On Baptism

Let us join together in prayer:  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight O God, and may we continue to come to know, the one in whom you are well pleased, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

This past week in confirmation class, we had an interesting discussion about baptism.  The confirmands are going on retreat at Silver lake Conference Center this coming weekend, and as part of the preparation for that event, which focuses on Christian identity, we went over a list of questions: When were you baptized, how old were you, who are your godparents, are you still in touch with them, what did you wear, and most importantly, what was promised on your behalf by your parents?

As we went around the room, there were a lot of similarities in the answers. Everyone had been baptized as young infant, with family present.  Most had godparents who had been asked to take that role because they were spiritual people who held the same values as the parents.  Almost everyone wore a special outfit, that day, and often the color was white.  And the promises made could be summed up this way:  Parents promised to raise their child in the Christian faith and to help that child come to know God through the story of Jesus.  

It just so happened that there was one Mom present at the class that night, and she and her child discussed these questions together, in front of the class.  The son asked the mother, “Why did you want to have me baptized?”  The Mom responded that she was so grateful for his birth, she was so overwhelmed with joy that she wanted to be sure that God was in her son’s life from the very beginning.  She wanted to dedicate this baby to God.  She didn’t say it quite this way, but I felt that she was saying that this child also led her, to God.

That happens with children.  They arrive and suddenly one’s world is different.  Parents feel challenged to determine how they are going to teach the child what is important, what is meaningful.  Share the experience of living.  And sometimes parents need to think through what they really believe in, so as to be able to pass it on.  There may be many other more mystical reasons that we baptize infants, but at least one practical reason is that during those early days of parenthood, a mother or father are especially open to the glory and the wonder of life and turn to the Holy One, for protection, for assurance, for meaning and for strength.  Coming to church to receive a blessing and have a child welcomed as a child of God is a wonderful event, which affirms that this little life is a gift from God, placed in our hands.  And we want to acknowledge that gift and say thank you.

But we also have to recognize that infant baptism presents us with an intellectual dilemma.  If we baptize a child, we are in some way making a decision for that person, when they have no choice in the matter.  And those promises remain unfulfilled until the child, now as a young adult, or adolescent, can confirm them.  Which is why we have, in our church, a class to prepare our adolescents, and a ceremony.  Confirmation a rite of passage at which the confirmand declares the decision to joining the church and takes on adult responsibilities in the community.  

       It is for this very reason that some churches do not practice infant baptism, feeling that the decision must be an adult one.

       Baptism at any age provokes some interesting theological dilemmas about salvation and inclusion.  In some traditions, a person who had not been baptized was condemned to an eternal hell.  It was felt that God would reject that person, because he or she had had not received the sacrament, and could not be included in the company of the faithful. In nearby Madison, we have some indication of this practice.  There are some small gravestones, unmarked, which are outside the border of the cemetery.  The speculation is that these were unbaptized children who could not be buried on sacred soil.

In order to cover these children in grace, and erase original sin, it was the practice to baptize at the earliest age.  If this did not happen and if for some terrible reason the child’s life was in danger, then at least they would not be consigned to limbo.  Limbo being a way station for those who would not see God directly.  Today that kind of theology has been abandoned, as we understand that it makes our image of God harsh and cruel.  We have put aside those theological perspectives, which make baptism a narrow door or rigid passage way to the holy.  

Instead, what we affirm here is that a child is already born blessed and is a child of God, and we affirm that original blessing, in the sacrament of baptism.  We practice what this Mom testified to in confirmation class earlier this week: we baptize in joy, gratitude, desire to honor God, and to dedicate one’s life.

But parents can’t do it alone.  The church is needed, to say out loud, “ we believe that this child is God’s beloved, and we will   help you raise this child.  Just as we did a few minutes ago with Vincent.

This role of caring for the newly baptized and for all children of the church is important because it affirms that our relationships extend to those who are not in our immediate family.  And we need those kind of intergenerational, non-familial relationships in our lives, so that we can grow and flourish as humans.

We all know, that it is easy to love those who love us, to whom we are related, to whom we owe our greatest attention.  For example, it is easy to buy Christmas presents for your own child or your grandchild. 

But it is harder, and maybe even more important, to be able to love and support those to who are not in our families, and call them as well: brother and sister.

       That is a challenge, and that is the promise of baptism.  We enlarge our family through grace, and enlarge our hearts as well.

You are probably familiar with the African proverb, It Takes a Village, used by Hillary Rodham Clinton in her book by the same name.  It means, in essence, that raising children takes more than the nuclear family.  It takes an extended family and institutions like schools and medical care. 

In Spring Glen, as we baptize, we can rewrite that proverb to say:  It takes a church.  We need each other, and all the children of this church need all the adults in order to grow into adult faithfulness.

And you don’t have to be a parent to be part of it.  

In fact for adults, parents or not, it is our privilege to connect with the young and to help them grow into a mature faith.  And also our task, something we must accomplish not only for their good, but also for our own.

Erik Erikson, the psychologist, wrote about the need for adults to contribute to coming generations in his book Childhood and Society, Erikson describes 8 life stages, and the penultimate one, which occurs from one’s mid twenties through to middle age and beyond to retirement  He  called it : generativity.

This is how Erikson described generativity:  “As we grow older, we begin in earnest to ask, how can I make my life count?  How can I make a difference in the life of others?  What contribution can I make to life?  In Erikson’s words,“Generativity, then is primarily the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation... the concept is meant to include... productivity and creativity."

“In contrast, a person who is self-centered and unable or unwilling to help society move forward develops a

feeling of stagnation- a dissatisfaction with the relative lack of productivity.”

Generativity, of course, takes place outside the church as well, as we build a better society and care for the environment, among other examples.  

And within the church too.  We mentor, we contribute funding, we teach Sunday school.  Or we join a committee or chaperone the youth group or the confirmands on their retreat next weekend.  We do what we can so that we generate a loving community and create for ourselves meaning and interest.  By the way, our annual meeting is coming up in 2 weeks and as part of the package of documents you will receive, there is a list of all the things we have done as a church community this past year.  It is called “A Year in the Life of Spring Glen Church”.  Well worth looking over, and it gives an idea of the genernativity and vitality of our church.

With all of this background about baptism, it seems that we have not even come close to the Jordan River and the moment of Jesus’ baptism.  The scene as set by Matthew seems to be filled with some of that old time theology I just mentioned and which I believe and hope we have abandoned.  John the Baptist is making some harsh threats and is promising some unpleasant outcomes for the people who do not follow his preaching.  He is calling them to repent.  And then Jesus arrives to be baptized.

Perhaps it is worth lingering over this word, repent, which sets up the whole story of the baptism.  It seems that we have a bad translation, which has led us astray.  The word, in the original language, does not meant to dwell on one’s sin and fault, but indicates a more fundamental change.  According to Jay Parini, professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, in his book, Jesus, the Human Face of God, “this word metanoia means reaching beyond the mind—meta—beyond and noia—mind.  So we might be better off translating these phrases as:  Have a true change of heart and wake up to God.  The spaciousness of God’s kingdom lies within you.  Transformation is not only possible; it lies within your grasp. Parini goes on to say that “to be saved…requires a mindfulness and absorption of God’s kingdom that is, in the end, life changing.”

Jesus baptism is the beginning of his life-changing mission.  He is acknowledged as the one who pleases God.  He is about to begin his ministry but first will find himself drawn into intense connection with God as he retreats into the desert.

Our baptism calls us to this mindfulness and absorption, to this new way of life.  As children we cannot know what our parents promise for us, but as adults, we confirm these promises and make them our own.  This journey of the Christian life is quite an adventure, and it requires us to go beyond.  Beyond the nuclear family to an intergenerational community.  Beyond our narrow self interest to create a world and a church of loving connection among all God’s children.  Beyond outdated ideas of the image of God, to the experience of God as loving parent, who bestows an original blessing on humans.  Baptism is a wide open door to this beyond.

May we, like the Confirmation Mom who shared her faith with her son this week, dedicate ourselves to this connection with God, and enter through this door, with joy and thanksgiving.  Amen