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Years ago we lived on a three house cul-de-sac in Sugar Land. There
was an esplanade in the middle with a lone maple tree, a patch of
grass, and a curb all around it. We sat on the western curb and
watched the sun set from that esplanade many nights. In fact, we
referred to it as Sunset Island. There is something fascinating about
the sunset. It is as though heaven and earth meet at that very
moment.
The
windows that surround this sanctuary are depictions of events when
heaven and earth met. Last week we looked at the third window from
the Southeast entitled, “In the Temple”. It was the story of Jesus
staying behind after Passover because as he said, “I must be in my
Father’s house.” Today we look at the next story found in these
windows, “My Son’s Baptism” - The story of Jesus’ baptism. It is a
story that is told in all four of the Gospels, but I want us to look
at the story as told in Luke 3:21-23. Hear now the word of the Lord:
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been
baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily
form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the
Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
23Jesus was about thirty years old when he began
his work.
This is
the word of God for the people of God. In this passage Luke reported
to his readers the incredible events surrounding Jesus’ baptism. Let
us pray.
This is
without a doubt the briefest of the four accounts of this story. It
doesn’t mention John the Baptizer nor does it tell us where the
baptism took place. Luke’s focus seems to be on the relationship with
Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father. Baptism is where heaven
and earth truly meet.
Look at
the window for this morning. It is simply entitled “The Baptism
Window.” The window was given to this church by someone who did not
even live here. John S. Redditt and his wife were members of Lufkin
First United Methodist Church. He was a 1917 graduate from a law
school in Austin. He later served on the Board of Regents for that
University, but before that he served as a State Senator and was
chairman of the Texas Highway Commission. There is much that could be
said of Mr. & Mrs. Redditt and the generosity of the Texas Annual
Conference who helped to build this sanctuary in 1951, but today I
want us to simply look at this window and see the place where heaven
and earth truly meet – baptism. The symbols pointed out in Emma Gay’s
descriptions from the 70’s are as follows:
·
The dove descending, a symbol of innocence and purity, represents the
Holy Spirit who came upon Jesus as he was praying.
· Do
you remember the eternal circle from last week’s window? Here it is
again encircling the Holy Spirit, who was in the beginning and
evermore shall be.
·
The font is a reminder of the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized.
· On
the font is a Latin Cross – a reminder of why Jesus was baptized,
because of his great love for humanity.
It is
not as elaborate as most of the windows, just a few symbols, but be
careful not to overlook its profundity. Baptism is where heaven
and earth truly meet.
In Baptism heaven identifies with earth.
Have you ever thought about why Jesus was baptized? John’s baptism was
clearly a baptism of repentance, which is stated in several places in
the Gospels. It appears that a lot of people participated. Luke
wrote, “Now when all the people were baptized…” But why Jesus? I
started looking at what others had to say about this:
·
Virtus Gideon wrote, “In the first public act of the Savior’s
ministry, Jesus identified himself with the people he had come to
serve.”
·
Norval Geldenhuys stated, “Through baptism he shows his solidarity
with the guilty human race for whose salvation he came.”
·
Leon Morris declared, “At the outset of his ministry he publicly
identified himself with the sinners he came to save.”
These
guys are no lightweights when it comes to New Testament scholarship.
They are experts to whom I have often turned when I want to know
more. All three agree that in the act of baptism the Son of God
identifies with us at the point of our deepest need.
Not
only do we see Jesus identifying with humanity in baptism, we also see
the Father in heaven identifying with the Son on earth. In fact, in
just this one verse, Luke 3:22, we see one of the most beautiful
pictures of the Trinity. Jesus, the Son of God, is coming out of the
water and praying, that is communing with the Father; the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the Father in heaven and descends upon Jesus on earth;
the heavens themselves open and the voice of the Father speaks
directly to the Son, “You are my Son,
the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
This community of the Trinity is the most
memorable part of the book, The Shack, that continues to
sell beyond the author’s wildest dreams (number one again this week on
Amazon.com). The book is really a story about a
wounded person being transformed by the love of God. But that love of
God is revealed through the Trinity. The book is not a systematic
theology. It is a story written by a father to his children, but it
is a beautiful depiction of what we see in this window - heaven
identifying with earth. Baptism is where heaven and
earth truly meet.
In Baptism earth identifies with heaven.
Years ago I was interviewing before the Board of
Ordained Ministry. I was asked why all
Christians are to be baptized. I had just spent ten years in post
high school formal education on questions like these and launched into
a theological discussion of the various historic views on baptism and
the concept of baptism as a sacrament, whereby the grace of God is
communicated to humans. Finally, I took a breath. One of the
interviewers looked at me and said calmly, “When we ask why we are
baptized, we were really looking for, ‘Because Jesus told us to.’”
That was indeed one of Jesus’ final instructions, known as the Great
Commission. Jesus said, “Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything that I have commanded you.”
Paul wrote in Romans 6 that when we are
baptized we identify with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. All
of Easter weekend is retold when one is brought to this font. Earth
identifies with heaven. The Roman Catholic Church does a great job of
reminding its members of this identity. Water is always available at
the front door to remind worshippers that our identity is found in the
waters of baptism. My first Catholic funeral was one in which I was
co-officiating. There were a lot of non-Catholics there and the
priest was careful to interpret the symbolism. The pall that was
placed over the casket was a reminder of the baptism gown worn. The
holy water sprinkled on the pall was a reminder of her baptism. We
even proclaim this in our funeral services. The opening words of “A
Service of Death and Resurrection” are these (found on page 870 in
The United Methodist Hymnal), “Dying, Christ destroyed out death.
Rising, Christ restored our life. Christ will come again in glory.
As in baptism, this person put on Christ, so in Christ may this person
be clothed with glory.” Earth identifies with heaven in baptism.
The United Methodist Church recognizes
two sacraments – baptism and Holy Communion. In each of these acts,
we believe that the Holy Spirit continues to descend in a special
way. The Holy Spirit transforms the water into an indelible mark on
our hearts as a child of God and a member of God’s community – the
church. We even pray, “Pour out your Holy Spirit, to bless this gift
of water and those who receive it.” We pray for the Holy Spirit to
“wash away their sin, clothe them in righteousness throughout their
lives, that, dying and being raised with Christ, they may share in his
final victory.” Baptism is where heaven and earth truly
meet. Let us remember this today - All Saints Sunday.
As we approach this Table we believe that the Holy Spirit descends
upon these elements, transforming them into a feast of grace. Listen
for the words, “Pour out your Holy Spirit upon this bread and wine…”
when we pray over the elements. Today, as we remember loved ones who
have joined the ranks in heaven, we come to a place where heaven and
earth truly meet – a place more beautiful than any sunset. We do so
as those marked with the identity of heaven through the waters of
baptism.
Baptism
is where heaven and earth truly meet. Amen.
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