More Than Just Getting Wet: Sermon Matthew 3:13-17

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

I want to start out this morning with a question. Do you remember your baptism? This might seem like an odd question because it is something that most of us probably do not think about very often. Some of you might not remember it at all because you were infants at the time. Some of you might have been in this very church. Some of you might have been a church camp or at VBS. Some of you might have been baptized in a church or in the creek. Wherever it might have been our baptism is an important moment in our Christian journey, it signifies a starting point, a place from which we begin our journey of sanctification.

Baptism is held sacred among almost all Christian denominations. It is one of two sacraments recognized by the protestant church. We cherish the sacrament of baptism it is full of grace and beauty. Through the ceremony of baptism we welcome new members into our community and family. It is a beautiful thing. However, nothing else causes more controversy and division than baptism. It is a subject that can get two people from different denominations up and fighting. We concern ourselves with the method of baptism. Should baptism be full immersion only, or is pouring and sprinkling acceptable? There are questions of who can baptize, should it be an ordained pastor or could a lay person baptize? Where should baptism take place? Should it be only in the church or can it be done outside the sanctuary? These are questions that divide Christians to the very core. It causes riffs in churches and even in families. One act that should bring us together is one thing that drives us apart. Perhaps to alleviate some of the questions and controversies that go along with baptism we should go back and explore the basics of baptism. Let us look at the origins of baptism, the spiritual and theological meaning behind the physical act of baptism and see how baptism is more than just getting wet.

Many Christian believe that the idea behind baptism began as a Christian invention, which all began with John the Baptist. This is not necessarily accurate. The idea of a ritual bathing, which in a sense is part of what baptism is comes from the Jewish tradition. In order for the people to be ceremonially clean they had to go through a series of bathing. This ritual bathing was adopted and changed by John the Baptist and then used by the Christian Church.

In our story from Matthew John is baptizing in the Jordan River for the repentance of sins. This is still the case for today. Part of baptism is the remission and repentance from sin and sinful behavior. In the United Methodist Hymnal, candidates for baptism are asked if they renounce spiritual forces of wickedness and reject the evil powers in this world and repent of your sin. They are also asked if they accept the freedom that God offers them. This is a tradition that stems from the repentant baptism of John. Baptism in this sense begins a new life and ends an old one. Baptism is the first stage of a new life in Christ and in the Christian community. Baptism is out with the old and in with the new. Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians that those who are in Christ are new creations they have died to this world and are born again in Christ. This is a magnificent change that is symbolized in the act of baptism.

This brings up an interesting question, what causes this change? Is it the ceremony itself, is it the water? If so then is water from the Jordan River better than water from the Richland Creek. There are plenty of places on the Internet that will ship you Jordan River for a nominal fee. Does the amount of water matter? This is where a lot of the controversy resides. Should one be fully immersed? I am sure we have friends and neighbors who would say yes. Baptism is only to be done by full immersion, going down into the water represents death and one rises again with Christ. Of course there are those denominations who say different that pouring and sprinkling are acceptable. What kind of baptism did Jesus have? We don’t know it does not state specifically. Some biblical archeologists say that the place where John was baptizing was only 18 inches deep which would not be enough water for full immersion.

What about the person doing the baptizing? Is one person better than another? This was a controversy in the early Church. Those who were baptized by Paul or one of the apostles considered themselves better than others. Paul speaks of this in I Corinthians. He tells how the Christians in Corinth were dividing themselves up by who baptized them. In our church today, is a baptism by a bishop better than one by a local pastor? Is a baptism in a big beautiful cathedral better than one in a simple church?

The answer to all of these questions is no. The water does not matter. It could be water from the Jordan or water from the tap because it is not the water that does the work. It is the Holy Spirit. It does not matter if you use a pool’s worth of water or a cup full, it is not the water that does the work, but the Spirit. It does not matter who is doing the baptizing, a bishop or a pastor because it is not the person there that does the work it is the Spirit. If baptism were a human means of salvation then it might matter. If it was of human origins then it might matter. If it was the water or the person doing the baptism that does the work then it might matter. Because it is God doing the work through the Holy Spirit it does not matter where you are, what water you use, or how much water you use. What matters is the grace of God that flows within the heart of the new believer that is what does the work. It is the grace of God that cleanses the soul of sin, it is the grace of God that allows the Holy Spirit to take its place within our hearts, it is the grace of God that sets our feet on a new path of righteousness. Baptism is first and foremost spiritual, the human ceremony we perform is just a reenactment of the spiritual change that is already taking place. It is not the water that does the work it is the Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit, this is the true baptism. This is where the change takes place, in the heart.

If the work is just spiritual then why even bother with the human ceremony? Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It is not required for salvation, but it is a public acknowledgement and celebration of what has taken place on the inside. It also means we have inclusion into the Church. When we are baptized we join a community of baptized believers. We worship together, we love together, we rejoice together, we mourn together, we support one another, and we hold each other accountable. This is the Church this is what we united with in water baptism.

So why does Jesus get baptized? He did not need a baptism of repentance because he was without sin. He does not need John’s baptism. Instead Jesus begins the new baptism, that of the Holy Spirit. Matthew states, ¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” It was not the water that changed everything it was the Holy Spirit descending upon him, this becomes the true baptism. Jesus is fulfilling what God had sent him to accomplish. People call Pentecost the birth of the Church and in certain ways this is true. However, I believe that part of the Church was created that day in the Jordan River. The community of baptized believers began with Jesus himself. In that moment, Jesus gave life to the community that he would later die for. This moment is the spark that ignites the Church.

Do you remember you baptism? If not your water baptism, what about your spiritual baptism? This was the moment that you received the Holy Spirit. This was the moment that you united with Christ’s Church. Your water baptism was the outward demonstration of God’s grace working within you. It was more than just getting wet. So, remember you baptism and be thankful.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.