Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7  Mark 1:4-11 Psalm 29

Per our liturgical calendar, we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord each year on the Sunday following the Epiphany.  Like most things Anglican, it makes sense chronologically to celebrate the baptism of our Lord just following the Epiphany – Epiphany being the day on which we acknowledge God’s disclosure of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Christmas celebrates his birth; Epiphany, defined and symbolized by the arrival of the Magi, celebrates his acknowledgement as the Messiah for all people and by all the known world.

Now, the visible tangible work of salvation begins.

Only one passage from Luke’s Gospel reveals any of the details of Jesus’ boyhood – that being his teaching in the temple at the age of twelve, which was the account included in last week’s Gospel lesson.  For the most part, we know nothing of Jesus’ activities between his birth and his baptism by John in the Jordan.  Baptism, being the traditional rite of purification, was at this time a repeated ritual for faithful Jews seeking forgiveness and cleansing from their sins.

Mark tells us quite simply that Jesus, too, came to take his place among the penitent sinners to be baptized by John in the Jordan.  It is on this day of Jesus’ baptism that his earthly mission and ministry begin.

Our mission, too, begins with our baptism into the Communion of the Body of Christ.

Baptism is a primary sacrament of the Church.  A sacrament is defined as the outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace.  For baptism, then, the outward and visible sign of the water and liturgical actions by us human participants acknowledge the inward and spiritual grace of God’s creative and salvific actions throughout our earthly lives.  Our Catechism defines “The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism [as our] union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.” [p. 858]

All Christian faith traditions include Baptism.  Baptism unites us as Christians; but our theology and practices associated with baptism often divide us as Christians.  The primary issue that divides is the timing.  Is there a sense of urgency to baptize as soon after our births as possible, or rather, is it necessary to wait to baptize at the assumed time of an individual’s mature profession of faith?

Battles have been fought over this distinction.  And, so, we give careful thought to our theological determination of the essentials of the sacrament of baptism.

The Book of Common Prayer defines baptism as “full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the church.  God establishes an indissoluble bond with each person in baptism.”  Thus, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we believe that this one baptism accomplishes all that God intends to be accomplished as we are established in this indissoluble bond of our one baptism.  Regardless of our journey through different faith traditions, our one baptism marks us as Christ’s own forever.  We are called regularly to confess our sins and reaffirm our baptismal covenant, but never to be rebaptized.

The Book of Common Prayer explains further, “God adopts us, making us members of the church and inheritors of the Kingdom of God (BCP, pp. 298, 858).  In baptism we are made sharers in the new life of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins.”   In closing, “Baptism is the foundation for all future church participation and ministry.” 

In summary, we believe in one baptism that visibly binds us to God through the work of the Holy Spirit and solidifies our membership in the Body of Christ.

The Catechism notes: “Infants are baptized so that they can share citizenship in the Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God.” As Anglicans, we believe that this outward visible sign of our citizenship within the church should take place as early and possible after our birth.  The baptismal promises are made for infants by their parents or sponsors, “who guarantee that the infants will be brought up within the Church, to know Christ and be able to follow him” (BCP, pp. 858-859).  All who witness our baptism make this vow to support us in our life in Christ.  These are serious commitments that we make to one another.

As Jesus was baptized, so we are baptized – an experience of dying to our old selves and being raised again in our new life within the Body of Christ.  As we are baptized, our mission and ministry in the life of the church begins and continues with ongoing renewal.

I invite you now to join me in the renewal of our Baptismal Covenant.