The baptism of Jesus
As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
We tend to think of the ever-expanding Summer season as a quiet time in congregational life but these next few weeks before the beginning of Lent could be described as the doldrums of the Christian year for liturgical churches. The hangover from Christmas activities, lots of sickness, travel for oldsters, often results in lower attendance and a heapin' helpin' of "whatever."
Into this floats the Baptism of Christ, a Sunday that seemed a bit incongruous to me living in frosty Canada. It conjures up images of a polar bear swim or the crazy Russian tradition of immersion in ice water on the Feast of Epiphany, which is next Sunday in the Orthodox calendar. No thank you.
There was supposed to be a baptism at Trenton United this morning but illness in the family meant that this sacrament was postponed. Baptisms are few and far between in the United Church these days as our congregations age and fewer younger households feel compelled by extended family expectations to "have the kid done." I baptized lots of children, teens, and some adults where it was a meaningful experience rooted in Christian faith. I was also uneasy at times because it did seem to be a matter of convention or pressure.
When I served in Halifax I was contacted by a young couple from a wealthy Halifax family living in Toronto about flying in the next weekend to have their newborn baptized. They were not church attenders anywhere, nor did their local family worship with us anymore, but this was their traditional congregation. I suggested that this was a sacrament of commitment and that they might get connected with a faith family in Toronto first, then we could talk, but their sense of entitlement was astonishing. They even suggested that there would be a nice financial contribution to the church if we accommodated them. I was diplomatic but firm. I wonder how John the Baptist would have responded? I notice that the lectionary reading leaves out John's rather un-pastoral "brood of vipers" declaration aimed toward certain religious folk.
I had many heart-warming and holy moments baptizing little ones and often sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit. I certainly did wonder many times whether by baptizing babies we had diminished the fire of radical commitment in our desire to model inclusion.
Polar dip, anyone?
One of the key elements in The Celebration of Baptism or The Renewal of Baptismal Faith is a declaration of faith made by the candidate or on their behalf. The baptismal vows offered in this resource reflect an understanding of baptism as both a gift from God and call to Christian discipleship. While the order and wording of the vows may vary according to context, it is important that they reflect the following core elements:
from Baptism Preamble in Celebrate God's Presence UCC
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