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Sunday – 2010,January 10th Char Breitmaier - Luke 3:15-17,21-22
Theme: Come and rejoice … we are not lost
Stephen and I have discussed our different method of
writing sermons. We begin the same, by reading the scriptures and
praying about them, but then we stray apart. Stephen does the sorting
process all in his head mulling over what his message will be and where
the pieces fit. Then suddenly the connections are revealed and he jots
down the ideas placing them in order thus completing his sermon.
I
on the other hand, like to sit at my computer and merrily type any
random thoughts I have regarding the scripture until I tire. The result
is a ton of brainstorming which I must then sort through. Markers come
out, the circling of like statements begins then the search for a
direction or thread on which to build my sermon.
After reading
the gospel for today’s sermon and brainstorming, I soon had pages of
coloured circles. It was clear there were several themes present. Some
obvious, some not so - thus the real work began. But during this next
process a song phrase from my favourite group “Il Divo” floated through
my head, “Come and Rejoice”.
Gazing on the green circles, I saw
the connection between Jesus’ baptism and the start of his ministry,
his new life. During this troubled time, the people
were lost in their belief, confused about who was the real Messiah.
Some suspected John was the Messiah but John clearly explained his
baptism was only ‘with water’ there was another more powerful.
Then
Jesus appeared before John asking to be baptized. Here John presents
Jesus as the Messiah, someone far greater than himself and going beyond
a baptism of repentance. Jesus’ baptism revealed his hidden identity.
Jesus
was offering a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. This baptism
promised the Holy Spirit would come to dwell within the believer,
empowering each person to make changes, to live a good life and to be a
witness to the Lord.
A baptism by fire offered cleansing for some
and judgment to others, as the image of wheat and chaff indicating the
separation God makes between people as they respond one way or the
other to Christ.
Though Jesus had no sins to repent, his baptism
none the less was the start of a new life. Jesus inaugurated his public
ministry by stepping into the place of sinners with the weight of our
guilt firmly set on his shoulders then carried that guilt down to the
bottom of the Jordan. His baptism by John marked his acceptance of
death for the sins of humankind; his coming up out of the water
foreshadowed his resurrection.
Our new life starts with our
baptism, when we no longer HOPE God will help us start over again, we
KNOW we are being unified with Christ in his death, burial and
resurrection. This public announcement of Jesus as the awaited Messiah
began his ministry to God’s people.
Come and rejoice … the Messiah has come!
As
I scanned the sheets further, the underlined word repentance stood out
every where. Working near the Jordan River, John’s was a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The Israelite people were lost
in Roman culture and beliefs. John’s message was blunt: people should
repent of their sins, share what they had, be honest,
act decently toward one another and ‘prepare the way for the Lord’.
John
was attacking the sin of materialism, for the trust in possessions for
fulfillment causes us to become greedy, hurt others and twists our
lives. God liberates us from any person, thing, system or ‘ism’ which
would enslave us, by demanding absolute loyalty. In the baptismal water
we died with Christ –– we were buried – all so we might be raised with
Christ to live a new life.
To dwell in a new reality of hope and salvation as a child of God.
Come and rejoice … Christ has risen!
I focused on the red circles around the words God, Jesus and dove. What a perfect way to describe the holy Trinity!
I have used the analogy of water, ice and steam to explain to children how one element can be three different things.
This
analogy is not perfect as it does not explain the three elements
existing together at the same time. Yet this simple scripture reading
revealed all three entities together in one place yet distinctly
separate and makes it understandable in our minds.
As Jesus, the
Son of God came out of the waters of the Jordan baptized, dramatically
God the Father opened the heavens above him and the Holy Spirit
descended as a dove onto Jesus a symbol the people of Israel associated
with peace and purity. Perfect! For peace and purity are exactly
what the Holy Spirit brings to us after we believe and trust in Christ
our Saviour.
And as if that was not enough, the people
surrounding Jesus and John heard God’s voice from heaven saying ‘This
is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased’. The people heard
with their own ears God’s acknowledgement of his Son and saw with their
own eyes the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus at his baptism.
Here was the proof!
Come and rejoice … the Trinity is always with us!
As
the tune continued in my head, I saw the theme of commitment in yellow
circles dancing across my desk. To be baptized and accept Jesus in our
hearts we must be committed.
Remember the commitment story about the chicken and the pig at breakfast?
By living in the desert, John showed he was serious about his beliefs and his message.
It
showed his relationship with God was much more important than having a
nice, comfortable life on earth. And so the early Christians came out
to the desert gathering at the river Jordan despite the dangers of
hearing John preach and being baptized.
We must understand the
history at this time. Approximately 400 years had passed since the Old
Testament writings had ended. The Israelites had returned to their
homeland after 70 years in captivity to experience dominance under
Persian rule. Then the Romans rolled in, taking Jerusalem by force,
slaughtering priests and defiling temples. Alexander the Great and his
successors all wanted unification under a single culture and language
and had no tolerance for nonconformists. All this was imposed onto the
Jewish people causing a sense of confusion, disloyalty, loss and danger
within their homeland.
So, when a person went down into the waters of baptism to find new life what was at stake was a total commitment.
For the New Testament Christian this was no game or play with words.
To
say “Jesus is Lord”, as each did at their baptism, amounted to saying
Jesus Christ came before everything else in their life, an obvious
conflict with Roman rule.
These people were prepared to face insults, dishonor and perhaps even death because of their love for their Lord, Jesus Christ.
When
I knelt at the edge of the River Jordan with my fingers dipped into the
murky water, I questioned the commitment of my own faith. Would have I
been brave enough, had enough faith to step into this river to be
baptized by John knowing the dangers?
As I pondered this question a sense of security enveloped me and I understood.
In
baptism we commit ourselves totally to God and God commits himself
totally to us. Baptism declares God’s love and grace which is expressed
in Jesus’ life and death opening the way of life and peace to us.
Come and rejoice … we the baptized have placed our lives into God’s hands.
So
what was left on those scattered pages? Well at first it appeared to be
a jumble of thoughts. But when everything else was removed what was
left simply represented “What Baptism Is”.
The Greek word for
baptism meant to dip or immerse, a practice held by early Christians in
waters of the River Jordan and today us at the baptismal font.
Pure,
refreshing water flowing over us at our baptism, - a moment when
through water God touches a child or adult of his own creation and says
… YES:
Yes - you are a part of Christ’s body, the church.
Baptism is how we get into Christ.
Baptism is always accompanied by a faith proclaiming Christ and repentance.
Luke
makes it clear that salvation only becomes available to us as we turn
to God embracing him by faith. God had a purpose for Jesus’
resurrection and becoming the cornerstone of the church. Within the
church, the teachings of the gospel delivers us from individualism, it
strengthening us within a community of believers.
The church was an essential part of God’s plan for us.
Yes - you are adopted into God’s beloved family.
Baptism is God’s terms of surrender. Baptism is our signal to God that we have accepted Christ’s gospel into our hearts.
We
have been gathered into a family of believers, so we can discuss faith
issues, ask difficult questions and express views all in a safe
environment. We offer support and strengthen to each other as beloved
brothers and sisters.
A little boy approached and asked a pastor, "When can I get advertised?"
He meant "baptized" but he made the right point--baptism is advertising that you're a Christian and part of God’s family.
Yes - You are called! Saved! Born again!
Baptism
is how and when we scripturally make a conscious decision to dedicate
our lives to Christ and enter into a relationship with Christ.
Baptism
is ‘calling on the name of the Lord’ and coming in contact with the
blood of Christ, being unified with Christ in his death, burial and
resurrection.
Baptism is the point in time when salvation is ours,
when we stop living for ourselves and start living for Jesus. We put on
the full armour of God to take our stand against evil and pick up our
tools of ministry to help others come to an understanding and
acceptance of Christ.
Baptism is the shot heard at the starting of a race, when we are reborn - racing into a new life of service in Christ’s name.
Yes - You are forgiven of all your sins.
Baptism is how we ask for forgiveness of our sins and guidance for our lives.
Baptism is when we exchange our life and become reborn - alive in Christ.
Baptism is when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us through life.
And what that gift feels like is repentance: the faltering, but deliberate improvement of our souls.
Baptism is the gavel striking the bench proclaiming forgiveness of sins, the end of the old and the birth of the new.
Yes - You are marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Come and rejoice … for baptized we live!
Luke’s description, in a few short verses, of Jesus’ baptism holds significant meaning for Christians.
Come and rejoice!
As
I said at the beginning, this phrase comes from an Il Divo song. A
group of four men whose voices blend angelically together. The song
“Rejoice” speaks about misplacing our faith. Setting faith down
somewhere, forgetting faith’s real meaning and
losing faith in this hectic world.
There
are many people beyond these church doors experiencing a sense of loss
and lack of direction in their lives. We are called to minister to them
through our baptism.
Baptism says as much about God as about us; it speaks of his sacrificial love promising never to forsake us or let us go.
It declares God’s forgiveness of our daily sins and our adoption by Him.
God’s
Spirit is breathed into all who believe, guiding us and leading us to
gather his lost sheep and help them recover their faith.
So listen to my song and remember your baptism.
PLAY SONG
So come and rejoice … we are not lost … for God is with us to the end. Amen.
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