crowd. Thus, as He rode into Jerusalem upon an ass, "whereon yet never man sat" (Luke 19:30), and lay in a sepulchre "wherein was never man yet laid" (John 19:41), so in His baptism He would be "separate from sinners."

    1. He does not need to be baptized, but he does.

    2. There is no reason for him to be baptized.

    3. He is the Lamb of God without sport, stain or blemish.

      1. This is what Paul writes in Hebrews 9.14: how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God! (Hebrews 9:14, NRSVA).

      2. This what Peter writes in 1 Peter 1.18-19: You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish, (1 Peter 1:18 through 1 Peter 1:19, NRSVA).

    4. What about baptism for you and me?

      1. What is it for?

      2. What does it accomplish.

        1. Baptized for the remission of sins?

Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, (Acts 2:38, NRSVA).

        1. You repent and then are baptized as a visible sign of repentance.

        2. Baptism symbolic of death and resurrection

3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:3 through Romans 6:4, NRSVA).

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ, (Galatians 3:27, NRSVA).

...when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead, (Colossians 2:12, NRSVA).

  1. Baptism in some Denominations is called a Sacrament.

    1. From Wikipedia, the online free encyclopedia we learn:

      1. In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite that mediates divine grace, constituting a sacred mystery. The root meaning of the Latin word sacramentum is to "make sacred". Views concerning both what rites are sacramental, and what it means for an act to be sacramental vary among Christian denominations and traditions.

      2. The most conventional functional definition of a sacrament is that they are outward, visible signs that convey an inward, spiritual grace. The two most widely accepted sacraments are Baptism and Eucharist; although several traditions include five others: Confirmation (Chrismation in the Orthodox tradition), ordination, Reconciliation of a Penitent (confession), Anointing of the Sick, and Matrimony. Taken together, these are the Seven Sacraments as recognised by churches in the Catholic tradition (notably Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Independent Catholic, and Old Catholic). Most of these seven have been used since the earliest centuries in the Church, but marriage, for example, only became recognized as a sacrament during the Middle Ages. Other denominations and traditions typically affirm only Baptism and Eucharist as sacraments.

      3. The churches of the Catholic tradition, as well as some among the United Methodist and Lutheran confessions, hold that sacraments are not mere symbols, but rather that they effect that which they signify, that is, the sacraments in and of themselves, rightly administered, are used by God as a means to communicate grace to faithful recipients, and for recipients to communicate praise and thanksgiving to God. As a communicative device, they thus constitute a specific form of prayer.

    2. Some Congregationalists, today, use the word Sacrament to describe Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

      1. You may use the word, but it does not have the same meaning.

      2. This can be confusing.

      3. We do not understand baptism sacramentaly.

      4. Our Constitution and Bylaws Page 6: Article VI (Worship & Offerings) uses the word Ordinance.

Section 1. Worship.

Services of worship shall be held at given hours each Sunday except when temporarily suspended by vote of the church. Other services may be held as determined by the Pastor.

We believe that Jesus Christ our Lord left two (2) ordinances which are an integral part of the activity of the church.

        1. The first ordinance is Baptism or Dedication.

The ordinance of baptism or dedication for adults or infants shall ordinarily be administered in the church at such times as the Pastor or in his absence, the Governing Board appoints.

        1. The second ordinance is The Lords Supper.

We believe that all, who are believers in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, shall partake in the communion of believers at the Lords Supper to commemorate together the love of Jesus Christ. We further believe that each participant in the Lords Supper should exercise self examination before participating in this ordinance. This church shall conduct this ordinance quarterly at regular church services.

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  1. An Ordinance is a visible symbol.

    1. A symbol of what?

    2. In Matthew 3, Matthew describes Jesus experience of baptism with these words:

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16And 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. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased," (Matthew 3:13 through Matthew 3:17)

    1. Righteousness is applying the principles of God in doing what is right and proper.

      1. Jesus provides an example.

      2. Not for the remission of sins, but an action portraying the already-forgiven sins.

      3. Not the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but an action demonstrating that one has already accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

      4. The water is symbolic of the washing and regenerative power of the Holy Spirit.

    2. In the baptism of infants baptism becomes more of a covenantal promise on the part of the parents to grow with the child so that the promise applied may be fully received through confirmation.

    3. Our confusion does not easily end there.

      1. We have a brochure describing Baptism at the Arena Congregational Church that states:

      2. Method of Baptism from Baptism at the Arena Congregational Church

The mode of baptism most generally used at the Arena Congregational Church is the sprinkling of infants. Those people who were dedicated as infants, adults who have not been baptized may be sprinkled or baptized by immersion. Simply let your desires be known to the pastor.

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  1. Our belief about baptism is similar to our belief in the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper.

    1. In the sacrament of the Lord's Supper Jesus is offered as a sacrifice over and over again.

    2. In the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper we accept the offering of Jesus once and for all time.

      1. There is nothing magical or mystical in the elements of bread and juice.

        1. The bread remains bread.

        2. The juice remains juce.

      2. This is the meaning from the various texts that we have been given.

        1. You have the words of Jesus in Luke 22:

14When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood, (Luke 22:14 through Luke 22:20 NRSVA).

        1. You have the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians and in Hebrews 9

23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, (1 Corinthians 11:23 through 1 Corinthians 11:26, NRSVA).

23Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him, (Hebrews 9:23 through Hebrews 9:28 NRSVA)

    1. Jesus does not need to be baptized.

      1. He is without sin.

      2. He is offering us meaning and purpose.

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CONCLUSION

  1. This is also set forth in the observation of Julian of Norwich.

    1. Julian of Norwich was a great English mystic who lived in the 1300s.

    2. The book All Will Be Well (1995), based on her spirituality, tells us that "Julian's great illness was a major conversion experience.

All Christian conversion is primarily imaged by death-resurrection. It begins with baptism, but hopefully continues throughout one's life. Any death experience is a stripping away, a dying to one's past. The resurrection out of death is a new beginning, and new beginnings are uncluttered. The death experience forces one to sort out the essential from the expendable. People confronting life-threatening illness often undergo deep conversion experiences. They realize their time is precious. If they want to do something, they had better do it now.

    1. As one person observed:

"One could certainly maintain that Christian teaching in Julian's day and even in our own is hardly uncluttered. Christians have so fussed over and nuanced the good news that sometimes it is difficult to see what is so liberating about the gospel. The liberation comes in resurrection. And Julian's encounter with God puts things in perspective for her."

    1. Baptism is symbolic of the death of the old person and the resurrections of the new person.

    2. We partake of the Lord's Supper to demonstrate that we, in the words of Paul, proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, (1 Corinthians 11:26, NRSVA).

  1. So let us move to the table and demonstrate our acceptance of our baptism and our proclamation of our belief in the resurrection.

Amen.

1. "Funny Names," snopes.com, Snopes.com. Retrieved June 18, 2004.

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