The Baptism of Our Lord
Sunday, 11, January 2004
(Reception of new church members Amy-Jean Fair, Heidi Gunderson, Ernest Harris, Reaffirmation of faith for Jaimie Harris, Transfer of Arlin and Ardis Holtz, Ronald, Peggy, Kathryn and Elizabeth Jensen, Susan Nussbaum-Gay).
Isaiah 42:1-7
Acts 10:34-38
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Psalm 45:2,6-7
Sermon: (Frank Eberhardt)
(Reads Luke 3:15-17, 21-22). "I am well pleased." When you get good grades in school, when you comply with the wishes of the boss at work, people are really pleased with you. They are pleased with the gift, the giver. "Good job." You get nice little compliments. But sometimes the hero of the workplace is the ogre of the family. It's hard for anyone to say, "I am well pleased" with any person's life, as it is in its entirety. Jesus never caused a problem. His whole nature was to love and give and be obedient in everything. He was truly God's beloved son, with whom He was well pleased. The baptism provided a ceremonial cleansing. He became sin for our sake through baptism. Saint Paul said he was the chief of sinners, the original sinner. "I'm the one who wrote the book on sin," he was saying. "I'm unworthy to tie Jesus' shoes." He put on Jesus, "with whom I am well pleased." God looks at us and sees us wearing Jesus.
A long time ago, in Austria, a Hapsburg king died. Pallbearing soldiers knocked on the church door, trying to get the priest to let them in. "Open up in the name of His Apostolic Majesty, the Emperor!" The priest replied, "I do not know him." The soldier knocked again. "Open up in the name of His Most Supreme Majesty!" "I do not know him," the priest replied. The soldier finally replied, "Open up in the name of ______ Hapsburg, a poor, miserable sinner." The priest said, "Come in, my brother."
Bautizo is a word for the dying of fabric. To put permanent colors in it. At the end of 1 Peter, the baptism of the people of God is discussed.
One time, Frank went to a convention and heard a story about a man who had gone to church for 38 years without knowing Jesus as his personal Lord and savior. Frank asks, "What have we been trying to get in your head for 38 years?" The whole time he'd been trying to communicate how you must have a personal relationship with Jesus.
During a revival of Islam in Turkey, a secular U.S. correspondent interviewed a man about Christianity. The man said that "you have your religion confined to a house. But we have no moment when we are apart from God." Despite what the man said, there is no time when we are apart from Jesus. Baptism is a gift given to the church. It's not just some magical thing that's "done," like some sort of spiritual pillow. You have to actually live the life of a baptised person.
A pastor's son got into trouble. His father wanted to punish him, but the boy said, "You can't touch me, I'm baptised." When we look at the faults in our lives, when we look at the sin, death and addictions in our lives, we can only sat to them, "You can't touch me, I'm baptised."