Baptism, Everyday
Last year, as we remembered our baptisms, I shared with you that baptism is about two main things: Belonging and Becoming
Belonging
When Jesus is baptized, God bellows from the heavens: “this is my son with whom I am well pleased.”
These words affirm that baptism is about God’s gift of beloved-ness. Listen to them again from the book of Matthew:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)
Through Baptism, we are marked as God’s beloved child. Some Christian are given that mark as an infant by their parents. Then they accept that gift for themselves through a process called confirmation. Others of us practice a believer’s baptism in which it all happens at the same time. We acknowledge and accept the gift of “God identity” as we are baptism.
Regardless, when we are baptized, God says to us, “you are my beloved” and we say in return, “Yes, I am yours! And you, O God, are my Beloved.”
So Baptism is a ritual of belonging, an acknowledging of family ties, a practice of love, a welcoming of kinship with God.
Baptism is also about…
Becoming
Through baptism we become something new, someone new. One way of saying this is that we are born again as we plunge into the waters dying to one way of live and we rise again from the waters into a new life that is marked by living God’s way as taught through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
So, Baptism – again whether infant or believer’s – is a about becoming all that God hopes for you to be.
So, let me ask you: Did that happen for you when you were baptized?
When you were baptized, did you become everything that God wants you to be?
Seriously, think about this question and answer it!
Or are you still working on becoming everything that God wants from you, everything that God is calling you to, everything that God believes you can do to bring about the reign of His kin(g)dom?
For me, I’m still working on all this. But the promise that I trust in is this: even as I am becoming, I already belong. I have not arrived (and probably never will completely – it’s a journey and a process!) but that doesn’t mean that I do not belong.
The way I see it, there is no real requirement for Baptism expect your willingness. You already belong to God. God has given you that gift through Jesus Christ. Baptism simply means receiving the gift, opening the present that Jesus has given you.
Sure, you can refuse to open it and try to deny it is there. But Jesus has given you the present. Just open it and receive the gift of belonging.
Now maybe you are thinking: don’t I have to believe to be baptized? How come you haven’t said anything about belief, Pastor?
Oh, I have. Belief means receiving the gift and setting out on the journey to become. We just confuse belief with thinking we have it all figured out. Belief is a process. As you become, you believe more deeply. Remember the story of the man cries out: “I believe, help my unbelief!” Belief is a journey of which baptism is a part. It’s not a destination that you arrive at before you can be baptized. Your willingness to receive the gift and become more is all that is required for baptism.
I also haven’t used the word confession. Why? Well, don’t you confess you belong to Jesus when you receive the gifts of belonging and becoming? And isn’t confession a daily process of acknowledging our errors, our mistakes, our sins? And not some one time confession of sin that somehow makes us pure enough for baptism?
You see, I am trying to get us away from this magical formula that we think earns us baptism. You don’t earn baptism through acceptance, belief and confession (that ABC formula). You don’t get to open the present of baptism because you live rightly enough. You do not get to open the gift because you believe strongly enough. Those are not conditions that Jesus has put in place before he is willing to offer the package to us. No, the package is there under the tree. You need only open it!
Now think about what it means to open a gift. What do you do after you open a gift?
Opening the package is only a first step, right? Because once you open the gift, you then have to do something with it!
All this means at the end of the day that baptism is not a one time event. It’s not a “once-for-all-time” kind of thing. It’s not a magical act that transforms you from unsaved to saved. No. Baptism is an acceptance of God gifts. It’s a step towards belonging, becoming. It’s a stop along the way on the journey of belief. Doing it publicly in a church – or in a river or wherever – is a step along the journey.
Because once you open the gift, it will be with you forever. Everyday, baptism is with you. It’s like clothes that you put on each day. Or a puppy that requires your attention. Or a phone that you put in your pocket or purse. Or a song that is playing in your head throughout the day. Or a memory that stays with you forever.
What you do each day with that song, that memory, that puppy or whatever matters. Will you become a good companion? Will you sing the song? Will you share the memory? Will you wear the clothes? Will you use the phone?
If so, it’ll take work – each and every day. It’ll take time and attention and intention. Some days you won’t do so well. Some days you may forget. Some days you will be amazed. Some days you will feel good about your progress. Some days will seem mundane. Others you will get through only because of grace.
You won’t be perfect. You won’t be the world’s strongest believer. You will sometimes fail at following Christ. You will struggle to confess. Some days you may not even be sure you really have accepted the God you say you accepted.
But by receiving the gifts of belonging and becoming through baptism, I am certain that everyday three things will happen:
- Everyday, God will give you what you need,
- Everyday, you will have the opportunity to learn something new, and
- Everyday, you will need help from someone to get you through (HINT: that someone is often the help that God sends!)
Because your baptism will go with you everyday. Everyday you belong to God. Everyday, the God you belong to calls you to become a little more the person he has made you to be. Everyday, you have the choice to remember your baptism, to continue to belong and to continue to become.