Remember Who You Are
January 11, 2009
Mark 1:4-11
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:4-11 NRSV
Today, we are observing Baptism of Our Lord Sunday. This is the day of the church year when we take a moment to reflect on the story of Jesus' baptism. And as we reflect on this story, it is a good time to discuss the meaning of baptism and to remember our own baptisms.
Now as most of you realize, baptism is one of the areas where different Christian traditions disagree on the meaning, the method, and the effect. What I will share today is the United Methodist teaching on baptism. It may be a bit different from what you were taught growing up and that is okay. But hopefully this will help you understand what we do and don't do when we baptize and, most importantly, help you to reflect on the meaning of your own baptism in your life.
In many Christian traditions, baptism is an ordinance-something that we do because Jesus commanded us to do so. But in the United Methodist tradition (along with the oldest Christian traditions) baptism, along with Holy Communion, is both an ordinance and a sacrament. A sign ordained by Christ, which is a symbol and pledge both of God's love toward us and of a Christian's profession of faith. Sacraments are a means of grace, outward actions, by which God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in him.
In other words, a sacrament is not so much something we do as it is something which God does! Baptism is a sign of what God has already done for us when Jesus died on the Cross, but through baptism God continues to work within us as we are not only born again by his grace but we continue to grow by the power of God's Holy Spirit into the fullness of our salvation.
I am often asked about the difference between the United Methodist practice of baptism and the practice of other traditions where the person being baptized must be able to profess faith in Christ for themselves and then are baptized, generally, by immersion! The common belief is that the difference between the two practices lies in the age of people who are baptized and the amount of water used to baptize them-but that is not the difference at all! The difference is simply that in our tradition-we believe that the main actor in baptism is God-not the person being baptized, the amount or type of water being used, or even the words that are said.
Our practice of baptism acknowledges that our salvation is a gift from God. Salvation isn't something we can earn or do for ourselves. Whether we are six months old, six years old, or sixty years old, we are all dependent on God for our salvation and at our baptism we are simply beginning a journey in relationship to God that will take us from the font to the grave-and in fact beyond the grave.
At each baptism, God announces to the world that God's work of salvation in our lives began in the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that work of salvation continues to this day. And while the act of baptism itself-whether you are sprinkled, poured, or dunked-takes but a moment, God's work in baptism takes a lifetime. As our Bishop Will Willimon reminds us, baptism is not a sign that we have been born again rather it is a promise that we "will be, born again and again and again and again."
Just as our first birth was not instantaneous; so too our second birth will not occur in a moment. It is a lifetime process. One that requires that each and every day we rise from our beds and commit ourselves yet again to God. It is a death that leads to life, because it allows us to become the people we were truly created to be. A people of God whose purpose is to love and be loved by God and by his people.
But before we go any further in this discussion, let's return to our scripture. Mark tells us that John appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism acknowledges that we are sinners. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was that we love the Lord with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength and our neighbor as ourselves. And the truth is that all of us fail at living that commandment out in our lives. We do put our own needs and wants before God and others. We struggle to treat our family and friends with respect and love let alone our enemies. We follow the crowd more often than we follow the commands of scripture. And we often fail to hear the cries of the needy. Even the best of us fail at this great command! So we confess and we repent.
But that is only the beginning of the meaning and effect of baptism!
After John baptized Jesus, a voice came from heaven saying "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." At his baptism, God announced that Jesus was his Son. And at our baptism, God adopts us as his children!
At our baptism. God's spirit descends upon us and claims us as God's beloved child and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. It's God's work and not ours.
In the Toy Story movies the character, Woody, is a cowboy doll who is much loved by a boy named Andy. And whenever Woody needs to prove to someone that he is loved and that he belongs to someone he shows them the bottom of his boot where Andy's name is written in permanent black marker.
Baptism is like that. Water is sprinkled or poured or we are immersed in it and God puts his name on our soul to prove that we are loved and that we belong to him!
It is said that whenever Martin Luther struggled with depression, he would make the sign of the cross on his forehead and say, "Martin, you are a baptized child of God." Whenever we feel unloved and alone, we can remember our baptism and know that we are truly God's beloved children.
That is why United Methodists never re-baptize. Jesus said, "You did not choose me but I choose you." Baptism is God's adoption of us-not our adoption of God! We may not remember our baptism. We may sin and fall away from a life of faith. We may break our promises to God again and again. But God is God and God never breaks a promise.
That is not to say that we can't reject God after our baptism. But I think we would be misjudging God if we were to think that God will simply sit back and let us slip away. It may take years, but I believe that somehow, some way, God will get us back.
But baptism is not simply something that happens to us individually. Baptism affects the entire community.
Jesus' last words to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew were to command them to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And ever since then, baptism has been seen as more than just an individual act of commitment or repentance. Rather Christian baptism has always been seen as the initiation of a child of God into the body of Christ-the church.
Christianity was never meant to be a private religion. The church exists as a body of believers whose job is to help and strengthen one another as we grow in relationship with God and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.
And the truth is that very few of us-if any of us-can do it on our own. We are all like the proverbial burning coal which when pulled from the fireplace and separated from the pile of coals quickly burns out. We need one another and that is why God established the church.
Whenever a person is baptized, we all make a promise to help that person grow in their spiritual life. We make that promise when the person being baptized is a baby but we also make that promise when the person being baptized is an adult.
We make that promise because whether our age can be measured in weeks, months, years, or decades, God sees us all the same. And no matter how many years we live or how many years pass between our baptism and our death, we never cease to be dependent on God or God's church to do for us what we can't do for ourselves.
Baptism is also not the end of the story. Notice this account of Jesus' baptism occurs at the beginning of the gospel of Mark! Following his baptism, Jesus spends 40 days and nights in the wilderness being tempted by Satan to take the easy way out. Instead, filled with the Holy Spirit, he resists the temptation and begins the hard work of ministry.
For Christians, baptism is not only an initiation into the church but it is our ordination to ministry in the name of Jesus! At baptism, the Holy Spirit descends upon us and we are granted gifts by God for ministry in this world!
Just because I have been ordained does not mean that I am the only one here that God has called. All of you are called! The question is simply: "What has God called you to do!"
That is why the first weekend in February, we will have a retreat here at New Life to help you identify your God-given gift for ministry and to put it to use. You may not realize it, but through the power of his Spirit God has specifically prepared you for ministry in his world and we want to help you do what God has called you to do!
So baptism reminds us of who we are and whose we are. Baptism reminds us of who we are: sinners in need of a savior. And baptism reminds us of whose we are: We are God's adopted and beloved children! And baptism reminds us of what we are called to do: To use our God-given, Spirit-breathed gifts in ministry to his world so that all will come to know the love of God in Christ.
Unfortunately, the world does not always recognize our true identity. Commercials and movies shout that our value is determined by our physical beauty or our youth. Self-help books yell that we can be and do all things if we just think right or do the right things. Others scream that our value is determined by our jobs, our grades, having the right friends, having lots of dates, or a handsome husband or beautiful wife. But baptism reminds us that all those voices are lies! When we remember our baptism, we remember who we truly are: We are God's beloved children, saved by grace for a life of service!
We are God's and God's name is written on our soul.
In Toy Story II, Woody is stolen by an antique toy collector. Woody is taken from Andy's home to a penthouse apartment in the city, where he finds himself in a dark room when he hears the voice of a toy cowgirl who recognizes him. Woody asks, "How do you know me?" She replies, "Do you not know who you are?" She then turns on a light and shows Woody the shelves that are filled with Woody memorabilia .
Until that moment, Woody knew who he was and whose he was. But when faced with all the voices, posters, lunch boxes, and especially the yo-yo with his face painted on it, Woody forgot his purpose in life. Woody was repaired and repainted to look just like new. And in the process, Andy's name was covered up.
It wasn't until his friends came to rescue him that he remembered who he really was. He remembered that he was a toy created to love and be loved by a child. And when he remembered that, he reached down and scratched the new brown paint to reveal that Andy's name was still written on his sole.
In baptism, God takes our lives and writes his name on our soul to tell us and to tell the world that we are his children! We may wander. We may go back on our promises. We may even paint over his mark so that it no longer shows. We can even-for a time-forget that we are his. But the beauty of the sacrament of baptism is that God's name remains etched on the bottom of our soul.
Today, you will have an opportunity to reaffirm your baptismal vows. And this is a good time to look at the bottom of your soul to see God's name etched on it. To remind yourself that you are a child of God created to love and be loved by God and to love and serve his people.
Some of us may need to take a bit of this water and rub the paint off the bottom in order to see the name. We may need to confess again our sinfulness and our need for God. But no matter how far you have strayed, rest assured God's name is still there.
So take this moment and remember your baptism and be thankful. You are God's beloved child and he is well-pleased.
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