A New Life and Community
Kempsey Uniting Church
Sunday 10 January 2016
Bible Readings in the New Revised Standard Version
Gospel Reading – Luke 3:15-22
Second Reading – Acts 8: 14-17
Poem by Barry Blander – The Baptism of Jesus (A Sonnet) – Poet, Hollywood, California, USA
Behold, the Lamb of God whose face did shine,
John saw approaching; in apprehension
Trembled with joy seeing the Son Divine
Conceived by God's holiest intention.
'I need to be baptised by you, the Lord.'
Jesus said: 'Suffer it to be so now...'
HE came to the Jordan, His feet would ford,
John immersed Jesus and would his head bow.
The masses on the bank saw His glory
The Heavens parted, pearly light streaming
No man like this One lived in history,
Could they in the day be simply dreaming?
HE surfaced, Son of God, Teacher of Love
Descending on Him Spirit from Above.
Text Illustration by Timothy Smith (July 2004) – Pastor, Northbridge Christian Church, Milledgeville, Georgia, USA
I heard the true story the other day of a grandmother who was going to be baptised and her whole family was there to watch. They had tried to tell the 6 year old grandson what was happening, how Grandma was dying to sin and being baptised into Christ and so as they waited for Grandma to come out the 6 year old looked around and then leaned over and whispered to his dad, “Daddy, how are they ever going to get Mee-Ma up on that cross?” The great news is we don’t have to go to the cross. Thanks be to God! Jesus did that for us. But there is a sense in which, when we were baptised, we did go to the cross with Him. Paul says in Rom. 6:4; 6 - “We were 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 have a new live… For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we would no longer be slaves to sin.”
1. Introduction
In this season of Epiphany, today we are remembering the Baptism of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel according to Luke 3:15-17;21-22. Luke records the events that people were in awe concerning John. They were questioning whether he was the Messiah and John testified that he only “baptise with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After the people who were baptise, Jesus presented himself to John to be baptise. After being baptise, he was praying and Luke describe the scene with heaven opening and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, a voice from heaven declared who Jesus was, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
In the New Testament reading we heard the words recorded by Luke in the book, the Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17. We hear the account the apostles were in Jerusalem and heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God. They sent Peter and John to Samaria and minister to them. They prayed with them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This sharing about the Holy Spirit, they knew nothing and they only had received baptism in the name of Jesus. Upon hearing this Peter and John laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
These readings talk to us today about which Jesus was being declared through baptism and the Samaria account that pray followed baptism to receive the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is an integral part of being a Christian, a follower of Jesus and we may have questions:
• What is the real significance of Baptism?
• How does God work in this sacrament?
• What does it mean to receive Christian Baptism?
• Is baptism necessary for salvation?
• Who should be baptised?
As we reflect on these questions, what does baptism mean as a sacrament that we have partaken and witness in the past.
Briefly I want to explore the concept of baptism through the church’s tradition. What scriptures do support the sacrament that the church has adopted? In our experiences, how does baptism build our relationship and faith with God through Jesus?
One of the church traditions is the Basis of Union, which brought the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational together but not all joined to become Uniting Church in Australia. Heading 7 of the Basis of Union forms the church understanding of Baptism and to remind ourselves, I shall read that paragraph.
“The Uniting Church acknowledges that Christ incorporates people into his body by Baptism. In this way Christ enables them to participate in his own baptism, which was accomplished once on behalf of all in his death and burial, and which was made available to all when, risen and ascended, he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Baptism into Christ’s body initiates people into Christ’s life and mission in the world, so that they are united in one fellowship of love, service, suffering and joy, in one family of the Father of all in heaven and earth, and in the power of the one Spirit. The Uniting Church will baptise those who confess the Christian faith, and children who are presented for baptism and for whose instruction and nourishment in the faith the Church takes responsibility.”
This is today’s affirmation and understanding the view on Baptism practice in the Uniting Church in Australia.
Let us take a step back and understand the journey to this point.
In Acts 2:37-42 has the account of the first converts taken place as a result of Peter’s address the crowd that had gather on Pentecost. The crowd responded to his message, “what shall we do?” and Peter replied with these words, “Repent, and be baptised 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.”
The Apostles practice baptism as an assurance that a person has turn from sin, acknowledges forgiveness by Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and willing to be identify as a Christian and upon confession receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The early church saw baptism as a rite of initiation into new life, new community, in the name of the triune God and was a watery sign. Baptism was a symbolic door into the church.
Matthew 28:19 echoes the great commission of Jesus to his followers, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
The sacrament of baptism developed from the baptism of Jesus by John, a water baptism. The action of being immersed in water represented the death and burial of Jesus, rising up out of the water symbolise Jesus being raised from burial and ascended into heaven. The baptism symbolise Jesus taking our sins and making us clean by the forgiveness.
The Basis of Union echoes the early church practices of baptism as recorded in the scriptures.
The Uniting Church working group on Doctrine has produced a worksheet 4: baptism on Doc.bytes and draws light of the significance of Baptism, which echoes the early church and the Basis of Union.
I will repeat as follows:
“Going under water and coming up signifies that a newly baptised person is incorporated into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The person may be immersed in water or have water poured over them. The meaning is still the same. From this time forward, the person is a member of the one, holy, catholic (universal) and apostolic church:
• The body of Christ
• The communion of the Holy Spirit
• People of God
Geoffrey W Bromiley, an Anglican theologian points out that water baptism by immersion was the norm until the Middle Ages, with the fall of Roman Empire in the West (5th Century) and Kevin Roy, a lecturer from the Baptist Theological College, Cape Town concludes, “All that can be said with certainty is that within the one Catholic church, there was both development and variety in baptismal practices until at least CE 400.”
Also noted by Roy is “Baptism is incorporation into one body in unity; let us acknowledge our common base of partial knowledge and our need of one another for wholeness.”
The early histories of the church until now the common ground are:
• Adult baptisms are conducted
• Confession of faith in Jesus Christ
• Gospel repentance
I must point out that the act of baptism does not save a person.
I am reading a book, “Understanding Four Views on Baptism” General Editor John H Armstrong, 2007 (book held up) which outlines four historic views on baptism, Baptist, Churches of Christ, Lutheran and Reformed. The Baptist and Churches of Christ practice adult baptism by immersion. Lutheran and Reformed has infant baptism. In the Baptist churches they do have infant dedication service where the parents and the church encourage the upbringing of the infant into matters of faith.
I believe the Uniting Church sees infant baptism of children where parents are encourage with the church to teach their children the matters of faith (for whose instruction and nourishment in the faith Basis of Union par 7).
From personal experience, from a very young age of 5 or 6, I was informed that I was a Presbyterian and Presbyterian was the religion that my father wanted me to experience at Burnside Presbyterian Home for Children, now Uniting Church. The Winter’s family from Dahenfeld Germany was of Protestant belief, possibly Lutheran but when they settled into Glen Innes they attended the Presbyterian Church. So each successive generation was attached to the Presbyterian Church. I grew up as a Presbyterian but these days it is not into a church but a Christian baptism into the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.
2. Conclusion
In conclusion I will you with nine scripture references that baptism gives:
a) Forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16)
b) Justification (1 Cor 6:11)
c) New birth by which one enters the kingdom of God (John 3:5; Titus 3:5)
d) Renewal (Titus 3:5)
e) Adoption as God’s children (Gal 3:26-27; 4:6)
f) Incorporation in Christ’s body, the church (1 Cor 12:13)
g) A new ‘garment’ (Gal 3:27)
h) Salvation (1 Pet 3:20-21)
i) Union with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection and final glory (Rom 6:1-11; Col 2:12; 3:3-4)
These references reinforce the centrality of Scripture that the Uniting Church in Australia bears witness and reflects in their understanding of the sacrament of baptism.
Poem version by Meg Johnson – My Baptism Towel – Poet and English Lecturer, Iwoa State University, USA
This baptism towel will help remind you
of this baptism day for all the years through.
Out of the water all clean and pure,
dry off with this towel and you can be sure,
that you are as clean as this towel is white.
And the Saviour is smiling – what you did was right!
When your towel gets dirty, remember we, too,
all make mistakes, but we know what to do:
Just as your towel again can be clean,
Wrongs can be righted through Christ’s love foreseen.
Your Father saw what you did today.
And He will come near you each time you pray.
When you reach for your towel, to dry all the wet
Remember your Saviour, and never forget
all that He did and continues to do
to help, and to hold, and to walk beside you.
Do what you can to do what is right
and just like this towel, you’ll always be white.
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