April 10, 2005
Rev. Linda Fernandes-Bailey
Remember Who You Are
I remember a few years ago at the Rally Day service held at Sloper Pond we were given an opportunity to renew…or remember our baptism. This was done in two ways you could either go to Rick or Cyndie who had a bowl of water and would bless your forehead with the water saying words to help us remember our baptism. The other way was you could go down to the pond where Gordon was waist deep in water immersing people for baptism. It was an awesome sight to behold! Hundreds of people lined up waiting to remember their baptism. I recall thinking about Gordon as I watched him dunk people…wow this guy can get people to do anything! I also remember thinking I wish I had brought my bathing suit and that I should have been bold enough to be immersed. Visually it was a sight to behold…watching the person go under to arise dripping wet with cleansing water…rising to new life in Christ. Remembering to whom they belong. I swear I would not have been surprised had the Holy Spirit descended upon each of us that day and I could almost hear a voice from above saying “This is my beloved child…in whom I am well pleased”
I imagine too that it was a sight to behold when Peter preaches a sermon and hearers are “cut to the heart” …they are so moved emotionally they immediately ask “What should we do?” Isn’t that every preachers dream…they preach such a moving sermon the congregation shouts out “what should we do?” and then they actually do it! The Holy Spirit is at work. God is working in these people and in Peter before Peter ever spoke a word. But then Peter tells 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 Holy Spirit” AND sure enough THREE THOUSAND people came forward…IMAGINE! THREE THOUSAND! (wow this guy can get people to do anything too) Repent…turn your life around….go in a different direction. This Jesus you crucified is Lord… the one you belong to…the one you owe your allegiance to and Messiah…anointed by God…chosen to fulfill all expectations and bring salvation in a broken world. Come be baptized in his name…. Receive the Holy Spirit so that Christ might always live in you and energize you to continue his mission.
Baptism is such an important sacrament. Yet I think because we tend to do primarily infant baptism we lose sight of its depth and meaning. It’s just what we do… baptize our babies…generations before us did it so do we. But do we know what we are doing? We reaffirm our baptism promise at confirmation but then again in my experience many adults don’t remember their confirmation either! In the early church candidates for baptism went through several years of instruction and then examination before they were baptized. It was that important. Then on Easter were baptized. Baptism was and is an initiation into the Christian community. That is why we always have baptism within a worship service because the whole community is a part of it. We enter into a way of life together. Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s grace and forgiveness and the beginning of our Christian faith journey. We agree to denounce evil and accept the new life offered in Jesus Christ. We become disciples of Jesus agreeing to follow in his way by showing love and justice and furthering Christ’s mission in all the world. When we baptize our children we agree to raise them in the Christian faith and teach them to profess Jesus as Christ. Through Jesus we are offered forgiveness and in turn we offer forgiveness. It’s a tall order for sure! It’s not a one time event but a life time process to live your baptism promise. But we are not alone God has reached out and claimed us…we have received the Holy Spirit. I believe it is important to remember and reflect on our baptism promise. Baptism is a holy step in orienting our life towards God. We bring our children to baptism because we want them to be wrapped in God’s love and to live lives that extend that love to everyone they encounter. In Baptism we accept that it is Christ who leads the way and we agree to follow.
The water in baptism is wonderfully symbolic. First it is symbolic of cleansing and life. AND We also recall the symbolism of water throughout scripture. We remember the water of creation, the great flood, the liberation of Israel through the sea, the water of Mary’s womb, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the woman at the well, and Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Water…refreshes…cleanses…soothes…renews. Remember how refreshing a cool dip on a hot summer day feels. Remember how a hot bath soothes us after a long hard day.
Remember whose you are…. YOU are God’s child… a member of the family of God. You belong to the body of Christ. In baptism God reaches out to us claiming “I have called you by name…you are mine” (Isaiah)… You are my beloved child….in you I am well pleased.
Let me share with you a story I love from the Companions in Christ program written by Janet Wolf:
In a world that pronounces so many of us “not good enough,” what might it mean to believe that we really are chosen, precious, and beloved? In a new members class we talked about baptism: this holy moment when we are named by God’s grace with such power it won’t come undone.
Fayette was there—a woman living on the streets, struggling with mental illness and lupus. She loved the part about baptism and would ask over and over again, “And when I’m baptized, I am…?” We soon learned to respond, “Beloved, precious child of God and beautiful to behold.” “Oh Yes!” she’d say, and then we could go back to our discussion.
The big day came. Fayette went under, came up sputtering, and cried, “And now I am…?” and we all sang, “Beloved, previous child of God and beautiful to behold.” “Oh Yes!” she shouted as she danced all around fellowship hall.
Two months later I got a call. Fayette had been beaten and raped and was at the county hospital. So I went, I could see her from a distance, pacing back and forth. When I got to the door, I heard, “I am beloved…” She turned and saw me and said, “I am beloved, precious child of God, and …” Catching sight of herself in the mirror – hair sticking up, and tears streaking her face, dress torn, dirty, and re-buttoned askew, she started again, “I am beloved, precious child of God and …” She looked in the mirror again and declared, “ …God is still working on me. If you come back tomorrow I’ll be so beautiful I’ll take your breath away!”
What should we do the crowd cries out to Peter? Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…receive the Holy Spirit! And The people of First Congregational Church cry out… What should we do? Remember! Remember we have been cleansed and refreshed by the water of baptism. God has reached out to us and called our name. We belong to Christ. We have been given the gift of forgiveness. We have a way of being…a way to follow…we are disciples…We know who we are…We are God’s beloved children…precious in God’s sight and beautiful to behold. Now that’s Good News! Amen