Sermons

Mark 1:9-11; Romans 8:14-17 – Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn
Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, California – August 3, 2014

Holy God, bless the speaking and the hearing of these words that we might indeed open our hearts to God’s love and rejoice in our place at your family table. In the name of the Living Christ we pray, Amen.

One of the things I like to do as I help people prepare for baptism is go through all the biblical metaphors for baptism and talk about what they mean. It’s important to realize that if something is primarily discussed using metaphors, it’s probably something we’re never going to completely understand. Baptism, like communion or the Trinity, is a mystery. Scripture suggests that baptism is an act of sanctification, as our sins are washed

clean; it is a symbolic way of dying to sin and rising to new life. It is a sign of unity, and the first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus. Some of these metaphors are directly related to the fact that water is involved, and some of them have nothing to do with water at all.

The metaphor I’m most interested in today is the one discussed in Romans 8, verses 14-17. Through baptism, Paul suggests, we are adopted into the family of God. That’s a big one, with some major implications. Now the thing about metaphors is that if you push them too far, they will inevitably fall apart. So we don’t want to get too specific here. This isn’t about adoption applications or agencies, or international visas, or lawyers, or open or closed, or DNA testing. This is about becoming part of a new family.

It’s important to remember that in Paul’s day, the distinction between who was in and who was out was much more emphasized. You were a Jew or you were a Gentile, and there had only just begun to be mixing of the two within the church. In our day, in this church, where we openly welcome everyone to the Table to meet Jesus, whether they’ve been baptized or not, we don’t really have that same sense of exclusion. And yet, we might
do well to be more aware of the ways in which the family of God is different from the rest
of the world.

In our tradition, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we celebrate what is called “believer’s baptism” which means people get baptized at an age where they choose to do it themselves, rather than parents baptizing their children at an early age. That means that, for us, baptism is more of an acceptance and celebration of the fact that God has adopted us. It is not our action, our choice to join the church that accomplishes our adoption, for that is something God has already done. But until we acknowledge what God has done and embrace what it means for our lives, it doesn’t have much effect. So what is this new family that we’re signing up for? And why would we need a new family anyway?

As it turns out, there are some important ways in which the family of God is different from the rest of the world. Where the world is tribalistic, the family of God is inclusive. Where the world tells us to hang out with people like us – people of our same race, or age, or culture, or economic level – the church encourages us to mix it up and embrace our connection with all sorts of different kinds of people. Where the world tells us to look out for ourselves and seek revenge on those who do us wrong, within the family of God, we are taught forgiveness, mercy, seeking what is best for others. Where the world privileges power and strength, the family of God upholds the weak, the small and the vulnerable, finding beauty, worth and yes, even power in the tiniest of things. Things are pretty different here. It’s not always an easy adjustment. We can give thanks that scripture also teaches us that baptism is an act of appealing to God to make us holy.

Perhaps the most important thing about baptism as an acceptance of our adoption into the family of God is that it’s a celebration of the fact that we are children of God. You are a child of God. And that is a truth that has power. You have always been a child of God, but in baptism, you are taking on that truth in a new way, on a new level, through a dramatic act that will hopefully help you remember it, no matter what happens.

One of the mysteries of baptism in scripture is the one we heard described in our reading from Mark’s gospel this morning. We often think of baptism as largely about being cleansed of our sins. So why would Jesus need to be baptized? Even John the Baptist was a little flummoxed by that, in Matthew’s telling of the story. But I think what that act was doing was solidifying for us that baptism brings us into the family. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, and as he comes out of the water, a voice from heaven declares, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” What is most awesome about this is that Jesus hadn’t really even done anything yet. This was before his ministry had even started, and God is already “well pleased” with him. We may not be Jesus, but his baptism does connect to ours, so that we can claim that voice as well, declaring us to be children of God, beloved and pleasing to our Creator.

Why should we have to wait for baptism for all these blessings? Well, we don’t really. We do believe that these same things are true for our children, long before they get dunked. Again, within our tradition, baptism is our act, an active sign of our choice to embrace our welcome into God’s family. It is a tool for helping us be more clear about who and whose we are.

It may seem that it would be better to “natural” children of God, rather than having to be adopted into the family. I think that’s where we get into pushing the metaphor too far. To say we are adopted by baptism doesn’t have to mean we weren’t already children of the Holy Creator, simply by virtue of being born. But adoption implies also that God has chosen us, it’s a specific invitation we’re responding to, rather than a state of being to be taken for granted. Where we might tend to think of adoption as a second-class form of entry into the family, Paul makes clear there in Romans that we are not somehow lesser children. “We are children of God,” he writes, “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” This is no second-class status. You are a beloved child of God Most High. You are welcomed into a family that works differently than any earthly family, where love is the standard, mercy is for all, and there’s always plenty of room at the table. Baptism is many things, but one of the best is the invitation into this new way of living and the capacity to embrace it. Let us give thanks to Abba, our Creator! Alleluia and Amen!