More Than a Rite of Passage

PROPERS: FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD)

TEXT:       MARK 1:4-11                                                

PREACHED AT ST. ST. JOHN’S, PASCAGOULA, ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 7, 2024

 

ONE SENTENCE:        Baptism is the foundational sacrament of the faith and combines four theological fundamentals in its transformational exercise.    

 

            Today is a major feast day in the church year. It commemorates our Lord’s baptism.

 

            But we likely would not be here today if something had not transpired 1,910 years ago.

 

            We can trace the growth of Christianity to that event – the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D.

 

            The Edict of Milan was transformative for the ancient church.  For centuries, Christians had been persecuted by the Roman government for exercising their faith and ignoring the traditional worship of the emperor as a deity.

 

            But Emperor Constantine, who had ascended to his throne in York, England, changed all that.  From 313 forward, the practice of Christianity was legal.  And the floodgates were opened. For the coming centuries, Christianity would be the state religion – for better and for worse.

 

            In coming centuries and in many countries, the power of the state was the power of the church. And the power of the church was the power of the state.  We need only look to the formation of the Anglican Church and the role of Henry VIII to see an example of that.

 

            The truth is this: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

            Yet, there is a little-known fact in those details.  Constantine did not become a Christian until he was on his deathbed. And even then, his baptism reflected the most menial understanding of that profound act.  It is an understanding that continues even today. It is viewed as a get out of jail free card.

 

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            The meaning of baptism that we remember and practice today has various threads deep in the roots of our faith.

 

            The first is conversion.  This was practiced even in Judaism long before Jesus as people, who sought to convert, studied the faith and teachings. After rigorous study, they would be baptized as members of God’s chosen people.Conversion is the first thread.

 

            The second thread is deliverance. This is recalled in the prayer that is the Thanksgiving Over the Water on page 306 of the service of Holy Baptism.  We recall the saving act of God in delivering the Hebrew people through the Red Sea in their flight from Egypt.

 

            We also recall sharing in Christ’s death and rising with him to New Life in his resurrection.  These are the elements of the second thread of baptism – deliverance, out of death into life.

 

            The third element forgiveness of sins.  We hear the story today of John the Baptist’s ministry in the River Jordan.  He was baptizing even the faithful people from the Jewish faith.  But he was baptizing them, not for conversion, but for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. That is the third thread in our Christian baptism – the repentance and forgiveness of sins.

 

            The fourth and final thread of Christian baptism is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is an important aspect in our observance of the sacrament.  The gift of God’s indwelling, animating force in our lives, from the moment of our baptism forever cements our relationship to God. This gift is testified to in the early days of the church, specifically in the Book of Acts.

 

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            Despite his important role in church history, I think it is safe to say that Constantine did not realize the depth of meaning in his deathbed baptism.  Sadly, he likely approached that moment like many people I have discussed baptism with over the years. The span of approaches ranges from a simple Rite of Passage (which it certainly is) to what we could call fire insurance (seeking assurance that the baptismal candidate will avoid the flames of the fiery pit).

 

            It is those things, but so much more.

 

            To summarize it best, look to the rubric which precedes baptism; a rubric found on page 298 in the Book of Common Prayer:

 

Holy Baptism is the full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. 

 

            It is so much more than a special Kodak moment.  It establishes God’s blessing and potentially sets the candidate on a new path.