Baptism and Beginning

Matthew 3:13-17
Baptism as Beginning
James Sledge                                                                                     January 8, 2023

Liz Valente, Baptism of Jesus, 2021

 Beyond Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, there are not too many events in Jesus’ life that make it into all four gospels. Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist is one of those events, even if the reference to it is rather elliptical in John’s gospel. Jesus’ baptism by John posed something of a difficulty for the early church and for the gospel writers. John’s baptism was one of repentance for sin, so why would Jesus need this? And each gospel has its own way of making sure the reader knows that Jesus is greater than John.

In the reading we heard this morning, John objects to Jesus’ request for baptism. “I need to be baptized by you,” says the Baptist. “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness,” replies Jesus. To be honest, I’ve never been entirely certain what this means, but it implies that this is God’s will. God’s plans have Jesus connected to the problem of human sinfulness.

It is interesting that John is the one who tries to get in the way of God’s will. He is the one who is sent to prepare the way of the Lord, but when Jesus comes to him, he tries to prevent Jesus from being baptized. It does seem a little strange, the Messiah being baptized with the same baptism as all those people who came out because they heard John’s cry, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

John, even though he is God’s prophet, thinks he knows how the Messiah should act. Like most everyone, he is a little surprised by the sort of Messiah Jesus turns out to be. Thankfully, he’s willing to listen to Jesus. A lot of people aren’t. When Jesus surprises or disappoints them, they turn away.

I think that is still true. Even though we have the story of Jesus given to us in scripture, people still seem to expect Jesus to be different. People still want a conquering hero. People still want Jesus to punish those who don’t do the right things or believe the right things. People still expect Jesus to make life grand for those who do the right things or believe the right things. Surely all of us, on occasions, would like to tell Jesus, would like to tell God how to do things. The way of Jesus still feels strange, too at odds with the ways of the world.

The way of Jesus, the call of Jesus, almost always takes us from somewhere comfortable to somewhere difficult. God’s call almost always calls us to step out of our comfort zones and go someplace we would never have gone on our own. But if John the Baptist can be unwilling to embrace the way of Jesus at first, then regular old people like you and me likely have even more trouble embracing the way of Jesus.

I think that argues for Christians having a very open mind about how things should be. Otherwise we are bound to confuse our wants and desires, our will, for God’s. In fact, it’s inevitable that we’ll do so occasionally. After all, John the Baptist did.

So we need to be a little suspicious of our first reaction. If someone asks you to be an elder or a deacon or a youth leader, perhaps you’re sure that it’s not for you, at least not right now. But is that really the case, or has Jesus got other plans for you?

This applies when we’re talking about the church itself as well. In the coming months this congregation will be doing some visioning work about just what sort of church it is supposed to be, just what sort of church God is calling you to be. That call may feel strange, wrong, undoable, risky, and so on at first. But is that because it is wrong, or because God’s plans are different from yours?

John the Baptist lets go of his first reaction, and so Jesus is baptized. And Jesus’ baptism reimagines the act of baptism for Christians. Prior to Jesus, Jewish baptisms were cleansing rituals. That imagery is still a part of our sacrament of baptism, but that is just the beginning. Christian baptism is about being marked as God’s own, just as Jesus is. It is also associated with the Holy Spirit which gives the gifts for ministry. And baptism is about ministry.

When Jesus is baptized he is named as God’s beloved and, following temptations that help hone that identity as God’s beloved, Jesus begins his ministry. Jesus’ baptism is the start of something, and so is ours, or it least it is supposed to be. Too often it doesn’t work that way however.

I think I may have shared this story before, but it fits well so I’ll share it again. Roger Nishioka recalls these events from his days as a youth pastor.

Kyle was nowhere to be found, and I missed him. In the weeks following his baptism and confirmation on Pentecost Sunday, he was noticeably missing. Several other members of the confirmation class asked about him too, as did his confirmation mentor. Kyle and his family had come to the congregation when he was in the fifth grade. They attended sporadically, so I was more than a little surprised when I asked him and his parents if he was interested in joining the confirmation class and they responded positively. In this congregation, the confirmation class happened during the ninth-grade school year (as if God calls all ninth-graders simultaneously to be confirmed, just because they are in the ninth grade). Kyle and his parents came for the orientation meeting and agreed to the covenant to participate in two retreats, a mission activity, work with a mentor, and weekly classes for study and exploration. Kyle was serious in attending and missed a class or event rarely. He quickly became a significant part of the group and developed some wonderful friendships with other ninth-graders who had barely known him. Since Kyle had not yet been baptized, he was not only confirmed but also baptized on Pentecost Sunday. It was a marvelous celebration for all the confirmands, their families, and their mentors.

That is pretty much where it ended. That is when I knew we had done something wrong. When I checked in with Kyle and his folks, they all seemed a little surprised that I was calling and checking up on them. I distinctly remember his mother saying, “Oh, well, I guess I thought Kyle was all done. I mean, he was baptized and confirmed and everything. Isn’t he done?”^[1]

This is something of an extreme example, but this sort of story is repeated all too often in the Church. It is not unusual for confirmands, like those who made their professions of faith in our worship a month ago, to disappear from church life shortly after. And I have done far too many infant baptisms where parents and child disappeared not long after.

For some people, baptisms and confirmation and even joining a church are more endings than beginnings. But Jesus’ baptism reminds us that baptism not only marks us as God’s beloved, it also marks us for ministry. No matter who you are, Jesus is calling you to ministry. That’s different from belonging or being a member. It is the work of disciples, those called to continue Jesus’ ministry in the world.

Sometimes church can become a settled place, somewhere people attend or belong rather than a ministry outpost. But Jesus calls all of us, in ways big and small, to be his hands and feet in the world. Where is Jesus calling you? Where is he calling FCPC?

And remember the example of John the Baptist. Don’t be too quick to say “No.”

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[1] Roger Nishioka in Bartlett, David L.; Taylor, Barbara Brown (2011-05-31). Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 1, Advent through Transfiguration (Kindle Locations 8563-8577). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition