baptismc

Baptism of Our Lord (January 11, 1998)

Theme: Baptism -- Sacrament of Rebirth, Initiation, Commitment and Empowerment

1^st -- Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11

2^nd -- Titus 2:11-14;3:4-7

Gospel - Luke 3:15-16,21-22

The solemnity of the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is a good occasion to seek a better understanding of the sacrament of Christian baptism which we have all received. Many Christians today receive baptism, and all they know is that they have been cleansed of original sin and have become children of God. Apart from that, baptism means nothing more to them. Sometimes we are like the small boy who went to be baptized in the river by a Baptist minister. The minister, a large man, immersed the boy into the river for a long time, brought him out and asked, "Do you believe?" "Yes, I believe," the boy replied. Again the minister plunged him under, held him down a little longer, then brought him up sputtering and gasping for air. "Do you believe?" he demanded loudly. "Yes, I believe," the child gasped, eyes widening with the effort. Still a third time the minister thrust the lad under the water, held him there for a much longer time, and brought him up coughing and wheezing, eyes popping from his head. "Do you believe!?" the man thundered. "Yes, I believe," the boy yelled. "What do you believe?" "I believe you're trying to kill me!" ... To have a better grasp of the meaning of our Christian baptism we need to look closer at the first Christian baptism, the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Why was Jesus baptized? What did baptism mean for Jesus? Well, we can begin by asking, "What does baptism mean for anybody?" The meaning of baptism can be given in four words: rebirth, initiation, empowerment, and commitment. Rebirth: in baptism we are born again by water and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed from original sin and so pass over from the order of nature to the order of grace. Through this we become true sons and daughters of God by adoption. Initiation: At baptism we are initiated or admitted into full membership in the church, the community of the children of God in the world. Empowerment: At baptism the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and empowers us, equips us, gives us the moral strength to say no to evil and to live as God's children that we have become. Consecration: In baptism we consecrate and dedicate ourselves to seek and to spread the kingdom of God. We commit ourselves to be servants of God, to do God's will and serve God all our lives. All these effects of baptism can be divided into two categories, the passive effects (what we receive from God and the people of God), namely, rebirth, initiation, and empowerment; and the active effect (what we give to God and the people of God), namely, our commitment and dedication to a cause, to spread the kingdom of God.

Now looking at the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan, we find that Jesus did not need a rebirth since he was from all eternity the only begotten child of God. He had no original sin to be cleansed from. Did Jesus need initiation? Yes. Jesus being human needed to associate and to identify with the community of men and women who were dedicated to promoting the cause of the kingdom of God. When it comes to serving God, no one is an island. We need to interact with other children of God. We need the community of the people just as Jesus did. We need the church. Empowerment: the Holy Spirit is the power of the Most High. The Spirit that descended on Jesus at his baptism strengthened and empowered him. Mark tells us that soon after the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to go and do battle with the devil. It was in the power of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus emerged victorious from all the temptations. Consecration: Baptism for Jesus was a moment of self-consecration, a moment of self-dedication. For him it was a commitment to do whatever was necessary to promote the cause of the kingdom of God on earth. We read that soon after his baptism, John was arrested and the Kingdom of God movement needed a new leadership. When Jesus heard it he went up and took on the task, in this way implementing the commitment he made at his baptism to promote the kingdom of God. We can see that for Jesus baptism was not just a question of what he could receive but very much a question of what he could contribute to the cause of the kingdom of God on earth. John F. Kennedy's saying, "Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country" can also be applied to our relationship with God.

What are we doing, each one of us, to promote the kingdom of God? Are you ready to come up and dedicate your whole life to the service of the kingdom of God just as Jesus did? If not, how are you supporting those who have consecrated themselves to doing this work in the name of us all? Did you ever think of sponsoring a seminarian to the priesthood? Or are you following the example of Martin Luther King, jr whom we remember this week who gave his whole life to preaching the gospel of justice and love, non-violence and harmony between the races? He knew the meaning of baptism. He knew what St Paul said,

in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26-28)

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