Holy Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism resides at the heart of Christian unity. Baptism has his roots, all the way back into ancient Israel and the people of God. 
- Fr. Jack's prelude to William's baptism

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From the Book of Common Prayer:
In Holy Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which candidates are baptized “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness, through union with Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-11). 

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KEY TOPICS
Holy Baptism, Sacrament of Baptism, Unity of God’s People, Baptized by Jesus, Temple of Holy Spirit Wash Away Sinfulness, Real Presence, church, holy, coming, Water of Baptism, John the Baptist, Faith and Grace, Ancient Israel, Life, Participating Together, Purifying the Heart, Initiation Rite of the Church

Lord, this is the day that you have made. And we rejoice and we are glad to join you in the midst of it. We thank You, Lord, for Your presence here among us, for your Holy Spirit that indwells us. And we thank you for this Holy Sacrament of Baptism, in by which our lives are joined forever with you and with one another. And we pray now, Lord, that You would come and certify your presence here today. And Speak to our hearts touch us, Lord, we pray with your love. In this hour, in your holy name we pray. Amen. Please be seated.
 
Welcome, welcome. Once again, welcome to all of William's family and friends who are joining us. Welcome to our visitors. Welcome to all out there on live stream. We're delighted to have you with us as well. This is a wonderful day a day of rejoicing a day when we get to once again celebrate the liturgy, the sacrament of Holy Baptism. I think that the opening portions of the liturgy really just invite us right in to what God is doing here in our midst this morning. one faith, one Lord, one, baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism resides at the very heart of Christian unity of oneness with God, and with one another. He binds together, the people of God, it binds us together, as the family of God as the family of Ascension. But beyond that, and into the family of the whole church. It binds us together as the people of God into one community. One church joined together as followers of Jesus down through the ages and on into eternity forever and ever.
 
Today, we are blessed to participate together in this sacrament, this sacrament of Holy Baptism, as William comes to be baptized this morning, he is coming in faith. He is bringing the faith within his heart, to declare that to the Lord and, and to offer his obedience and his faithfulness to God. He is coming with expectation. And as we shall or should as well with the expectation of God's grace, that is flowing through the waters of baptism. And we join with him as his church family, with our resounding welcome into the family of God into this oneness into this unity, which is created in the sacrament of baptism.
 
So baptism is a common part of our life together as a community as the people of God, as the church is a common portion. It's at the very bedrock at the heart of our unity. As I said, As Christians, we also follow Jesus and his directions, his commandment to go and what baptize, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and the name of the Father, the Son, Holy Spirit. And William is coming as a disciple, which really literally means learner, a learner, of Jesus, a learner of God's Holy Word, a learner of God's presence of His Holy Spirit is life. And he is coming to be baptized, to to join his heart and his life, together with God.
 
We we hold baptism as as a common part of our life together in the church, but we don't often take much time to talk about the meaning of baptism. So let's take some time this morning to think about just what is happening here. In this mystery, this holy mystery that we're participating in, what are we participating in here together this morning with William? How is the Holy Spirit of God present and participating with us also, as we come in a few moments around the baptismal font and welcome the newly baptized into the church. There are three qualities or characteristics I want to just reflect on for a minute, before we actually come to the waters of baptism. First, a little bit about the roots of baptism. Where does baptism come? Where did it begin? How did this whole thing get started. And secondly, just a little thought about baptism as a sacrament. How is this a sacrament in the life of the church. And finally, just the characteristic of baptism as being the sort of the rite of initiation, the entryway into the community of faith into the church, over on our old campus, and this is common in the Anglican churches, we used to have the baptismal font set where, by the door, by the entryway, symbolically indicating that this is the door, this is the way in, this is the entrance into the family of God.
 
So the roots of baptism, the sacrament of baptism, and the initiation, how it initiates those into our family.
 
Baptism has its roots, all the way back, way back, even before Jesus back through the Old Testament back to the very tabernacle that they used to set up in the desert, the people of Israel, baptism has roots in the worship of ancient Israel, and the center of that worship, first the tabernacle, and then the temple. Remember the temple in Jerusalem, and in the in the entry way in the doorway, when you came in the entry point into the temple, there was set basins of water. And those who would come in then would would take time and they would purify themselves as they came in to the presence of God. It was set up there for purification. But this this is not my say purification. This is not like, Oh, I'm coming in, I gotta wash my hands, you know, got a little grit on my hands, wash my feet, it's kind of dirty. No, think about what's happening. We're coming into the temple, the dwelling place of God, the Holy God, we're coming into His presence, and and the Water God set up in a sacramental manner, to wash, to purify the heart, to purify the soul, to put away sinfulness and the purification, as as they would enter in, to pray humbly, with, for God's grace, to wash away their sins that every impunity that the world had impinged upon.
 
And as William comes today, and the water is poured over him, is there, the effect of the Holy Spirit is to wash away and to purify him from all sinfulness from all the the ways the world that have tried to cling to Him, because He comes in faith, he comes in humility, to present himself to the Lord. And so once there's the you, if there was this purifying of the heart, then the person would enter in to the worship, then we can come into the presence of God, into the Holy of Holies. We are the place where heaven and earth touch. And so baptism has its roots way back in the worship of ancient Israel.
 
Now, by the time of the New Testament, but by time that Jesus arrives or just prior to Jesus arriving, who comes on the scene, John the Baptist, okay, John the Baptist, you know, that he's, that's his name, the baptizer. He's gonna take baptism, like to another level, because by that time, when it happened in the temple, it did become worldly itself. It became a place of worldly power and religious striving and trying to make money.
 
The whole purpose then, of this purification was being being forfiet  it was being polluted. So, God anointed John as a prophet by the power of the Holy Spirit, to to revive to renew baptism, and to call the people out from the world to call them out, even from religion, that we had taken over worldly ways taken on worldly ways, and to call them out into To the wilderness into God's creation, there's a special presence of God and His creation isn't there in the stars and the heavens and in the mountains and in the rivers and streams. And John called the people to come out, come out of the world come out of this religion, that's gone. apostate, come out into the pure presence of God and be baptized in the river, Jordan. And it was an amazing, actually an amazing revival that took place in John's, John's time 1000s upon 1000s, came out to be baptized by John in the Jordan. And you see what what's happening here is, he's, as I said, baptism is an initiation into the community, John is preparing them to come into a new community, a new community of God's people, that is gathered around a temple not made with stones, but a living temple, Jesus Christ Himself. He is the living temple of God, as he walked on the earth.
 
John begins to revive and renew baptism. And the entire intention, once again is the washing away of sinfulness. Repentance, which means to turn around, to turn from the ways of the world to turn from the ways of our flesh, to with humility, come back to God and join our lives with him. Jesus, even Jesus was baptized, when by John in the Jordan River. And then once Jesus is baptized, then he moves on to complete the transformation and turn baptism into a sacrament, a sacramental connection with God, he completes the full meaning of holy baptism for all those who follow Him, transforming Holy Baptism, into a Holy Sacrament, his disciples began almost immediately to baptize in his name, welcoming more into this new community, Jesus remember, and his time as he's physically present, is the living temple of God. And he's gathering and those who God is calling into this new community gathered around his person coming to Him in faith, like John's baptism, that this baptism continues to be an act of repentance, a moment of turning, as I said, from the sinfulness of the world. It's not just a ritual. It is a inward spiritual reality that's taking place. As those are baptized, they've come to faith in Jesus, and they are baptized, they are changed inwardly. And outward visible sign the waters of baptism are an outward visible sign of an inward spiritual reality. Amen. That's like the classic definition by the way of a sacrament, the outward visible sign of an inward spiritual reality.
 
The Sacrament of Baptism. Our lives are touched by the presence of God, in the midst of this act of faith that William is taking today. And that by extension, by the way, all of us, I think, almost all of us here have been baptized or if you're waiting that you'll have you'll be next on the list. Just let me know. This, in the midst of this act of faith, what happens? Jesus comes, the Holy Spirit comes, God is using the water in a sacramental manner as a conduit.
 
William is coming in faith and God is using the water, he's infusing the water with his presence with His love with his power. You could sum it up by saying the grace of God is flowing through the water of baptism, a sacramental conduit through these, these conduits through the water of baptism through the the wine and the bread of Holy Communion. God touches our lives. He puts His grace and His love into our hearts and into our lives. And especially in this moment of baptism, we are made one it is the heart of Christian unity, we are joined together and with the, with a connection with God that can never be broken a oneness, we indwelt by the Spirit, one with God, one with one another. In this moment of baptism, our connection with God is enhanced, it is magnified. There's a quantum leap, any physics guys here, entendres here, Quantum Leap, you can explain that to us all after service and copier. It's a little electron pulsing, they go to another level. And when they do what happens? They shoot off the light, photons,and energy is released. William is about to go and have a quantum leap here this morning.
 
Light, God is going to shoot out. He's going from dialogue to cable. From an old landline to an iPhone. This connection of God is going to be magnified, lifted up. Did you like that? I have to have some. It says here, try this maybe humorous. But you know, in truth I, I kind of see baptism that way. You know we we we can have we can even have faith in God and be following God and have a connection with God. But something in the sacrament a Baptism that just it just gets totally magnified. And all of a sudden it's like, wow, that's God's voice. This is his direction. This is the calling. It is dial up to cable. So on baptism, we are incorporated into the body of Christ and the sacrament of baptism is in the sacraments. Heaven is opened, and having an earth touch. And God touches us tangibly, with his presence with his immanence, that's a theological term meaning God is present here in this world. And how wonderful that God has chosen elements of his very creation, for this purpose, very water, that is the the most common element on the earth.
 
So the roots of baptism go back to ancient Israel, the sacrament of baptism, transforms and enhances our connection with God in a way that can never be taken away or changed. And baptism then is the initiation into the community. Like that purification. In ancient Israel, baptism is the way in to the temple. Jesus, when he was here, when he was physically present, he was the temple. His body literally was the temple. Now he is ascended into heaven. And the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the church. And we have become the temple. You've heard me say this many times, as we gather together, we are living stones, see all the stones that are holding up this temple in here, which one is you? I take all of them to support and to hold the temple together. We are now the temple, the church, the living stones of God. So baptism is the then the means by which a new member a New Living Stone is grafted in is Masoned into the wall. What's the metaphor I'm trying to use? Finds the place in the temple of God.
 
In the early church. Those who are preparing for baptism, baptism are called catechumen. And in certain sense, William is a catechumen here today and the kind of came in late sometimes prepare for as long as two years and then be baptized, welcomed into the community on Easter vigil and then come to receive their First Communion. And that's what William is going to be participating in. This morning. Once he's baptized, he is going to come then and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, his first community so now this morning, we are welcoming him as he participates and we're participating participating with him in this second Middle moment. Holy Baptism is a vital part of our life together as followers of Jesus. In this sacrament, God uses the most common element on Earth, that is water, as the means of connecting our life with him as the conduit of His grace, His love, His presence, His glory. In in joining our lives, in common with him, and in common with each other symbolically, we are baptized, then into the the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus himself, and his grace. As it says in Second Timothy here this morning, this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus.
 
"This grace, that we're living in participating in this morning, was given to us in Christ Jesus, before the ages began, and it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the temple, the living temple of God, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
 
 This is the gospel, the baptism, baptism of Holy, Holy Sacrament of God and coming into His presence and in an sh. Then joining our lives with Jesus for all eternity, he accomplished that he put away sinfulness. That's what we're doing this morning, we're washing away sinfulness. We're coming up. It's as if William will rebaptised into the, into the waters into the watery grave with Jesus and burial and then raise them up again in new life, and his true new identity in the kingdom of God.
 
The Sacrament of Baptism resides at the heart of Christian unity. Baptism has his roots, all the way back into ancient Israel and the people of God. From the very beginning of the community of God's people, Jesus fulfilled the ancient right and transformed baptism into a Holy Sacrament, the means of initiation of incorporation into the church. And so now then, let us welcome William as he comes to the waters of baptism to be washed, be connected with God, and to come forth in the true identity that God has made him and let us welcome him as he comes in to be baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.