"On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?"
We had some weather, as we Midwesterners like to say, over the weekend. Eight inches of snow fell over Muncie. That kept enough folks home that we decided to have our service in the parlor.
Pastor Josh taught from Luke 3, in which John ... oddly ... baptized Jesus.
Why odd? As Josh explained, baptism was considered by Jews of the day a rite of passage into the Jewish faith. It was for Gentiles. It was odd, even offensive, for John to tell his fellow Jews that they needed to be baptized as an outward act of repentance.
It was even more odd that Jesus should be baptized. He was sinless. Of what did he need to repent?
For our sins, of course. Not his. In submitting himself to baptism on our behalf, Jesus the Christ began a movement that continues to this day.
Everyone present saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus as a dove. They heard a voice from heaven speak. "You are my Son, whom I love," the voice said. "With you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22) They went back to their homes and villages. They told others.
This is the Son of God. We need to watch him, because everything he does has the approval of the Father.
Today, the movement continues. We can join or support organizations that fight disease in the name of Jesus; that fight injustice in the name of Jesus; that work toward equity in housing, wages, access to healthcare and so much more, all in the name of Jesus.
The words above are the first of a series of questions clergy have asked of people seeking to be baptized into the church for centuries. They are asked whether they renounce wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world and repent of their own sin.
"What does it mean to reject the evil powers of the world?" Josh asked us.
Greed, we said. Selfishness. Acting out of self-interest at the expense of others. That is the way of the world.
We agreed that the world offers us all, at some point, something that benefits us at the expense of others. Our call as members of the Christian movement is to reject it.
To say "I do" to Christ often means to say "No" to what the world offers us.
"Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"
The same Holy Spirit that descended on Christ himself offers us the power to do this.
"Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord,
in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?"
Allegiance to Christ means rejecting the notion that any person, group or nation is above any other. We are equals on earth. Only the Father is above us all.
The ceremony continues with the pastor asking the friends of family of the one being baptized if they will support them in their intention to follow Christ, and asking the congregation whether they will support one another.
Finally, the pastor asks all present to affirm the Apostle's Creed. It is a statement of agreement, that we believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ his Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In these words, there is power and there is hope that we will one day see the end of all oppression, all hunger, sickness and poverty caused by the sins of selfishness and greed. They will come to an end ... when all come to see that these are not external problems.
The problem of sin is within each one of us, no matter how good we think we are, no matter how pure we believe our intentions to be. Jesus himself set the example for us. To receive the approval of the Father, we must submit ourselves to him.
We must allow the Holy Spirit to overcome the sinner, the oppressor within.
Pastor Josh will be discussing what baptism is and what it means with anyone interested after the service on January 27th. Join us. Invite friends. Good company, coffee and conversation starts around 9:30, the service is at 10:30, and the discussion will follow.
The Bible teaches us that God's grace is strong enough to overcome not only our personal sin, but the sins of the entire world. May he bless us as we strive to trust his grace fully.
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