Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, ESV)
(Inspired by a series by Rev. William Weedon.
Concordia Pulpit Resource, Volume 17, Part 4, Series C)
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel!
What in the world does Advent, getting ready for Christmas, have to do with Baptism? Pastor I think you’ve lost it. What we need is a little tweaking about selfishness and overspending. What we need is to hear about how the world gets carried away with Christmas, and doesn’t have the right focus. “They’ve forgotten what Christmas is all about!” So that we can feel good about ourselves because we’ve got the right focus. That’s why we’re here tonight to get us in the Christmas mood, to perk up our Christmas spirit, get us in the mood to give gifts instead of receive. What’s all this about Baptism?
Well, Baptism is foundational for our faith. In fact, it is so central we shouldn’t be talking about God’s gifts to us without placing Baptism among the most important. If we believe what we say we believe then our baptism should never be far from out thoughts. That’s why I’ve moved the font front and center this evening. Really, it belongs there all the time, or right in the middle of the entrance. We have the tradition of moving it back when we are not using it. Maybe though, it would be good to put it out front a bit more often.
Take a good look at the font. This one, like most of them, has eight sides. There’s a reason for that, it’s not just a random thing, the way the carpenter decided to make it. He had a reason. There’s a long standing tradition in the church for having them octagonal. Just like so many things, symbols in the church, there is a deeper meaning. And that’s what we are going to look at tonight.
To really get the understanding about what Baptism is all about, and how it connects us to the baby in the manger, we need to go back a ways. Not to Bethlehem. But way back even farther than that, all the way back to the beginning.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2, ESV)
I want you to notice a couple of things here. First, it starts with God… in the beginning, God. No big bang, no aliens, nothing but God. And notice how God is active The Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters. The world begins with water and the Spirit. From the water the Holy Spirit brought life.
The account goes on to explain just how God, the Holy Spirit worked to create everything. And here’s the first hint as to why the font has 8 sides.
- Day 1: light and darkness, day and night.
- Day 2: Heaven and earth.
- Day 3: Land and sea.
- Day 4: Sun, moon and stars
- Day 5: Birds and fish.
- Day 6: Animals and human beings.
- Day 7: God rested.
It was all good and perfect. No suffering. No pain. No death. Human beings were in perfect relationship with God and everything around them. It was Eden, paradise.
“Seven days of work make one weak” W E A K. That’s not what God intended for us. God set aside one day for rest. He calls it the Sabbath. The confirmation students can tell you what day the Sabbath is. He worked six days, Sunday through Friday and rested one, Saturday, the Sabbath. That’s God’s way of doing things. That’s God plan and order for creation. He made everything, beginning with water.
Water is the key to all life. When the explorers searched the world for new places they spent lots of time searching for water. When scientists look for life on other planets the first thing they look for is water. Nothing can live without water. We need water. Without it we die. We use water for everything. We drink it. We wash with it. We horde it, when it is in short supply. We even play in it. Water is the key to God’s creation.
God’s creation of the Garden of Eden was centered on water. When we think of the best places to be on the earth, we picture peaceful waterfalls and pools of cool clear water. That’s a yearning that comes from deep within us. We know the world isn’t as it should be. “in the beginning” that’s the way it was. Everything was in perfect harmony. Everything was in perfect relationship to everything else. Everything was in perfect relationship to God. We have a built in longing, homesickness to return to that. God’s creation isn’t that anymore. Where once peace was everywhere, now there is only death. Instead of life being in harmony, life is in competition. Instead of time marching toward eternity in perfect peace, it marches only toward death. Seven days at time, week by week we march toward death. An endless series of sevens until death takes away all that we have.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 9, 10, NIV)
And yet, there stands our Baptismal font. All eight sides. Right in the middle of meaninglessness. Right in the middle of certain death. Right were we put the coffins. Right where your coffin will be. If the Christian faith means anything it must have something to say about death. If it doesn’t then, you may as well be an atheist.
There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6, NIV)
One baptism connecting us to one Lord, Jesus Christ, sent into the world to set it free form the endless march of seven and seven and seven and seven leading to death. One Lord, Jesus Christ, sent to rescue us from meaningless life.
God created the world in six days. He finished all his work and rested on the seventh day, Saturday. Does it sound familiar? God’s Son did it too. He did his work of salvation. He finished it on the sixth day… a Friday. We call it Good Friday. That day He hung nailed to the cross. He suffered, died and was buried. He restored our relationship to God by removing the punishment for sin. He lived a perfect life for us. He was born, lived a perfect life and died on the cross. His very words were “It is finished!” Dead and in the tomb where we will all be. His body rested in the grave on the seventh day, Saturday. But this is where everything changes. This is where Advent really has some meaning. We look forward to this baby’s birth, but only because the baby died, and rested in the tomb on the Sabbath. But even more so because the baby rose again from death, the next day, Sunday, the first day of the week. Day 1 but a new day too, Day 8, a new day of a new creation. Jesus Christ rose from death, promising to you and me a resurrection. You see the 8 sides of the font? When you were baptized, you were placed into the 8th day of creation. You were given new life in the new creation. Those eight sides are a constant reminder that the old has passed away and the new has come for you.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, ESV)
That’s what I’m talking about. In the beginning God, the Holy Spirit moved over the water and created life. At this font, God, the Holy Spirit moves over the water and creates life. By His life giving promises God gives you new life, through water and the Word. You have a new beginning. One that doesn’t end in meaningless death, but one that passes through death, with Christ into new life, eternal life. In Baptism God connects you to the baby in the manger. You receive the forgiveness of sins. That means your relationship with God is restored to paradise.
Ah but… there always an “ah but.” As I look at my life, the reality of God’s promise doesn’t seem so sure. I sin. You sin. Relationships fall apart. Death waits for me outside the doors of the church. Work is endless. Week after week an endless progression of seven, seven, seven. Look here. Look at the eight. Don’t think that your baptism is just a one day event. It’s not “I was baptized” it is “I am baptized.” You live every day in the eighth day. Take your sin as God uses his word to point it out and lay it at the stable, the cross and the font. Receive the forgiveness of sins every time. You are a new creation. You are a forgiven child of God.
Eight sides. One for each day of the week and one for the Eighth day, the day of the resurrection, the day of your baptism, the day of your new life. Jesus said it,
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5, ESV)
That newness, is yours through Holy Baptism, into the new life of the eighth day. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment