Remember Your Baptism

 

Based on Mark 1:4-11

             Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. It is an opportunity for us to be reminded of what baptism is and what it means for us. It is a good day for us to remember our baptism, to reaffirm our identity as baptized Christians, as we move into this new year and all the challenges and celebrations that await us.

            We heard this morning the account of Jesus’ baptism as told by Mark. The introduction of John the Baptist and the telling of Jesus’ baptism is found in all four gospels. But the details are different in each one. For Mark, as is typical, the details are quite sparse. This means that every word Mark chooses to use has that much more weight. No wasted words or filler in Mark’s gospel.

            As we reflect on Mark’s concentrated account of Jesus’ baptism, I want to focus on how baptism is composed of water and the Holy Spirit. John says that he baptizes with water but the one who is coming, he doesn’t name him, will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Are we talking about two baptisms? Or is it one baptism made effective by two different sources? Let’s take a look.

            Everyone was going out to John in the wilderness to experience a ritual washing of purification that included confession of sins and of repentance. The Greek word translated repentance is the same word that we get metamorphosis. It is about making a change. Repentance is like if you were going north you decide to go south. It’s not just saying you are sorry. It is about making a real change in your life, a fresh start. That’s what this baptism was about off in the wilderness along the Jordan river. Going in the water was about a ritual cleansing, signifying your intention to live differently, to live in a way that is righteous. This is the baptism that John was offering. And it appeared that lots of people were motivated to go out there to receive it. To me it appears there was some kind of moral revival sweeping the land. It must have been a time of great crisis. Society was under great stress. People in general had a sense that they needed to get their lives together. So, a massive movement of people made their way to John.

            As we practice baptism today, we also understand baptism to have an element of purification, of confession and repentance. As we gather around the fount, the pastor asks a series of questions. The first question asked is, “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin.” This aspect of baptism picks up on what John was offering: a baptism for the repentance of sins. But there is more to baptism than confession, repentance and ritual washing.

            John spoke of the one who is coming that is more powerful. We read in verse 8, “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Is this a different baptism or the same kind of baptism except the Spirit is the means rather than water? We get a hint of what being baptized by the Spirit means when we look at what happens when Jesus was baptized by John.

            In vs. 9, we read, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Only half of one verse tells us that Jesus was baptized by John. It is almost like Mark is glossing over what is in fact happening. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And that is the baptism that Jesus received. What did Jesus need repentance for? Mark has no time reflecting on that. He is rushing to tell us what happens next. As Jesus comes out of the water, he sees the heavens rip open. The boundary between heaven and earth is removed. And then, Jesus sees the Spirit descend on him like a dove. And then, God speaks, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The sky opens, the Spirt comes down, and God speaks. For Mark, that’s a lot of detail. What happened after Jesus was baptized was much more important for Mark than the embarrassing matter of Jesus receiving a baptism of repentance from John.

            This leads me to a question I want us to think about. Mark glosses over it but it is something to ponder. Why was Jesus baptized anyway? Surely Jesus did not have any sins he needed to confess. Why would Jesus need to be cleansed by the waters of repentance? All I can think of is that Jesus came to John to be baptized because Jesus was representing all of humanity in this ritual act. We understand Jesus Christ to be human, with the exception that he never sinned. He is, if you will, the perfect human. He represents the best of humanity. It’s this idea that Jesus represents all of us that is in play when Jesus comes to be baptized by John. He gets baptized as a representative of all of humanity.

            If this is so, then the coming down of the Spirit on Jesus was about much more than empowering Jesus for his public ministry. If he stepped into the cleansing waters on behalf of all of us, then the descent of the Spirit upon him also has something to do with us. Jesus is representing us when he receives the Spirit. The baptism of repentance that John offered has now become something so much more. Because of Jesus, what happened to Jesus, baptism has become more than a cleansing of sin. It has now become a means by which the Spirit descends on the one being baptized.

            This is where being baptized with the Spirit comes into focus for us. After someone has been baptized, the pastor will sometimes use holy oil to mark the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead, and then says, “The Holy Spirit work within you, that having been born through water and the Spirit, you may live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.” We believe that when we are baptized, in that very moment we also receive the Holy Spirit who works within us the rest of our lives to assist us in being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. This is what takes our experience of baptism beyond a mere moment in time but a reality that impacts us and continues in us the rest of our lives. Baptism affects us from that point on through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, shaping us, empowering us to be all we are meant to be.

            There is something else that happened when Jesus came up out of the waters. Jesus heard a voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” This was a word of affirmation from the Creator. It was God saying, “I don’t just claim you, I love you. I am well pleased with you.” What a gift. Jesus, who represents all of us, is claimed and affirmed by God. It reminds me of way back in Genesis where we hear the story of when God made humanity and said, “Behold, this is very good.” Humanity is being affirmed in this moment when Jesus comes out of the water and has the Spirit descend on him.

            So it is, when you and I are baptized, and as the Spirit falls on us, there is a voice from heaven, our Creator, who says, “This is my son, this is my daughter, with whom I am well pleased.” At our baptism, we are not only cleansed from our sins, not only do we receive the indwelling of the Spirit, we are affirmed by God as one whom God is well pleased. Just as we are. And as the Spirit dwells in us and works within us the rest of our lives, God’s affirmation hangs over us the rest of our days. Is God always well pleased with us? I don’t think we can say that. But that claim, “You are my daughter, you are my son” stays with us all our days. Baptism is a sacred moment where we are claimed as one of God’s children. That stays with us, becoming part of our identity as children of God. Just as Jesus, who represents all of humanity, is claimed as the son of God so we are claimed as sons and daughters of God.

            As soon as Jesus is baptized, the Spirit drives Jesus out into the wilderness. It is in the wilderness where Jesus is tempted by Satan. But angels also wait on him. The wilderness is a wild place where there is testing and temptation, Satan and wild beasts, but also angels. Jesus’ baptism was like getting geared up and fortified for the perilous journey through the wilderness. Possessed by the Spirit and affirmed by God, Jesus makes his way through the wilderness.

            Can we not relate? Our life is like a wilderness experience. Sometimes we feel like we are living in the wilderness. There are tests and temptations all around. We see the marks of evil around us and the presence of wild beasts. As we move into this new year, we find ourselves surrounded with many trials and temptations. What we saw at the Capitol on Wednesday is one of those instances. That act of insurrection reflects the deep division, anger and fear tearing at the fabric of our society. It was heartbreaking. It was ugly. We are in a wilderness right now and are being sorely tested. Witnessing it tempts us to despair about the possibility of bringing our nation together. We are tempted to fear for our country, to be consumed with anger ourselves. We are tempted to turn our backs on one another.

            But that is not who we are, and I’m not talking about our citizenship as Americans. What I mean is, we are baptized Christians. We were washed in the cleansing waters, filled with the Spirit, and claimed as God’s beloved children with whom God is well pleased. This is core to our identity. And because we have the Spirit, we have the potential to produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the manifestations of the Spirit that we can bring about in our lives, in this moment in history, in this journey through the wilderness. This is our base line as baptized, Spirit filled disciples of Jesus. These fruits of the Spirit are our guide for how we are to relate to the world, even in the face of many trials and temptations.

            We don’t always get it right. Of course, we fall short. But it is good to be reminded, especially now, who we are and to whom we belong. When there is so much chaos and uncertainty around us, we are able to make our way through all the confusion when we know that we are baptized believers who are children of God. Clear about our identity, and how we belong to God and to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can live our lives with confidence. We can live with clarity around what we are about as we represent Jesus in the world.

            I invite you, as we move into 2021, to commit yourself anew to your discipleship, your followership, of Jesus Christ. Commit yourself anew to work with the Spirit of God that dwells within you to produce the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Begin the renewal of your commitment by remembering you are baptized. And be thankful.