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OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT
Scripture: Genesis 1: 1-5, Acts 19: 1-7, Mark 1: 4-11,
John 3: 1-8
As you participated today in the baptism of Alex and Jason I hope you were able to experience the sacredness of
your own baptism. Most of you were probably infants and can’t remember very much about what happened. It’s easy to get
confused. A Baptist minister was telling me a story about his 4-year-old daughter, who was playing baptism with a friend
and their cat. In this minister’s tradition he baptizes with the phrase: In the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost. Through the open window, he saw his daughter lifting up a rather frightened cat over a barrel of water. She
repeated in her most grown-up voice, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and into the hole he
goes.” Well hopefully we are not that confused; however, you may have some questions about the sacrament of
baptism. My sermon today will lead you on a journey about the origin of baptism, how baptism was seen by John,
Jesus, the Gospel writers, and Paul. Why is the water and the Spirit necessary? And what does God’s grace in
baptism mean for us?
The Greek root word for baptism means “to plunge, immerse, sink; hence to wash.”* It may surprise some of you that
baptism was not John’s or Jesus’ creation. The Jewish religion had two practices from which baptism derives. First they
had something called ‘ritual cleansing’ where water was used to symbolize a spiritual cleansing after certain unclean
activities. It was something that was used repetitively, as many times as necessary. It was not unique to the
Jews. The other practice was what was called ‘proselyte baptism’, a ceremony in which Gentiles became converts to
Judaism. This was a one time ritual.
As Christians we first learn about baptism in the Gospels from the teachings and practice of John the Baptist. He used
baptism among his Jewish brethren as a symbol of the people’s repentance, a turning around and going in a new direction
in preparation of the coming of God’s new realm manifested by Jesus, his refrain was “The Kingdom of God is near”. He
taught that the Jews could not depend on their heritage as the Chosen People to get them through, but that each of them
had to turn to God in faith. Connected with John’s baptism was an initiation into a community — the community of John’s
disciples — that was preparing for the Messiah’s advent. John baptized with water; however, when Jesus came to be baptized
by him when Jesus came up out of the water, we are told that the heavens opened up, and the Spirit descended on him
like a dove.
Although there is no evidence in the earlier Gospels that Jesus, himself, ever baptized; there are numerous examples of
the practice of baptism by the apostles: some of these are Peter’s invitation at Pentecost, Luke’s record in Acts of
thousands of baptisms as well as the baptisms mentioned in the writings of Peter, John and Paul. In the Great
Commissioning in Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit.” The very same words I used today in baptizing Jason and Alex.
Paul talked a lot about baptism in many of his letters, especially in Romans chapter 6. He stresses that in baptism we
die with Christ, are washed clean of all our sins, and then rise with Christ as a new person. When the baptized one
came out of the water, he or she was expected to lead a new life and sin no more. Verse 14, “For sin will have no
dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” He believed in baptism God deals with each one
personally, taking us from the power of darkness into the light of the Kingdom. This fits with John’s story of
Nicodemus and Jesus where Jesus says you must be born again. Although we do not go around asking people if they
have been born again, to me born again happens in the sacrament of baptism when we are born anew in the Spirit.
In our church baptism is a sacrament, which means an outward and visible sign of the grace of God. We only have two
sacraments: baptism and Holy Communion. In our Gospel reading today from John, we have the author quoting Jesus as
saying, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”
Why water? In the very beginning of our Holy Scriptures the Spirit of God hovers over the deep and God creates the
world out of the watery chaos. Water is the symbol of life as no one can live without water; and also of death as the
ancient floods as well as the recent hurricanes point to. In Genesis creation of life is presented as the liberation
of the dry land from the water, as a victory of the Spirit of God over the waters. In a way then creation is a
transformation of water into life.** Water is also used for cleaning both in the practical, every day world as well
as for purification rites in the ancient world. So water is the essential element, matter of the baptism. According
to one of my seminary books by Alexander Schememann, by accepting the baptism of John, Christ sanctified the water — made
it the water of purification and reconciliation with God.
There are different opinions about the mode of baptism: immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. The Fundamentalist
Christians are more inclined to use immersion because they believe it was how the early Christians were baptized. This
practice changed to some degree depending on the availability of lots of water. In Acts chapter 2 we are told three
thousand people were baptized. Archaeologists have demonstrated there was no sufficient water supply for so many to have
been immersed. Even if there had been, the natives of Jerusalem would scarcely have let their city’s water supply be
polluted by three thousand unwashed bodies plunging into it. These people must have been baptized by pouring or
sprinkling. Paul himself was baptized in a house standing up: Act 22:16 reads, “And now why do you wait? Rise
[literally, "stand up"] and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” In our denomination all three
modes are used.
Why the Spirit? The Holy Spirit is available to us all before, during and after baptism. It is this same Spirit that
revealed Jesus as the Son of God at his own baptism; it is the same Spirit that empowered and united Jesus’ followers at
Pentecost. It is this Holy Spirit that Jesus promised that he would leave with us as he left us, to guide us, nurture,
and protect us. The Holy Spirit is called to be upon the water as well as anointing, blessing the one being baptized. In
this act the child or adult officially enter the body of Christ, the church. The sign and seal of God’s grace commits
him or her to the universal church, and commits the church to this person, to care for and nurture, to teach and love. In
our church, anyone who wants to follow Jesus, or in the case of infants and young children, whose parents or godparents so
desire the child’s baptism, may be baptized. In the UCC, as in most churches, we recognize baptisms from other
churches. Baptism is irrevocable and is performed only once. Reaffirmation of one’s baptismal vows can be done as
often as desires. Confirmation is often seen as the reaffirmation of vows made for children, baptized as infants or
early on. In some churches, it is necessary to go through a long period of teaching/learning, being examined before being
baptized. I believe that God’s grace is sufficient. In the same way as the table of Holy Communion is opened to all in
this church, God’s grace does not depend on human rules. It is God that has the power to baptize, I am only one of God’s
instruments to provide the ritual in which it can happen. Although ordained ministers usually are the ones who perform
the ceremony, do you know that if necessary, any of you who are part of the body of Christ could be the one calling upon
God’s grace?
For me a most important part of baptism is the role of the congregation. It is the church that is the community of
faith into which the person is baptized. At every baptism the congregation reaffirms its faith in God and pledges
itself to provide an environment of witness and service. Baptism should whenever possible be performed and celebrated
in the setting of the Christian community where the child or the adult will continue to be involved. On a larger scale,
however, baptism is the sign that the baptized one becomes part of the body of Christ, the church universal, binding
all Christians together, a sign of our common discipleship. God initiates baptism and we respond. It is truly a
symbol of God’s love for us.
In other sermons I have talked about the Greek word ruah, which means both the Spirit and the wind. In baptism I see
that Spirit blowing into the baptized, whether adult or child. Through God’s grace the Spirit enters and embraces us
with fire and love, making us available for divine action, filling us with the potential for great joy, hope, and
love.*** May this liturgy today as well as your own baptism provide that rich soil for God’s planting and nourishing.
Thanks and praise be to God. Amen
*Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology online.
**Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, p.72.
***Ibid, 76
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