Baptism as God intended

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 1/8/17

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Scripture Reading:

^NRS  John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." ³ Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" ⁵ Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' ⁸ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ⁹ Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

Good morning and welcome to Baptism Sunday. It is the Sunday when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Christian year. We do this to remember that Jesus went down to the Jordan where John the Baptizer was in order to be baptized. So why did he go? And what does baptism mean? These are the questions that we will try to uncover this morning. No other subject in Christian history has caused more discussion and disagreement than baptism. So often we hear that we are different than other denominations and that those differences are deep and impossible to allow us to come together. Some of them relate to the Sabbath and some relate to the color of the carpet or dimming of lights, but only one differentiates us more than any other. It is the subject of Baptism. Have I been baptized if I have been sprinkled or do I need to be poured over or dunked or do I even need baptism at all.

So what is baptism? As United Methodists, we believe that baptism is a sacrament. In other words, God is the principle player at work in the baptism. That means that as human beings, we simply show up and let God do what God is going to do. Through God’s grace we are incorporated into the Body of Christ through baptism. We are initiated into the Christian church universal and we are commissioned into ministry. And in baptism, the taint of original sin is washed clean from us. Whether that person receives this initiation at a young age or at the age of maturity, it is the gift of God and the work of the Holy Spirit rather than a means of human choice. It is a communal act whereby we the Body of Christ agree to covenant with that individual for life. In the Methodist church we do not baptize individuals individually. We baptize in the community where we covenant together for life. Through the act of baptism we see prevenient grace in action and an exodus from the bondage of original sin. John Wesley wrote that baptism is the act of God who cleanses us of original sin through his divine grace. That our human condition is such that we cannot ourselves be cleansed through our own initiative and it was necessary for God to sacrifice for us in order that we can be cleansed. It is the incorporation into the body of Christ through his church, the universal Christian church in the world. That makes all the baptized of the world our sisters and brothers. In order to receive the blessing of God and enter into heaven, one needs to proclaim their belief in Jesus and begin the transformation process we call Justifying and Sanctifying Grace. This is not the same as baptism. More on that later!

Baptism comes to us from a rich heritage in the Hebrew faith. Baptism comes from the Greek “to cleanse” and is derived from the Hebrew cleansing liturgies that have existed since Moses. When one sins, one must be cleansed of that sin. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament writings, the cleansing or purification process included water or oil. Levites were anointed with oil after having been cleansed with water before entering into the holy of holies. Hebrew's from the time of Moses have cleansed themselves with water to cleanse the taint of sin from them after sacrificing to God. From the earliest days of our knowledge, we have been required by God to sacrifice for our sins and then be cleansed. In the old Testament times we find this reference to anointing in Exodus, the 29^th chapter from the NRSV: “²⁸ These things shall be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons from the Israelites, for this is an offering; and it shall be an offering by the Israelites from their sacrifice of offerings of well-being, their offering to the LORD.  ²⁹ The sacred vestments of Aaron shall be passed on to his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.” We know that when God chose to set aside those whom would serve the people in God’s name, they were anointed. And it might surprise you to know that we are all called to serve. Anointing typically would have been by the sharing of liturgy that included a covenant relationship and the placing, pouring or sprinkling of oil and/ or water over that person. This anointing symbolized as an outward sign of the inward act of the Holy Spirit on this person.

As time continued in the history of the Hebrew people, anointing of all of the chosen people in one form or another took place. Often this would have occurred at the circumcision ceremony for young men and at or about the same time for young women, within the first few years of their birth. And then at the age of maturity they would come to the temple for Bar Mitzvah, or the coming of age, when children are considered to be adults and the covenant relationship with God truly begins. As part of the cleansing rituals before entering into a temple Hebrew people would come and wash themselves. Often this would be in pools located just outside the temple in which they would wash themselves, sometimes immersing themselves in order to be cleansed and purified.

When it comes to baptism, there are two questions that are asked more than any other. “Do I need to be baptized?” And the other is, “I was baptized when I was an infant and so do I need to be immersed to be saved?” The first question is interesting. The answer really depends on where you are in your spiritual journey. Have you given your life to Christ, professing your faith in him as Lord and Savior? If the answer is yes I have, then the answer to the baptism question is that you probably do not need to be baptized. But with a caveat! Even Jesus was baptized as an obedience of faith. Did he need to be baptized? Probably not in the sense that he had committed no sin but some scholars would suggest that being born human meant that he too was born with the taint of original sin. And in that he could be tempted just as we are. In fact we believe Jesus to be fully human, experiencing the sorrows and joys we do, but also the temptations that we experience. John the Baptizer comes onto the scene and most scholars would point to Mark’s belief that he is the “voice in the wilderness” that comes to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. Early drawings of John the Baptist show him standing in the waters of the Jordan River, baptizing those who had come to receive forgiveness as they repented of their sins. Into this picture comes Jesus. Many will ask why Jesus would need to be baptized. The answer may lie in our understanding of obedience more than necessity. That we believe Jesus to be pure of sin goes without saying. So Jesus, out of a sense of obedience to the will of God, comes to be baptized. And in that sets the example for you and me to be baptized. Do you need to be baptized if you have Jesus in your heart, have committed your life to him and are being transformed by the Holy Spirit? Probably not, but to follow Jesus lead is not a bad way to go. 

The second question has divided denominations. It focuses more on an understanding of baptism than on the method even though it is the method of baptism that is at issue. When we look back at the cleansing rituals of the early Hebrew people, they were done a variety of ways, including self-immersion prior to entering into the Temple. But we also know from historical evidence that a shell was used to pour water over the heads of those being Baptized (see By the Water and the Spirit by Gayle Felton). Felton tells us, “Sprinkling expresses both the imagery of cleansing (Ezekiel 36:25-27) and of setting apart for service of God (Exodus 29:21)”[i] We also see evidence in Acts that baptism was for the whole family. Our understanding of infant baptism comes from this scriptural reference and infant baptism was practiced in early Christian circles. In Baptism remember that we believe that God is at work. And because baptism is an act of God, not an act of humans, the method and the age are not relevant to the practice. In fact, it was not until the 1600’s with the Anabaptist that the method of baptism became a dividing issue. So whether you were baptized as an infant, a young adult or an adult and whether you were baptized by immersion, sprinkling or pouring, God did not make a mistake in your baptism and it does not need to be redone a certain way. The second part of the question relates to salvation. Baptism does not provide our salvation. Our profession of faith, whether at the time of baptism or at the time of confirmation in the Methodist church, proclaims for the world that we have accepted Jesus in our life. It is that moment that we accept the gift that God is offering to us and it is only through that grace that we inherit the gift of eternal life. But it is not a single event in our lifetime, but the event begins a lifetime of faith. As United Methodist people we believe at that moment we are justified and we continue to transform through the power of the Holy Spirit towards perfection.

Today we have the opportunity to remember our baptism. What God has done does not need to be redone. Baptism is God’s grace, an outward sign of an inward spiritual change. And so today you may come forward and dip your hands in the water, place water on your forehead of simply remember that God’s grace has prevailed in your life. I asked earlier if you knew that you only had a short time till you stood before Jesus if that would change how you are leading your life. Today is a day of new beginnings, new commitments and renewal of your life.

---

[i] Felton, Gayle, 2006, By Water and the Spirit, page 20

I'm a Christian - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 Methodist History

Methodism began in a quiet way with a group of young students in Oxford, among them William Morgan, John and Charles Wesley. As a group they would study the bible diligently and formed a group that held each other accountable. Their fellow students called them “the Methodical People” and the name stuck. They would become the first Methodist. At that time, none of the group wanted to start a new denomination, rather, that they like Martin Luther to the Roman Catholic Church would re-ignite the Episcopal Church in evangelism to the poor and the people of the streets. So often we understand that John Wesley led these early students. But in truth it was William Morgan. He would die, most likely from pneumonia at an early age and at that moment John stepped into to fill his role as leader of this early group. John traveled to Georgia in 1736 on mission to the American Indians there and failed. On his return he met a group of Armenians and was impressed by their faith in the midst of a storm at sea. He returned to England and there at Aldersgate on May 24^th, 1738 he writes in his journal, "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.  About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” And so it began that a movement to reclaim Grace and Passion and Evangelistic fire starts with a strange warming of the heart. Organized Methodism in England has been credited with saving England from a revolution and is held as partially responsible for the eradication of slavery.

In America, the Methodist movement was spreading throughout the colonies and beyond. Something important happened that changed everything. While England was in the midst of a great revival, America was in the midst of the revolutionary war. And after it ended, successfully for America I might add things English were viewed with distaste and distrust. And so the power of the Episcopal Church ebbed. But the Methodist movement continued to grow and thrive. Early leaders of the movement in America were Robert Strawbridge, Philip Embury, Richard Boardman, Joseph Pilmore and then Francis Asbury, the latter sent by John Wesley in 1771. Our first Annual Conference was held in 1773 in Philadelphia and the folks agreed to bring the sacraments to the people. Then in 1784, what became known as the Christmas Conference took place in Baltimore. Just prior to this John Wesley had sent over Thomas Coke to assist Asbury in the movement. But at this conference Coke and Asbury (from which came the name Cokesbury) declared themselves Bishops and the movement became “The Methodist Episcopal Church in America.” As a denomination we were born. Meanwhile, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was formed by Philip Otterbein with German speaking people who were nurtured under the Methodist teaching. About the same time, Jacob Albright founded the Evangelical Association.

As the country grew, so too did the early Methodist church. Early preachers were called “Circuit Riders” because they would meet once a quarter, get a new coat, a new horse, share stories and discuss their faith, and then set out to serve the roughly 120 churches on the Circuit. Over the decades the church has split, united, spun off a number of new denominations and continues to this day to be a vital part of the American religious experience. Listed below are some of the important dates and information about the church as we know it from our history.

·         1784 – Becomes Methodist Episcopal Church of America

·         1800 – Church of the United Brethren in Christ is formed

·         1803 – Evangelical Association is formed

·         1816 – African Methodist Episcopal Church is formed

·         1821 – African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is formed

·         1830 – Methodist church splits and forms Methodist Protestant Church

·         1845 – Methodist church splits again and forms Methodist Episcopal Church South over issue of Slavery

·         1939 – Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestant Church and Methodist Episcopal Church South united to form Methodist Church       

·         1946 – Evangelical Church and United Brethren Church unite and form Evangelical United Brethren Church

·         1968 – Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church unite to become United Methodist Church

Some of the significant events in the life of our church:

·         African Americans were ordained in the church in 1784

·         Churches were centered around Sunday Schools that taught between Pastoral visits which were about every three months. At that time baptisms, communion and often marriages were done by the Circuit Rider.

·         Methodist Protestant Church gave laity equal representation at Conference – 1830

·         United Brethren ordained woman 1889

The Virginia United Methodist Conference

The Virginia Conference, one of the oldest conferences of the United Methodist church, traces its beginnings back to 1772, when 800 preachers met in Leesburg, Virginia at the site of the “Old Stone Church”, built in 1766.  There are records of an early Methodist Class in Hanover, Virginia as early as 1748.  Appointments to the Virginia Circuit are listed in the conference records of 1773, where Virginia is recorded as having 100 members.  In 1775, Francis Asbury received appointment to the Virginia Circuit and would spend the next 10 years growing the membership.  By 1780, established churches of the Church of England were either no longer operating in Virginia, or in financial trouble.  Methodism would take advantage of this both in membership and use of the facilities left behind.    The first recognized official Virginia conference was organized in May of 1785, under the direction of conference president, Francis Asbury.  The first official conference would take place at Mason’s Chapel in Brunswick County where it would be recorded there were 14 circuits in southern Virginia and North Carolina.

Significant events in the history of the conference are:

• First conference on Virginia soil – Leesburg Conference 1772
• Fluvanna Conference – 28 April 1779 to discuss dissenting view on sacraments
• Conference officially organized, Francis Asbury Bishop, May 1785
• William Watters, resident of Norfolk, appointed as preacher, first American born Methodist Minister
• The first division of American Methodism occurred in 1792 when James O’ Kelley would split the church over political and appointment issues.  The new church, Christian Church would eventually combine with the New England Congregational Church to form the Church of Christ in 1950.
• The first General conference of the Virginia Episcopal Church, South took place on May 1, 1846
• Just recently the Conference reduced from 18 districts to 16 under the leadership of Bishop Charlene Kammerer.

Questions:

1.    How does the history of our church help you understand the differences, similarities in denominations throughout the world?

2.    Was John Wesley right in his ordination of the early Preachers he sent to America?

3.    How do you feel church splits remind us of current events in society and the world?

4.    What do you feel is the future of the United Methodist church?

My Eyes are Opened - Epiphany Sunday

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 1/1/17

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^NRS Luke 24:13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" ¹⁹ He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²² Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." ²⁵ Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. ²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"

I want to welcome you to Epiphany Sunday and it seems appropriate that it would fall on the 1^st day of January this year with Christmas falling on a Sunday as well. Epiphany is a sudden recognition of truth, a fact previously out of our reach that suddenly comes into our mind. It is that moment when we realize or remember something we have been struggling with. I’ve often wondered what it must have been like to travel with Jesus. Can you imagine for a moment seeing the miracles, seeing the healing, hearing the teaching first hand and realizing that you are in the presence of God? I suspect that these two men were disciples who have been with Jesus for some time. They had heard him teach and they had seen his miracles and sadly, they had witnessed the events in Jerusalem that week. I can’t help but wonder at those who witnessed his grand entrance into the city with all the celebration and excitement. It was as if you could feel the gladness in the air and the coming of a new world order that was going to change everything. Haven’t you felt this way? Experiencing something new that promises to change the world around you and you are caught up in the excitement and celebration and anticipation? But what if like the disciples, the changes are not what you had expected. Would the promise of what is to come be overwhelmed by the let down you feel that you too would travel home dejected and depressed, saddened by the unexpected turn of events? Sometimes we get so focused on the little details of something that we completely miss the big picture benefits. There are some that would suggest that we suffer this kind of depression after every election in this country.

Think with me for a moment about these two disciples who are on their way home, to a little town Emmaus. What we know is that they either witnessed the death of Christ on the cross or were in the city when it happened for they have knowledge of it when talking to Jesus. And we also know that they have knowledge of Mary's account of the tomb so we can believe that we are in the evening of the third day, after the resurrection. From Mark's account in the 16^th chapter we know that the disciples heard Mary's account and still did not believe. We know that Peter and John came to the tomb and went away wondering. What little faith they had at that moment. What little faith we have in this moment.  And these two were headed home. We can almost hear their thoughts like they will never return to Jerusalem as part of this group they shared time with, this group we call disciples. We do not know how long they were part of the group, when they began their journey or even what they may have seen personally. What we do know, is that they have lost hope in the world that they have been a part of for some time prior to this conversation. You can hear it in their voices as they describe the events that have taken place. But before we get somewhat ahead of ourselves, let me pose a question to you?  

If you were one of these two and you know the events of the last three days, what would your thoughts be? Would you be in a terrible depression or maybe having a significant feeling of sorrow and loss? Can you imagine for a moment that maybe, these two were part of the original disciples from the beginning of the ministry and that they had been following Jesus for the whole three years. So we know that for three years, they had given their lives to this new ministry and the chance that this indeed was the Messiah who had been prophesized. Put in your mind something that you had given your life towards. Maybe it is a job, maybe it is a person but something that you have given up something for so that you can pursue a life with it, whatever it is. The anticipation of that new life, the feeling of what that new life would be like and anxious to get started. And then the unthinkable happens. Everything that you had anticipated happening had somehow, come to a senseless screeching halt and you were at a complete loss as to what to do next. See, I think that is exactly where these two disciples are at the very moment when we encounter them in the story. And I often wonder why they missed it. If we study the text of Isaiah, we see that God spelled it out for them in great detail. Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will be a man who grew up among them having no form or majesty. Jesus in many ways was just a man like any other man. He was despised and rejected just as Isaiah had promised. He bore our sins on the cross; he was in fact wounded for our transgressions. His grave was with the wicked and his tomb was with the rich. Truly he hung on the cross with criminals and was placed in a tomb of a rich man. His death and resurrection has made us all righteous and he bore our iniquities. Right out of the book of Isaiah. So why could they not see and understand? They should have been jubilant that God’s Messiah had come.

The story tells that suddenly there was a stranger with them. I find this interesting enough to ponder it for a while. First of all, they know Jesus to look at him and yet here he is and they don’t know him. So he had somehow caused them not to be able to see him. And second of all they have heard him speak. I wonder if he was testing them to see if all that he had taught them was evident in their lives. The scriptures tell us that God will from time to time test us to see if we are practicing the lives we claim to be living. And so it makes me wonder if Jesus was testing them to see if they had gotten all that he had taught them. And then it also may be that Jesus was preparing them, preparing them to begin their ministry that he had built within them, lesson by lesson. I have shared with you before that in 1^st century Israel, to invite someone to dinner was a huge deal. In fact, if we were to go back fifty years, inviting someone that you had just met to dinner might well have led to lifetime relationships. And so it was in Jesus day that when someone invited someone to a meal, they meant it to be much more than just the sharing of food. These two disciples have learned from Jesus teaching and they have shared food with him, maybe they were with him on the mountain side when he shared fish and bread with 5000. But we gather from the conversation that they were saddened by the events of Jesus passing, that they were confused by what had happened and were trying to set it in their hearts in the right place.

And it tells us that Jesus broke bread with them, just as we will do this morning and in that instant, their eyes were opened. I wonder if the prophecy of Isaiah was laid bare before them so they could see it, hear it and experience it. It is a unique phrase that we find in other places in the scriptures. God opened up the eyes of Ishmael’s mother to the water that she found in the middle of the desert. And Adam and Eve had their eyes opened to sin, good and evil, when they tasted from the fruit of the tree of life. And now, the two disciples had their eyes opened.

Why now?

Maybe it was because we could not see the truth in Jesus words until the cross when sin had been paid for and eternity was now part of our inheritance. And maybe we are the same way.

Where are you this morning?

Are you here with your eyes open to the Word of God?

Are you here because it is Easter Sunday and this is where I am supposed to be?

What will it take to have our eyes opened this morning?

Jesus taught us how to live, how to love and how to know when God is present. And Jesus made us a promise, a promise of eternal life that is now ours for the taking. It only requires us to believe, to see without having to physical see, to live lives in a certain way without any other reason than our faith. It is not saying we believe but living like we believe. The price has been paid for our lives, the cross has shed our blood with his and the tomb is empty because death has no hold on us. Let us open our eyes and believe. And then open our hearts and live. The tomb is empty this morning. Christ is risen! Are you willing to be lifted up with him?