A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Sunday, January 12, 2020

Sermon (Jan. 12/Baptism of the Lord Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     Before each chapel service, my seminary president, Dr. Leonard Sweet, would greet us from the pulpit with these words, “Good morning, church!”  I always thought that was a great way to begin a worship service.  Reminding all of us of who we are.

     We are the church of Jesus Christ.  And this must mean something to us, otherwise we wouldn’t be here this morning.  This is who we are. It’s what we do.

     After the birth story and the story of the wisemen in Matthew’s Gospel, we don’t hear from Jesus again until he comes to John to be baptized.

     Baptism.  We read this scripture passage and we wonder why on earth, Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, would need to be baptized.    

     Even John has problems with this because he tells Jesus, “I think we might have this backwards.  Aren’t you supposed to baptize me?” And then Jesus tells John why he was right the first time.  Jesus wants to be baptized so that he will be able to fulfill all righteousness.

     Baptism, for Jesus, isn’t primarily about getting cleansed from sin, since he was totally sinless. For Jesus, it was more about fulfilling all righteousness. But what does that mean? The word, “righteousness” has a heaviness to it. What does it mean to fulfill all righteousness?

     The word, “righteousness” isn’t so much about you and me being moral and nice people who do good things for others, although that is an important dimension of it.

     Righteousness, according to the Bible has a far richer meaning.  It means to live in a covenant relationship with God in which we participate in God’s kingdom of love, justice, equality, and healing for our broken and hurting world. God’s righteousness is about making this world new again the way it was always meant to be. That idea of God’s righteousness is so much larger than our more individualist understanding of that word.

     So when Jesus offers us his personal life mission statement at his baptism by saying that he has come to fulfill all righteousness, he is saying that he has come to launch this massive Kingdom of God mission in our world. That’s the larger meaning of what it means to be baptized. 

     A lot is at stake when we are baptized. Baptism is the beginning of allowing God to have his way with us.  Baptism is a sign of how God wants you and me to let go of our white knuckled grip on our world views, our biases, our assumptions, and where we allow God to have his way with us. In other words, baptism is not for the faint of heart. If we feel a little hesitation about being baptized, that’s actually OK because it is a big deal. 

     The most memorable baptism I have ever conducted was early on in my pastoral ministry.  I was to baptize a six year old child.  I remember meeting earlier that week with the parents and their child in the sanctuary to explain the meaning of baptism. This six year old was just old enough to understand some basic thoughts about baptism, and so I tried my best.

     I have found that it always helps to actually show the child the baptismal font and show them the water so that they know a little of what is going to happen. And so, I had this six year old boy come up to see the water, and I explained that I would put some water on his head. He actually seemed very excited about this whole baptism thing.

     Now, as a pastor, I have faced challenges here and there. Budget deficits. Controversial issues. Relational conflicts. But nothing had prepared me for what I was about to encounter that morning in worship. 

     The first indication that I knew something might go wrong was when the six year old didn’t want to come forward with his parents when it was time for the baptism. He had his arms turn into spaghetti, you know what I mean? He made his arm really loose making it really difficult for his mom to lead him to the front of the church. So she had to pick him up. Miraculously, they made it to the baptism font but he was squirming and crying for dear life.

     Knowing that I was working with very limited time, I buzzed through the baptismal questions as if I was an auctioneer at a sale. “Brothers and sisters in Christ: Through the Sacrament of Baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy church. We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.”

     Buzzed through the baptismal questions at world record speed. As I began to dip my hand into the water, the six-year old managed to make his escape by running back to the pew where they had been seated.

     With my hand still dipped in the water, I looked at the mother and she looked at me.  And I quietly asked her if we should maybe try this later, maybe we could sing a hymn or something.

    I just want you to know that I have never seen a more determined look on the face of a mother in my life.  She calmly walked to the end of their pew where her little boy was now seated. As she reached her hand toward his hand, he made his way toward the other end of the pew, past his grandparents who were from out of town and seated in that same pew.

     Before the mom could make it to the other side, this little boy wiggled away from grandma and grandpa and darted down the middle aisle toward the back of the sanctuary. Did I mention how determined this mother was? God bless her. This mother runs at full speed down the middle aisle, catches up to him just before he was about to leave the sanctuary. She scoops him up in her arms with such gracefulness that we could all tell she had probably done this many times before, and brings her six year old boy back to me and to the father.

     She looked at me and said, “Sorry about that.” And I proceeded to baptize this six year old boy in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

     This is why I believe in infant baptism. It’s so much easier.

     That memorable baptism has given me a deeper understanding of what is involved when we let go of our white knuckled grasp on the old to make room for the new thing that God wants to do in us. To be baptized is to take on Jesus’ personal mission statement which is to fulfill all righteousness.  To care about the things that Jesus cares about.  To do what Jesus wants us to do. To be open to God’s transformative grace in our day to day living. 

      I often wonder if that six year old little boy has any memory of his baptism that day. It sure has left an impression on me, reminding me again and again, to let go of my white knuckle grip and allow God to continue to shape and mold me into the person he is calling me to be.

     Fulfilling all righteousness by being part of Jesus’ mission in offering God’s healing, restorative, and redeeming gift of grace in our broken and hurting world is not for the faint of heart. Our baptism will remind us of this mission again and again. 

     It will challenge us to let got of our white knuckled grip on the things that keep us from being faithful to Christ. It will prompt us to respond to God’s calling to leave our comfort zones and step out in faith in ways we never imagined all for the sake of God’s kingdom and the fulfilling of all righteousness. It will force us to rethink our long held beliefs because we are now marching to the beat of a different drummer. The kind of righteousness Jesus’ has in mind will always challenge and transform us.

     There is a famous tapestry from the 11th century which depicts the invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Bishop Odo, who was William’s brother is portrayed in this scene as prodding the troops forward with a large spear. The Latin inscription on this tapestry says,“This is Bishop Odo comforting his troops.”

     The old English word, “comfort” is from the Latin phrase, “with strength.” It has the meaning of putting courage into someone.

     I wondering if that’s some of the meaning of what it means to be baptized. In our baptism, God comforts us by giving us a courage within to be the people we are called to be and to be part of that large scale renewal of the world.

     No wonder there are times when we want to dart out of the sanctuary because deep down we know that change doesn’t come easily. We wonder what this new life in Christ will mean for us. We want to be part of this wonderful mission of Jesus, but our our white knuckles won’t seem to let go of the safe and familiar. 

     I was told that I cried at my baptism when I was just a few months old. Baptism isn’t for the faint of heart. And yes, there are times when I don’t want to let go of my tight grip and be open to the new way that God wants to work in and through me.

     Today, we are invited to renew our baptism. To let go so that we can be part of Jesus’ mission of bringing transformation to our community and world. To let go and be intentional in having a loving faith, a learning faith, and a living faith as we each seek to live out here at Athens First. 

     As we sing hymns together, come as you feel led by Jesus and remember your baptism. Come up the middle aisle. You are invited to touch the water in the baptismal font as a way to remember your baptism and take one of the small stones in that font as a reminder of this day of renewal.

     This is a day to let go of our white knuckle grip and step out in faith in being part of God’s in-breaking kingdom of love, justice, and redemption. 

     Come as you feel led and let’s sing together.


A White Knuckles Grip
Sermon Discussion Questions
Matthew 3:13-17
January 12, 2020

On Baptism of the Lord Sunday we take time to reflect on Jesus’ baptism and the meaning of our own baptism. 

If you have been baptized, do you remember or have others shared what that moment was like? Maybe nervous, or anxious, or excited, or happy? Share any memories you may have when you were baptized.

There are several important theological meanings regarding the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. These include 1) New Birth. 2) Forgiveness of sins. 3) Initiation into the church family. 4) The Presence of the Holy Spirit. 5) We are claimed by God. It’s important to remember each of these meanings because we sometimes only focus on one of them at the expense of the others. 

Which of these five meanings of baptism stand out for you? Which ones are less familiar?

We only recommend the need to be baptized once because we believe that baptism is primarily about God making a covenant with us. Since God is the one who makes the promise, instead of being baptized again, we are called to renew our baptism. Baptism of the Lord Sunday offers us the opportunity to renew our baptism by remembering God’s covenant and promise that we belong to him. 

What are some ways that you can remember your baptism and celebrate God’s claim upon you as his beloved child?

In his sermon, Pastor Robert shared that the original English meaning of the word, “comfort” means “to give strength.” Baptism is a sign of God “comforting” us by giving us the strength to live out our faith. Living out our baptism in being part of God’s in breaking kingdom of love, justice, equality, and righteousness for a broken and hurting world is not for the faint of heart. 

How does God give you strength to remember your baptism and live out your faith on a daily basis?

Close your time by offering this baptism renewal prayer that was shared in Sunday’s worship service:

Beloved God, who calls us together in love, we ask that you would encourage us to take a step of faith today as we remember our baptism and as we renew our covenant with you. Forgive us for when we have gripped tightly on our old ways of living instead of participating with you in offering your healing and redeeming love for the world. Embolden us to be the people you have called us to be. In your mercy and love, we pray. Amen.

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