The Sacraments II, Baptism
March 24, 2010
Dr. Elliot Engle (is he still at NC State?) credits Charles Dickens with the invention of the “serial” form of literature, which led to “soap operas” (!). Dickens fashioned monthly installments of “The Pickwick Papers” in London. His method was to leave readers eagerly awaiting the next exciting episode – at least one literal “cliff hanger” was involved, thus coining that phrase from then until now. Of interest to me is Engle’s claim that Dickens wrote in desperation, under deadlines, and without much direction as to where he was going. Discriminating readers may get why I take comfort in that…
This summer, the weekly “Day In The Life” columns have become a kind of “serial,” as we move through a variety of themes central to our worship life. I have yet to develop that just right cliff-hanging moment, but I’m working on it.
Last week, I named the first of our sacraments, holy communion, today I take up the second, baptism. Not exactly cliff-hanging, unless we take into account that in the matter of the first there was betrayal, a tortured death, and a resurrection, and in the second, the near death experience of those who have gone before. No? If one stays under water… well!
As with communion (Do this!), baptism was instituted by Jesus, here, the Risen One: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). If that sounds to you like “The Great Commandment,” you heard rightly.
I’ve had a good time with visiting Baptists as we view together our “Baptist” window – John the Baptizer (east side of sanctuary) is pouring a bit of water on Jesus’ head. They’re convinced Jesus was immersed in the Jordan River, and hardly regard our window as convincing evidence to the contrary. For us, it’s a big tent: we do immerse, more commonly, a handful of water suffices. As we understand this to be God’s business, and God’s initiative, and God’s gracious gift, the amount of water is not paramount in our Wesleyan theology. Nor do we insist on infant baptism, but simply open the way to celebrate God’s goodness from the earliest moments of life.
What is important for us is that God is at work. We name that, we celebrate that, and lay claim to that through water, as primal and ancient a symbol as there is available to us. Our liturgy names the waters of creation, the nurturing waters of the womb, the delivering waters of the great flood. Water becomes the sign that connects us with both birth and rebirth, where we are both born of water and born of the Spirit.
Baptism marks us as children of God, a part of the people of God. We wear that new identity from that moment on, and forevermore. It has been described as “initiation” and as “adoption.” Homework: what is your favorite metaphor?
Pastor Steve