Baptism of Christ

Baptism of Christ (10^th January 2010)

Text: Luke 3: 14-17, 21-22

 

Each one of us has different story to tell about our baptism. I can never recall my baptism because I didn’t know anything about it.  But know that I was baptized in my village Church in the month of August when I was only a few months old because I have seen my baptism certificate saying so. However, it was only when I was about 14 that attended the confirmation classes and then confirmed. 

Our stories are different; but all the same, baptism is a defining moment in any believer’s life.  It signifies a change in the person’s life.  Sadly, baptism has also been the centre of controversy among Christians. The danger lies in two extremes—either we make baptism too important or too unimportant. There are people who say that they are saved because they are baptized. Others say that they are baptised because they are saved.  It is not easy to explain something that is divine and holy. But I shall try my best to explain to you what is so important about baptism.

Baptism is like a precious jewel: set apart by itself, it is just a nice-looking expensive stone.  But once it is worn by someone the jewel explodes with significance.  Likewise is baptism: it is a meaningless ritual unless the one who is baptized repent of his sins.

Diamond has no light within it, but when light is shown upon it will refract the light into a rainbow of colours.  Baptism by itself has no inherent power; but when you declare your belief in Jesus and allow his light to shine upon you, your life will reflect the many colours of God’s grace.

Baptism symbolizes 4 things. First, baptism is a symbol of reunion.  Baptism is important because it connects us as believers with Jesus.  That is why the baptism of Jesus is remembered and celebrated every year in our Church.

There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the Jordan River, other than being a useful river to the people living along its banks. Yet it was into this ordinary river that the Son of God walked in order to be baptised. And John was reluctant to baptize him because his was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and Jesus was the sinless Lamb of God.  But Jesus insisted, saying that it was a right thing to do.  Why was it right thing to do? It is in that way that Jesus could come down to our level and identify himself with sinners.  By going into the Jordan to be baptised Jesus became like us so that we could become like him.

And when we are baptized, it is as if we are joining Jesus in the water.  The water of baptism becomes a meeting place where we encounter Jesus himself in faith. Romans 6: 3 says that “we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism”.   When we make a decision to be baptised, it requires us to believe in Jesus.  That is why before we are baptised we have to undergo a course of instructions. But that does not mean that we have to understand everything.  What is important is that we know the love of God, and we respond to that love by doing what Jesus did. 

Second, baptism is a symbol of repentance.  To repent means to turn away.  The word actually comes from a culture and place where it was easy to get lost as one walked through the desert.  So when a traveller became aware that he was in an unknown place, he would turn, trace his path back and then go the new way. That’s repentance.

Throughout the Old Testament you can find God pleading with people through the prophets, asking them to turn away from their sins and mistakes, and to turn toward him.  And when John came, he “went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.  And baptism is a sign of repentance.  It marks the “turning point” for those who chose to turn away from sin and toward God.

Third, baptism is the symbol of resurrection.  The Jews saw baptism as a method of maintaining ritual purification for priests, or for admitting converts.   John added something new by preaching baptism with repentance.  But Paul gave a new meaning to baptism, by associating it with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (see Romans 6: 3-4).

Just as the waters of baptism provided Jesus with a way to identify with us, they also provide us with a way to identify with him. If you were baptised or have seen someone baptised by immersion you can understand the image.  When a person is plunged beneath the water, it is like a death; when the person is under water, it is like a burial; then when he rises up again into the air, it is a symbol of resurrection.

This symbol of death, burial and resurrection may not be there for those of us who were baptised as babies or who were baptised by effusion.  But it is not render our baptism as invalid, because what matters it is not in what we do or what is done upon us.  The important thing is the grace and loving mercy of a loving God. And for those of us who were baptised as babies or children based on faith of our parents or guardians; we are given the chance to declare our personal faith in Jesus.  That is why we have Confirmation. That is the time when we confirm and accept what has been done to us when we were young.

Finally, baptism is also a symbol of rebirth.  Paul says in Titus 3: 4-5: “But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”.  Now, the washing of rebirth doesn’t refer to water baptism itself; rather, it refers to the work of the Holy Spirit who regenerates and renews our spirits. The imparting of the Holy Spirit is often symbolized by the laying of hands. In our second reading the believers in Samaria who were baptised by John still needed the apostles to lay hands upon them so that they could receive the Holy Spirit.  So at our confirmation, someone who has been baptised as a child is presented to the Bishop so that he can lay his hand upon him.  That person is now reborn to become member of God’s family. 

Most people wish they could start life all over again. But we know even if we were given the second chance we would still commit those past mistakes.  That was why Jesus said to Nicodemus: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27 NIV). The only way a person can really start over in life is by being “born again” from above – i.e. by receiving God’s life-giving Spirit.  We cannot make ourselves young again but Jesus and the Holy Spirit make it possible for us to have a fresh start by being spiritually born again.

Now having said all these, there is one more thing to address.  If baptism is so meaningful and so intimately connected with repentance, resurrection and rebirth, it raises some questions. One of them is:  What about those who have never been baptized?  What happen to our unbaptized friends or family members?   St. Augustine tried to explain this by saying, “It is not the absence of baptism, but the rejection of it that condemns.”  In other words, if someone says he believes in Jesus but refuses to be baptized, you can doubt his belief.  Remember that when we are baptized, we are in effect joining Jesus at his baptism.   If we are not willing to join Jesus in baptism how can we join him in anything else?  It is Jesus himself who commanded us to be baptized.  If we reject his commands, we can’t call him Lord.  And if we can’t call him Lord, then he is not our Saviour.

On the other hand, there are some people who believe in Jesus are never baptized because they were never taught about it.  But if you hear my message this morning: you cannot use that excuse.  Or sometimes people don’t get baptized because something happened and they died before they could be baptised.  In that case, we trust in the character of God. He is a God of grace, love and mercy – certainly such God will not reject a person with honest and believing heart, even if he or she fails to make it to baptism. 

We must take our baptism seriously, because it is a serious matter.  It embodies and represents our reunion with Jesus, our repentance of sin, our resurrection with Christ, and our rebirth into God’s family.  Baptism is something we have to undergo in order to experience the fullness of life and receive what God has promised to his children in this world.  So if you were baptized as a child, I want to encourage you to come for Confirmation.   If you have never been baptized, I encourage you want to make that decision this year.  Both cases will require you to attend classes so that you can be taught further the Christian belief.  However, I can only encourage and won’t push you in because it is your decision.