January 13, 2002
Isaiah 42:1- 9
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Matthew 3: 13 -17
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“IN LINE WITH OTHER SINNERS”

This is the day in the Church year when Churches around the globe celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  No one knows, of course, the exact date of Jesus’ baptism, nor the age at which he was baptized, and really, that doesn’t matter.  We are not even sure why Jesus was baptized or, for that matter, who John the Baptist was.

Historically speaking, the Jewish people had a baptism ritual, but it was only for converts to the Jewish faith.  But by the second century B.C., some ultraconservative Jewish sects were promoting a purification rite of self-immersion baptism.  The Essenes, famous because of the Dead Sea scrolls, literally abandoned Jerusalem, as a protest to the way in which the temple was being run.

The group consisted of adult males who encouraged celibacy.  The Essenes were communal, in that they held their possessions in common, wore white garments, strictly observed the Sabbath, and had a purification ritual of immersion.  Scholars wonder whether John the Baptist may have been a member of this sect, and some go so far as to suggest that Jesus was enamored and influenced by the Essenes, at least at the time of his baptism.

This observation is made  because Baptism, in the sense that it is used in Churches today, did not become a part of the Christian tradition until after the Christian Church was first  begun in Antioch, under the leadership of Paul.  It is for this reason that Church thinkers have always been uncomfortable with the baptism of Jesus.  It tends to look like the requirement of some of the very conservative Jewish movements seeking redemption and the adoption of a radical new way of living.  Since the Christian Church had not yet been founded, one must  ask, “What is the application of the baptism of Jesus to the Christian Church and to our understanding of the Kingdom of God?”

This becomes relevant because we spend a great deal of time in our Churches talking about God’s love of sinners and an equal amount of time trying to convince others, if not ourselves, that we are not on the list.

That seems to be an issue with good, believing people, but it was an issue that did not affect Jesus.  Whatever else we believe, John’s baptism was for repentance; Jesus had no hesitation in standing in line to wait for baptism and no problem at all with being associated with the other sinners in the line.

The willingness of Jesus to participate in a ritual of purification with other persons who were reacting to the preaching of John the Baptist is a powerful symbol of the willingness of Jesus to identify with those who fall short of the mark.  I say “fall short of the mark” because that is the meaning of sin, but there seems to be a reluctance on the part of many to use that term.

Karl Menninger, of the famous Menninger clinic in Topeka, Kansas, has written a book entitled, “Whatever Became of Sin?”  As a psychiatrist, Menninger states that this is an age of affliction, depression, gloom, discouragement and apprehension.  The word sin has virtually dropped from our vocabulary, but the sense of guilt remains in our hearts and minds.

How is this issue to be handled? Menninger insists that clergy people should shout the message from their pulpits and any other platform they can get.  “Cry comfort, cry repentance, cry hope, because recognition of our part in the world transgression is the only remaining hope”

Baptism is our symbol for that recognition and the symbol of our hope.

The truth is, whether we want to admit it or not, we are all sinners.

That means, no matter how well intentioned we are, we fall short of the mark of the high calling in Christ.  But it doesn’t end there.  To be a believer means that we are willing to stand in that river with other members of the human race –– stand there, as Jesus did, because there is something stronger than sin –– and that is the loving and forgiving grace of God.

When I was 12 years old, I was baptized by immersion, in a cold old tank of stale water at the campground in Nooksack, Washington.  I had made my decision to try and be a Christian.  I wanted to be baptized because I believed that I couldn’t do it alone, and I needed the grace of God to envelope me.

I confess that the only thing I remember about that experience, other than how cold the water was, was that there was a great big bullfrog under the platform that was built over the tank.  Now, more than 5 decades later, I am a convert to pedo, or infant, Baptism.  I am a convert, but I believe it is important that we do not allow the concept of baptism to disintegrate into a magical act.

Too many people, in my opinion, want their child “done,” because they are afraid that something will happen if this magical act is not preformed.  On the other end of the scale, many who insist on “believer’s baptism,” that is, immersion as a symbol of the death of one way of life and the resurrection to another –– and that is a great symbol –– have an improper concept of God. Too often I hear, “I have accepted God’s way; Christ is my Lord.  NOW God will love me”.

The truth of the matter is that you cannot earn the love of God.  That is the very essence of God, and that is the great symbol of infant baptism.  When Madeline was baptized this morning, she was unable to earn God’s love.  And putting some water on her head will not make her one bit better than before.  But that baptism was a visible symbol to her parents, and to each of you, that from the moment of her birth, she has been perfectly accepted and loved by God.

In acknowledging that fact, Carrie and Nick were also saying that because they, too, believe in God’s love through Jesus Christ and that they will do their best to provide a Christian home for her, so that she grows up in the faith.

Another part of the baptismal experience is that each of you as Church members also make a promise to support this family in the task of rearing their little one.  You promise to do this by being prayer supporters, friends and helping to provide the people and supplies in this Church that will aid this child to grow in the Christian faith.

It is for this reason that I won’t baptize a youngster whose parents are not part of a Church fellowship.  This is not a social passage; this is a Christian  rite and to make promises on behalf of a child that are not reinforced by the Christian witness of the parents, and expressed in some worshipping body, is saying that baptism is magic, but not very important.

Personally, I have no qualms about any mode of baptism, as long as the experience is founded on proper understanding.  We acknowledge the love and forgiveness of God as God’s gracious act in Jesus Christ.  We accept that gift, recognizing that we cannot ever earn it.  This is God’s action, and it is our acceptance.

Seen in this light, baptism is a very special occasion because it signifies a major step on the part of both parents and members of a Church. Both signify their own personal faith and then pledge their best effort, to the one being baptized, that they will grow up in a supportive and carrying community of faith.

In the early Church, when most of the converts were adults, there is little doubt but that the predominant mode of baptism was immersion.  However, it was not long before most of those coming into the life of this new Church were children who were the children of believers.  The question was asked, “Is there not a technique that recognizes the importance of these children, and the need for the parents to promise to teach and live the tenets of the faith?”

Infant baptism began and continues.

When we witness a baptism, we promise, as Barbara Brown Taylor says, to “never give up on ourselves, but always, in whatever we say or whatever we do, to proclaim the good news of God’s coming to us in Jesus Christ.”  Then, without a word being said, we invite the newcomers to step into the river with Jesus, so that their beings are wrapped up with all other humans.

Years ago, Jesus stood in line with other sinners to demonstrate that there is another way, a better way.  We, too, know that when we look at Jesus, and then look at ourselves, that we fall short of the mark.  But thanks be to God, we have heard and we believe; we are loved by God and forgiven by our Lord. 

Immersed, sprinkled, or done within the spiritual intuition of one’s heart, we take our place with all other believers whom God loves, and we stand in line to receive the gifts of faith, and life is never the same again, thanks be to God.