Pentecost 5, Proper 6A – June 15, 2008 (Baptism of Jane Ruth Rogers)
Matthew 9:35-10:20
St. Giles Church,
It’s been said that the safest place for a ship is in the harbor, but that’s not why ships were built. We might also say that the safest place for a Christian is in the church, but that’s not why we baptize people.
In a few moments we will baptize Jane Ruth Rogers.
This is a day of great joy – joy for the
When I met with the
In fact, if we take a look at the Baptismal Covenant, and at those promises made today on Jane’s behalf but that we, and eventually she herself, make on our own, it’s easy to see that this may well be riskiest day of Jane’s life! This is not a choice she makes for herself, not today anyway; but it is a way of life that we trust and hope and pray she will embrace as she grows up.
Last week (Director of Music) Jim Brown and I attended a
presentation on the Emerging/Organic Church down at St. James Cathedral.
One of the presenters was Isaac Everett, who directs music for an ‘underground’
church in
I asked my savior, take me with you please, up to a world of righteousness and peace.
And he answered me, take me with you, please, out to a world of righteousness and peace.[1]
That, in a nutshell, is why we baptize people – not keep us safely inside, but to send us out into the world.
Of course, Jane is not being baptized in a vacuum. All of us are not just witnesses; we ‘re-up’, if you will, as we commit to supporting Jane and recommit to our baptismal covenant. So just what is Jane being prepared for, as a baptized Christian?
First, she will “Continue in apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.”
Jane is being welcomed into Christian community, and all that that includes: worship, fellowship, the sacraments - all of which will provide nourishment for her body and her spirit.
She will “Persevere in resisting evil, and whenever [she falls] into sin, repent and return to the Lord.”
That means that she, like us, must acknowledge who she is: an imperfect human being, a sinner; BUT a sinner made in God’s image, loved by God and redeemed by Christ.
She will “Proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ.”
That means “talking the talk” and
“walking the walk” – proclaiming the Good News in all she does. And what
is that Good News? We heard it just now, in the words of Matthew’s gospel: “the
She will “Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving [her] neighbor as [her]self.”
Sometimes that’s easy, sometime it isn’t. One of the greatest challenges of the Christian faith is that sometimes God calls us to love those we may not particularly like. But Jane is also called to love herself, and to value herself – not in a self-centered or selfish way, but as someone beloved by God and grounded in Christ.
And finally, she will “Strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
That means reaching out in love and generosity toward those whom the world rejects; to see the value in those whom the world sees as dispensable and disposable; and to see through the ugliness and the most vile actions and worst habits of some of us, and behold the face of one for whom Christ died. It means living a life that speaks reconciliation, not retaliation; forgiveness, not grudge keeping; sharing, not hoarding.
That’s the life of the baptized Christian. It applies to Jane, and to all of us, as well.
Jesus went about cities, villages, we’re told; he sent out the twelve. Where will Jane go? Where will Christ send her? Isn’t it exciting to think how that sending will unfold in the context of her life? Do you ever think about how that will continue to unfold in the context of your life?
What might such a life cost her? What has it, or will it, cost us? That’s not such a pleasant prospect to consider. One of the reasons the early church baptized by immersion, and why the church is reclaiming that method, is the strong symbolism it has of dying to an old life and being reborn in Christ.
“See”, Jesus said, “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” How do we do that? How can we be hopeful without being dangerously naïve? How can we trust without being taken in? How can we stand firm in the gospel, and still be charitable and loving, even to our enemies? How can we be true to the Christian hope without becoming cynical and despairing? This is all very difficult; I struggle with it every day, and I expect you do as well.
Jane isn’t being baptized so that she’ll go to church all her life (though we hope that she will!); or so that she will subscribe to a certain set of doctrines and then sit on them (we hope and pray that she will actively live out her baptismal covenant); or so that she will be kept safe from the world’s dangers - though we hope and pray that will be the case, baptism is no guarantee of that.
Jesus bids us to proclaim the Good News: the kingdom of heaven has come near. Every time we baptize sometime, it comes a little nearer.
I asked my savior, take me with you please, up to a world of righteousness and peace.
And he answered me, take me with you, please, out to a world of righteousness and peace.[2]
Why do we baptize people? Because God needs us to be in the world, not sheltered from it. The harvest is plentiful,” Jesus said, “but the laborers are few.” This morning, by the grace of God, one more will be added. Amen.
[1] Lyrics by J Snodgrass, 2007
[2] Ibid.