First Presbyterian Church, Cottonwood Falls, KS

Rehearsal for Eternity:  Luke 3:15-22

Rev. Pat Ireland, Pastor

Jan. 10, 2010

Isaiah 43:1-7

 ¹But 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. ²When 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. ³For 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. ⁴Because 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. ⁵Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; ⁶I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— ⁷everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Luke 3:15-22

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John 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 thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His 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.” ¹⁸So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. ¹⁹But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and 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.”

Unlike the story of Jesus’ birth, the story of Jesus’ baptism occurs in all four gospels, which means it must have been very important to the early Christian community.  Baptism, as an act of entry into the Christian community, has been a central symbol of the Christian church ever since.  And it still is, at least for all the major denominations.

  Baptism is a bit of theatre.   God doesn’t need water to enter our hearts and become the creative force in our lives.  God didn’t need it for Jesus and the early church.  God doesn’t need it now.   But we need it because there are some things words simply can’t do.

Let us Pray:  Guide the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts that we might know ourselves as Your beloved children called into the discipleship of our Lord Jesus.  Amen

            The sacraments, baptism and communion are a way of dramatizing a truth, a reality.  The dramatization helps those involved, and those who are watching, understand a deeper reality that is beyond the power of words.   In seminary and/or catechism class we say sacraments are a visible sign and outward seal of an inner spiritual realty, thus avoiding words like drama and theatre.

            But if we think of the sacraments as theatre then we can understand them as a way of entering into the story.  Just as children learn by ‘playing house’ so adults learn by enacting their faith.  It is the same principle that calls us to “be doers of the word and not hearers only.” ^{James 1:22}  When we act like followers of Jesus, we find ourselves truly in relationship with him!  

We come to worship to proclaim that we are in the presence of God and we “perform” as we believe God desires, and we live into a truth that is beyond words and logic and understanding.  Nevertheless as we worship we sense, we know a reality that belongs to eternity and we live into that eternal life.  

So, the sacraments are not magic, but tangible, visible marks of the invisible reality of God’s work in our lives.  They are sign and a seal of God’s living presence. 

Christian spoke last week of adoption using the powerful story of Ellie’s life.  Born premature, abandoned by her biological parents, placed in an orphanage with minimal human contact, her life was bound to go nowhere.  But, using Christian’s words:  Through forces about which she had no knowledge or understanding, her life was completely redirected through adoption.  

Baptism is a sign and a seal of our adoption into God’s family.  Immersion or sprinkling of water symbolizes washing off the old life; and marks us as God’s own child, called to live in love, forgiveness, justice… eternity!  We are called by the family name, Christians, and just as infants grow into the family culture and expectations, so we too are expected to grow in love and faithfulness.

And just as in our mortality, we need to be nourished for life so, in our spiritual lives; we need to be regularly fed.  We do this through prayer, study, worship and feast days.  Today is a feast day!  Today we share the banquet table of heaven, enacting a world where all are welcome, where no one goes hungry, where Jesus is the host and we are the guests.  

But here’s the catch; the church does not select members like Rotary, Lions, or the PEO. We do not select members because they fit in well together, or because we think they have something to offer us.  We are not people of like worldly status, interests, priorities or financial clout.

  Sometimes I think it would be much easier to accept and work with, fellowship with, and worship with people of like mind.  It would take lots less effort, leave feathers unruffled and make for shorter committee meetings.    It is so much harder, and at times it feels almost impossible, to accept, worship and work with a hodge-podge of divergent personalities and convictions.

Granted, in this congregation we all look a lot alike, but, and I not talking about Carrie here,  I can assure you that we are different enough in personality and practice that we sometimes do a darn good job of annoying other members of the family.  

I’ve probably told you this before, but when I was in Haiti on a mission trip with the Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity a member of our group asked the sisters what was the hardest part of their ministry.  We were surprised to learn that it was not the poverty, not even the sadness of ministering to the dying.  Those sainted nuns told us that hardest part of their ministry was living together!   They got on one another’s nerves!  They annoyed one another.

So, we welcome Carrie and her daughters today, not as one who has been perfected to meet our standards, but as one who comes like all of us, broken and admitting our need for God and God’s family.   Perhaps we should go to introducing ourselves with, “Hi, I’m Pat and I’m a sinner.”  

I am not suggesting a change in operating procedures, but a return to the original.  One of the amazing things about the early churches described in the book of Acts is that they just seemed to accept anybody!   They didn’t have to have committee consent, or a predetermined course of preparation.  They just baptized on the spot.  There was obviously no time to investigate the new disciples, no probationary period to weed out the good from the bad.  Disciples were baptized first and taught later.  This was certainly the case with Jesus' first twelve disciples.  They didn’t know Christian behavior or doctrine when they began.  At least one of the first twelve turned out to be a rogue, and even the best of them failed pretty miserably.  

So baptism is not only a symbol of adoption as a Child of God, it is the enrollment of a new learner.  Today’s service is a review for all of us, and an opportunity to reaffirm our own baptism and desire to be part of God’s family. 

So, as the curtain goes up, your lines are in the bulletin.  They are taken from the “First Catechism” adopted by our General Assembly in 1998.   So, you have the lines, now we need a costume.

In the letter to the church in Galicia we read: Through faith, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God.  For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have, like a garment, put on Christ.^{3: 26-27}

You might have seen this hanging around out in the narthex.  Do you remember when Paula and the girls helped us decorate it?  I kept it thinking I’d get it on a banner one day.  This is what the well-dressed Christian will wear.  This garment represents the fruits of the Spirit in that grow in us as we grow into Christ.  They are:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.^{Gal. 5:22-23}

These fruits of the Spirit are what make it possible for us to live together as family.  When each of us puts on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control then it is possible for even the most diverse and sinful group to live together in harmony.  When we show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control toward ourselves and our neighbors we incarnate Jesus.  We become the Body of Christ in and for the world. 

When we rehearse (say it with me this time) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control we are ready to enter into the eternal story of God’s love and justice and mercy.

So be it.  Amen.

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBER AND CELEBRATION OF BAPTISM

Why do we Baptize? Because Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize, and because Jesus himself was baptized by John in the waters of the river Jordan, we celebrate this sacrament among the people whom God has called.  Through baptism we are adopted and welcomed into God’s family.  In these waters, we share in the dying and rising of Jesus, who washes away our sins.  We are made one with Christ and one with all who are joined to Christ in the church. 

So let us remember with joy our own baptism even as we celebrate this sacrament today.         Hear these words from Holy Scripture:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?   Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3, 4)  The promise is for you, for your children and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls. (5 Acts 2:39) 

Presentation (Lou): On behalf of the session, I present Carrie McElfresh who has been received into the membership of this congregation by the session and is ready to publicly reaffirm her of faith, and requests baptism for her daughters (my granddaughters) Shelby and Danielle. 

What is a sacrament? A sacrament is a special act of Christian worship that uses visible signs to present God’s grace for us in Jesus Christ.

What is baptism? We are adopted and welcomed into God’s family.   Through baptism we are named and claimed as God’s children. 

Renunciations and Profession of Faith

Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world? I do.

Who is your Lord and Savior? Jesus Christ is my Lord & Savior.

Will you be Christ's faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love?

I will, with God's help.

Through baptism, we enter the covenant God has established.  Within this covenant God gives us new life, guards us from evil, and nurtures us in love.  In embracing that covenant, we choose whom we will serve by turning from evil and turning to Jesus Christ.  Let us all as a congregation join together in affirming our baptismal faith.

I believe, I do believe, truly I believe it; truly I believe it, truly I believe it.  (2x)

I believe in God, the Almighty Lord Creator; mighty Lord creator, mighty Lord Creator. (2x)

I believe in Jesus, the Savior of the people; Savior of the people, Savior of the people. (2x)

And I do believe in the power of the Spirit, power of the Spirit, power of the Spirit. (2x)

I believe, I do believe, truly I believe it; truly I believe it, truly I believe it. (2x)

Thanksgiving Over the Water

Why do we use water?

In the water of baptism we share in the dying and rising of Jesus, who washes away our sins.

Let us Pray:  We give you thanks, Eternal God, for you nourish and sustain all living things by the gift of water.   In the beginning of time, your Spirit moved over the watery chaos, calling forth order and life.   In the time of Noah you destroyed evil by the waters of the flood, giving righteousness a new beginning.  You led Israel out of slavery, through the waters of the sea, into the freedom of the promised land.  In the waters of Jordan, Jesus was baptized by John and anointed with your Spirit. By the baptism of his own death and resurrection Christ set us free from sin and death, and opened the way to eternal life. We thank you, O God, for the water of baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death.  From it we are raised to share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Send your Spirit to move over this water that it may be a fountain of deliverance and rebirth. Wash away the sin of all who are cleansed by it. Raise them to new life, and graft them to the body of Christ. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us all and especially Tucker and his family and on Buck as he remembers his baptism having renewed his vows.  Grant us the power to do your will, and continue forever in the risen life of Christ. To you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, be all praise, honor, and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Jesus commanded us to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt 28:19)  What is the meaning of this name?

It is the name of the Holy Trinity.  The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.  And yet they are not three gods, but one God in three persons.  We worship God in this mystery.

Blessing   ________ child of god, remember the day when you were sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.   The Lord Bless & Keep You. 

What it means to be a child of God? That I belong to God, who loves me.  

See what great love the Father has that we should be called Children of God!