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Lorene E. Wunder
January 11, 2004
Baptism of the Lord
I Have Called You By Name
Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Every year, the second Sunday in January is designated Baptism of the Lord Sunday. It has become a tradition in this congregation to observe the occasion with a service of Reaffirmation of Baptism. Mary Hay started the tradition and I've been glad to carry it on, especially since the second week in January is also when Larry Hayward meets with his continuing education group, the Movable Feast.
From what I can tell, this is a service that people look forward to. I try to buy different colored pebbles each year because I've heard that people collect them and keep them in a special place. Several women carry them in their purse; I've got a spot for them on my dresser.
And I think it is a special occasion. Baptism is one of two sacraments that we celebrate in our church. The Lord's Supper is celebrated again and again and again. We can partake of communion hundreds or even thousands of times in our lifetime. But baptism is a once in a lifetime event, and for many of us, it is an event that happens when we are too young to remember it. Perhaps that is why we look forward to reaffirming our baptism on this day, once a year. On this day we get to re-enact what we do not remember.
While Baptism is a once in a lifetime event, it is worth revisiting again and again because it is so rich in meaning. The word sacrament comes from the Greek word mysterion, and can mean secret or mystery. So if you sometimes find the meaning of the sacraments a bit confusing or out of reach, don't worry. They're designed that way, with multiple layers of meaning that are understood or revealed in glimpses, rather than all at once.
I like the discipline of having to revisit the meaning of baptism each year for this service. And this year, there are two meanings I want us to look at. Baptism gives us two things: it gives us an identity, and it gives us a purpose.
In the Gospel reading this morning, Luke gives his version of Jesus' baptism. According to Luke, after Jesus was baptized and he was praying, "the heavens 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 3:21-22)
At his baptism, God claims Jesus as God's Son, God's Beloved. That is his primary identity. We, too, receive our identity when we are baptized. The minister asks for the full name of the child, and speaking that name, the minister claims that child as a child of the covenant, belonging to God.
In my mind, the words from Isaiah are the words God speaks to each one of us at our baptism, and for that matter, every day of our life, if we will listen to God's voice:
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and through the rivers,
they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire
you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, "Give them up,"
and to the south, "Do not withold;
Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:1-7 NRSV)
These words are part of what is known as Second Isaiah, that portion of Isaiah that scholars believe was written during the 6th century, after Jerusalem had been destroyed, and a good portion of the Israelites had been deported to Babylon. Here they lived in exile, in a land far from home, with a foreign culture, a foreign language, a foreign religion. In the midst of this longing for home and the land and the Temple that told them who they were, God speaks these words of comfort through the prophet:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you…
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
At a time when the people of Israel were separated from all that was familiar and no longer knew who they were or what would happen to them, they were re-claimed by God as God reaffirmed the covenant that He would be their God, and they would be his people.
A covenant is a two-way relationship. God is always faithful in keeping God's promises. We, on the other hand, are not.
All of us get lost sometimes, find ourselves in places and situations we hardly recognize, separated from what we hold dearest, longing for a sense of direction, for someone to tell us what it's all about. It is in times like these that the promise of baptism calls us home:
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
We are baptized only once, but our baptism is not tied to the moment when the water first touches our head. Baptism signifies the beginning of life in Christ, not its completion. (Book of Order W-2.3007) A lot can happen to us between the moment of baptism and the rest of our life. Which is why it is important to remember, at least once a year, that God's grace, acknowledged at this font, is continually at work in us, and we are continually in need of that grace.
Which brings us to a second gift of baptism—Baptism not only claims us and gives us an identity, it gives us a purpose in life, and that purpose is transformation.
There are many ways to talk about this transformation that begins at baptism. We describe it with images such as
- putting on the fresh garment of Christ (W-2.3004d)
- being engrafted into Christ's body (John Calvin)
- a participation in Jesus' death and resurrection as we die to what separates us from God and are raised to newness of life
These are just a few of the ways we can think about what happens to us in our baptism—and beyond. But one thing is certain: we are different after our baptism.
There are many events in Jesus' life that the four Gospels disagree on, but they are unanimous on this: Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of his ministry. After Jesus is baptized in the waters of the Jordan, he heals people, calls the disciples, travels the countryside, preaching and teaching. Something happened at his baptism. Something in him was changed or awoken. Jesus knew in that moment that he was set apart as one who belonged to God, as one who was God, showing the world how God loves us, and how we ought to love God.
Baptism does the same for us. It claims us, and sets us apart as people who belong to God—not to the world; as people who follow Jesus Christ—not the latest trend; people who for the rest of our lives go about the task of growing into his likeness.
It is a big job we have been called to. If we thought about it too much, maybe we would not be so eager to come to this font. But there is good news—we are not alone in our task. God is with us, in steadfast love, in the example of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray, using a prayer by John Slow, a minister in the Reformed Church in England:
Living Christ,
This was your decisive moment.
Rising from the river of baptism
you began to discover
what it meant
to be committed
to the way of the servant.In your moment of seeing and hearing
the Spirit was preparing you for your mission:
you made the choice
and took the risk of obedience
and the rippling reflection of a cross rose from Jordan.
In your baptism
you set the pattern for us;
help us to know,
and discover,
what it means to be committed
to the way of the servant.May your Spirit
open our eyes and ears
that we may become partners of your mission;
and in obedience,
take up the cross and follow you.Amen.
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First Presbyterian
Church of Cedar Rapids
310 Fifth Street SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Phone: 319-364-6148
E-mail: church@fpccr.org
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