janbeek

Remembering Jesus' Baptism

This Sunday we attended church at the Bloom in the Desert Ministries in Palm Springs, CA. As usual, I took notes while listening to the sermon.

The scripture was Matthew 3:13-17

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to dissuade Jesus by saying, I should be baptized by you, and yet you come to me!” But Jesus replied, “Leave it this way for now. We must do this to completely fulfill God’s justice.” So John reluctantly agreed. Immediately after Jesus had been baptized and was coming up out of the water, the sky suddenly opened up and Jesus saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and hovering over him. With that, a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Own, my Beloved, on whom favor rests.”

Through my poetic filter, this is what I heard as Reverend Kevin A. Johnson’s message:

The proper completion of a called journey
Is the return… the coming back.
In our creed, Jesus went down and came back.
The Jews and Greeks both were taught that fact.

Today’s scripture tells us that baptism
Is personal, and effective for life.
Some believe as babies, others think when older,
Is the appropriate time to wash away strife.

Baptism is a remarkable, memorable event.
It’s a ritual recorded long before Jesus was born.
A thousand years earlier, immersion was practiced.
The dove hovering was a symbol that glorious morn.

It symbolized the love of God entering in.
Baptism is a commitment – a starting point.
It doesn’t matter if it’s in the Jordan River,
Or if it’s in some crumby back-street joint.

Baptism is a time to promise a mind-set
That puts love, compassion, and respect first.
It’s a universal embrace of Jesus’ teachings –
A chance to promise, and then daily rehearse.

Timing

Baptism can occur as a teen or an adult when the person is “of the age of reason” and chooses to publicly agree to live a life of love in God’s grace, with compassion and respect for others, following God’s commandments.

Or – baptism can occur as an infant. In that case, it is the promise of the parents to raise this child in love, teaching the child to obey the commandments … living in grace and obedience.

Remembering

Do you remember your baptism? I don’t remember mine. My sister and I were baptized when she was about two and I was an infant. There are no pictures, no certificates, no proof… but my sis says she remembers it, and my mom said it happened. So I should believe them.

However, as Rev. Kev said at the beginning of his message, baptism is a part of a journey… and it requires the return, the coming back. Rev. Kev showed us the certificate of his baptism. He can tell you the date, the place, and the time – and he went through confirmation later as a youngster (maybe about age 12) at which time he reaffirmed his parents’ baptismal promises.

Baptism’s Purpose and Proof

I tried to locate my baptismal records. However, the church where my baptism supposedly occurred no longer exists. Decades ago a fire destroyed it and all the records that were in it.

Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It testifies to the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to the believer’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Do I doubt my faith in the risen Savior or question my membership in God’s family? Not for a minute!

Baptism has been a symbolic way of joining the Church from the very start of Christianity. The water used is a symbol of washing away sin and the start of a new life. Do I think perhaps I am not “a Child of God” because I don’t have the paperwork to prove my sin was “washed away”? No!!

But would I like to be able to say I have experienced a “proper completion of a called journey” by finishing the trip, coming back to my baptismal roots? Yes!

Baptism is Once and for All

Sometimes I question if infant baptism is once and for all. I wonder if perhaps I should be baptized as an adult now. Do you think at 80 I should reaffirm the baptismal vows that my mom agreed to when I was an infant?

Today’s sermon reminding us to remember Jesus’ baptism and affirming the importance of baptism has me pondering these questions.

What do you you think? Give me your thoughts.