Remember Your Baptism

Based on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

“Remember your baptism and be thankful.” These are the traditional words that accompany the action of coming forward to the baptismal font, dipping your finger in the baptismal waters, and claiming anew the baptismal covenant that you entered in to. “Remember your baptism.” Do you remember yours? This is where I got stuck for a long time. I don’t remember my baptism. Probably like most gathered here, I was a baby when I was baptized. I have been told about my baptism. It was at the church I grew up in, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. Rev. Mack Stokes was the pastor who baptized me, who four years later became a bishop. My mom said I didn’t cry. That’s all I can tell you about my baptism. I sometimes envy those who got baptized when they were old enough to remember it. When they go before the font and are told to remember their baptism they can go back in their mind’s eye to that place, visualize who was there, feel the sensation of the water on their heads, or even their whole bodies if it was full immersion. Those folks can remember their baptism and be thankful. But not those of us who were baptized as infants. It’s like we got cheated. The best we can do is remember that we were baptized; that getting baptized was something important for our parents. That we are baptized is something we are to be thankful for. We just can’t say much about how it happened.

Today, we remember Jesus’ baptism, a baptism that was remembered differently by the gospel writers. As Mark tells it, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan and just as Jesus was coming out of the water, he saw the heavens ripped open. It wasn’t a gentle parting but a violent rending. That’s the way Mark describes it. And then the Spirit like a dove descends on Jesus, and he hears the voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” As Matthew tells it, John resists baptizing Jesus, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” For John the gospel writer, he doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus was baptized. Instead, he relates that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove, and then John heard the voice say to him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Why John the gospel writer refrains from saying that Jesus was baptized was maybe to avoid the problem of why Jesus was baptized in the first place, a problem that Matthew addresses head on when he tells of John and Jesus having that conversation, with John asking the question that the rest of us have. If the baptism John is offering is for repentance, then why is Jesus getting baptized? Jesus answers the question by saying he does this to fulfill all righteousness. In other words, it’s just the right thing to do.

So far, we have heard Jesus’ baptism described in three different ways by the gospel writers. Luke has his own version of events. It is similar to Mark’s version…brief. But Luke adds a couple of details that are important. He begins by saying, “When all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized…” There is no dialog with John. Luke doesn’t even explicitly say that John baptized Jesus, we just assume that’s what happened. What Luke does give us is the image of people standing in line to receive the baptism of repentance, so that they can experience a fresh start, a clean slate. And Jesus got in line with the rest of them. Did Jesus need a fresh start or a clean slate? No. But he didn’t stand apart while everyone else got in line. As an act of solidarity, Jesus got in line with everyone else. Jesus participated in baptism with the people. Solidarity.

The second detail Luke gives us is that after Jesus was baptized and was praying the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” For Luke, he stresses that Jesus prayed. In key moments throughout his ministry, Luke notes that Jesus prayed. He prayed at his baptism. He prayed before he chose his disciples. He prayed before he told them the first time that he would be crucified. He prayed at his transfiguration. He prayed before he taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer. He prayed before he was betrayed and arrested. He prayed when he took his last breath on the cross. There is one place in Luke’s gospel when after Jesus had done many healings, Luke says that Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. This is one of the major points in Luke’s telling of the gospel, that Jesus took time to pray, especially in key moments of his life.

Jesus’ baptism was clearly a key moment. Jesus is praying and then the heavens are opened, and the Spirit descends upon him. It seems it was the act of Jesus praying that caused the heavens to open and the Spirit to come down to empower him for his ministry, and to hear the voice of his Father say, “You are my Son, my beloved. I am so proud of you.” Jesus receives empowerment and affirmation because of his praying. That came in handy because immediately after his baptism the Spirit drives Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. After passing those tests, Jesus began his public ministry. At thirty years of age, the time of preparation was over. The time had come for Jesus to fulfill his destiny, to do what God had sent him to do. He needed the power of the Spirit. He needed to hear that affirmation from his heavenly Father. Prayer caused that to happen. Prayer opened the heavens for blessings to come down. In the same way, when the disciples were gathered in the upper room, as we read about in the book of Acts, they were praying together when all of a sudden, the Spirit came upon them like the sound of a mighty rushing wind, with tongues of fire alighting on each of their heads, like they were human candles. Prayer caused that to happen. So, when we pray, perhaps the heavens are opened, maybe the Spirit descends on us, we may even hear a reassuring voice saying, “You are my beloved, you are forgiven, be encouraged, there is hope, all will be well, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Prayer makes these experiences possible. How good it is that Luke adds this detail of Jesus’ baptism.

Today, we have an opportunity to renew our baptism. When we renew our baptismal covenant, we don’t get baptized again. As United Methodists, we believe only one baptism is enough. Baptism is an action of God by means of water and in the power of the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t need a do-over. But we can renew our baptismal covenant as often as we wish, in an attitude of prayer, following the example of Jesus. Renewing our baptismal covenant is just like when a couple decides to renew their wedding vows. It is an opportunity to remember what was promised and to recommit to those promises.

It is a good thing to come back to our baptismal covenant, to remember that we are baptized. Our baptism was a watershed moment in our lives. It didn’t seem like a watershed moment to you if you were baptized as a baby or even as a child. But it was a significant moment in your life, whether you were aware of what was happening or not. It was at your baptism that the people of God publicly witnessed God claiming you as one of God’s own children. You were marked publicly as a child of God. We claim this identity anew when we renew our baptism, that we are children of God. When we were baptized, we were initiated into a covenant with God that we live out of for the rest of our lives. We get baptized once, but the implications of that baptism play out for the rest of our lives. We do not live out this covenant on our own. In fact, a good definition of the church is this: the church is a community where we help each other live out our baptismal covenant. This covenant journey begins at baptism and concludes when we stand before the throne and hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” All through that covenant journey we are never alone because God is with us, and we have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us along.

So, it is good to renew our baptism from time to time. It makes sense to do it on the Sunday that we remember that Jesus was baptized. It also happens near the beginning of the year. Now is a good time to start fresh. And it’s not just because it is January. We are also in winter. This is the time when, for us in the northern hemisphere, the earth is sort of in reset mode, a time to prepare and get ready for the burst of growth that will be unleashed in the spring. Winter is the prelude to the vitality of spring. Maybe for us right now can be the prelude to a season of spiritual vitality and renewal. Remembering our baptism can be a part of that prelude to spiritual renewal.

Renewing our baptism with prayer opens the heavens for the Holy Spirit to come down upon us again. We can perhaps feel God’s presence as we touch the baptismal waters. Maybe we will hear in our hearts that affirmation of God’s love, to hear God say, “You are my son, my daughter, and I love you.” We need to hear that affirmation now and then from those close to us, our family, our dearest friends, to be told, “I love you.” We need to know that somebody loves us. It makes a difference. In the same way, it makes a difference for us to know that God loves us, and to hear God say that in the quiet of our hearts.

Renewing our baptism also gives us the opportunity to reclaim the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ in the world. If you think I’m the only minister in this room, you are wrong. The church I grew up in listed all the church staff in the bulletin, the senior pastor, the associate, director of music, youth director, etc. But at the end of the list, it had listed for minister “the congregation.” We are all ministers by the authority of the baptism we have received. When it comes to ministering in the world, of sharing the love of Jesus and helping others in Jesus’ name, you don’t need my permission. You have all the authority you need. Reaffirming our baptism reminds us of the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

In a moment, we are going to participate in the renewal of our baptismal covenant. I will invite you to come forward as you feel led to do so to stand before the font and to touch the water. Please don’t feel obligated to come forward. If you have not been baptized, don’t let that stop you. Come forward in anticipation of your own baptism. I would love to talk with you more about what baptism means and arrange for you to experience baptism yourself in any way that would be meaningful for you. If you are listening to this message at home, I invite you to come up with your own way to remember your baptism, and to be thankful.