Sermons:
A Day of New Beginnings,
Genesis 1:1-5 (& Mark 1:4-11),
by Rev. Randy Quinn
God
is on the Loose! Mark 1:4-11 by Rev. Rick
Thompson
God's in-breaking, Mark 1:4-11, by Doug in Riverside
Driven into the Wilderness, Mark 1: 9 - 15, by DG Bradley
Journeying, Mark 1: 9 - 15, by John in Oz
Whom Do You Trust?, Mark 1: 9 - 15, author unknown
. . . Into The Wilderness, Mark 1: 9 -
15, by Rev. Thomas N. Hall
More related Sermons (off lectionary):
____________________________________________________________
Understanding Baptism
A sermon based on Mark 1:4-11
Rev. Karen A. Goltz
About a hundred years ago, a baby born in
England, Lucille by name, was taken by her maternal grandmother to the
local Wesleyan chapel to be baptized. Lucy’s father, a sturdy Anglican,
was skeptical about the whole proceeding since the Church of England
does not regard Methodist clergy as being in the apostolic succession.
So he took Lucy to the Anglican church where she was baptized again. Now
Lucy’s mother was a convert to the Salvation Army and didn’t think much
of either the Wesleyans or the Anglicans. So she took Lucy to the local
citadel for presentation under the banner of blood and fire—the
Salvationist counterpart to baptism.
In time the family emigrated to the Midwestern United States. The
community they moved into had neither an Episcopal Church nor an Army
Citadel; so the family attended the Methodist Church. As a teenager,
Lucy joined a class of those preparing to take the vows of church
membership. Now it happened that the pastor was one of those mavericks
who looks upon the practices of his own denomination with disapproval,
and regards the baptism of infants as a misguided tradition. He
therefore decreed that all in the class had to be “truly baptized” at
the font on the day of their vows. Lucy’s mother discovered what was
afoot and said, “Absolutely not. Three times is enough for anyone.” But
Lucy was a good psychologist and knew that once her mother was seated in
church, she would not make a scene. When the rest of the group went to
the font, so did Lucy.
Now it came to pass that some years later Lucy fell in love with, and
married, a Southern Baptist—but not without extracting from him a pledge
that she need not be baptized yet again. He agreed that she was quite
sufficiently initiated into the church, and all was well—until they
moved to a community where they attended a Baptist Church that was in
need of a pianist. Lucy loved to play, and seemed to be a providential
gift to the congregation. But, ruled the deacons solemnly and
steadfastly, unimmersed hands may not play the Lord’s songs for us. And
so, for the fifth time, Lucy was initiated into Christ’s church. [From
Baptism: Christ’s Act in the Church by Laurence Hull Stokey; Abingdon
Press, 1982]
I don’t know if Lucy deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World
Records or not, but her story is a helpful one when dealing with some of
the confusion that surrounds the practice of baptism. Who can properly
baptize? Is one denomination’s baptism more authentic than another? Is
the water really necessary, or should it be a more spiritual experience?
Does a person have to be a certain age and consent to it? Does the
manner or amount of water matter? Can or should a person be re-baptized?
And what exactly does baptism do, anyway?
Let’s start with that last question and go from there. What does baptism
do? In today’s gospel, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and
people were coming to confess and be washed clean of their sins. I think
a lot of the misunderstandings we have today stem from John’s baptism.
It would suggest that a person must be able to repent, i.e. recognize
their sins and want to turn away from them. That would mean that infants
shouldn’t be baptized because they’re not capable of making their
confession. It would also suggest that baptism washes away a person’s
sinfulness, and that once you’re baptized you’re forever clean from the
stain of sin, and its consequences. [continue]
|
