Remember your Baptism

Remember your Baptism Jan 13 2008 Park U.MC. Rory Swenson


There is nothing fancy about the sermon title this morning..
pretty straightforward ...remember your baptism
How do you do that?
.....does it mean you have to remember some church ceremony ;
that maybe happened ... or maybe it didn’t happen..
when your were just a little baby.. ?
I ve got my baptism certificate with me this morning.
I keep it in my office
I suppose I can see it just about every day.
Does that mean I am remembering my baptism?

I was four months old when I was baptized
in the Immanuel Lutheran church ...up in Marshal county..
I don’t remember anything at all about that
How can I remember my baptism?

Martin Luther was the one I suppose who gave us the phrase
He used to splash some water on his face and say
I am baptized

remember your baptism
and my Lutheran friends
say that we are supposed do that ;
when you wash up in the morning
you
remember your baptism
it kind of like the morning devotions
Like getting spiritually cleaned up
and ready for the day
remember your baptism
its like an affirmation of faith
remember the faith
remember the gospel
remember who your are
but still
what does it mean to remember your baptism.
.if its not about remembering some event or ritual or a certificate
what do you need to remember?



well to make it short and sweet
its all about remembering the story of Jesus ..remembering the life of Jesus
and you can probably take it from there
But
still let me push your thinking just a little bit more
by giving you Megen McKenna’s parable of baptism*
Once upon a time
an old man was wandering around towns and villages
and one day
in one of those towns
he scratched a map in the plaza stones
and he said to the people in that town
I have found the waters of life.
If you follow this map..this is where it is.

Most of the people just ignored it
but still
some people copied down the map
and went off to find the water
the first one there was a soldier
just home from the war.
He was scarred by what he had seen and done
and he only wanted to be forgiven
and to wash away the memories of the battle
he just needed to moved beyond that experience
........
he found the waters ..that was easy enough

but he surprised to see
that the water
was down in a cave
down there in a tunnel
and the opening to that cave was so small ....
to get there
you had to get on your hands and knees

never the less
with hardly any thought at all
the soldier took off his armor and his weapons
Piled it all up ...with his sword and his shield,
and crawled into the cave
He drank the water
he washed his hands and his face
and when he came out of the cave,
he knew what he needed to do..
He buried his armor and his weapons
and with only his tunic...
He walked away
with a knew desire to undo the harm that had done
he was free
to make amends... he walked in peace
Not long after that
the next person came to the water
she was a person of education and sophistication
she had studied languages
and science and all kinds of spirituality
But now she was intrigued by this waters of life
and stashed there in the long robes and pockets and sleeves of her dress and her cape...
she had the spiritual treasures that she carried with her verse and candles, oil and herbs.
And she too was shocked by the fact that she would
Have to get down on her hands and knees
and actually crawl through the mud
to get to this mysterious water.....
but that is what she wanted.
She carefully took off the fine long dress and the flowing cape..
Hid them in the bushes
and then she too entered the cave
drank the water and washed ...
And when she too left that cave
she knew what she needed to do
as she gathered her fine clothes
she cut off the long sleeves
and the cape and the train and the hood
because it could become clothes for those who had almost nothing to wear.
This spiritual and educated woman
realized that her knowledge and her sense of truth
amounted to nothing..
.if it didn’t also make life better for others.
Spiritual wisdom that didn’t make conditions better for others ..was no good at all
Later on
,that same day
more visitor came to the well.
.a rich man and his wife
They came ..prepared to pay whatever they need to pay
to get these waters of life
and so they came
with their pockets and bags full of coins and jewels
But then
they too
saw that to reach the waters
they would have to leave everything outside.
And so they folded up their clothes and Tried to hide the money and the jewels as best they could.
they too
crawled down into the cave and reached the waters
and they too washed themselves in the water
and they drank this water of life..


then
they too
crawled back up into the open air
and into the light
but in the light of day
as they felt fresh and new
they realized that their wealth was meant to be shared

at first
they dropped a coin here or there
or donated a jewel or two
but soon they realized that this needed to be done in wiser way ..

and deeper way so they dedicated their whole lives in generosity..to the poor. and the needy

Finally
late in the day a bishop came to the waters
he was wearing all the symbols of his the symbols of his ordination and his office
his miter
his cape
his gloves ..all his religious finery
but he too left them outside the cave
as he crawled inside to drink and wash in this water of life
and as he came back to put on his symbols of power and status
he realized that everything it stood for
the authority...
the ritual
had also been used to keep people at a distance or under control
But now he knew
deeply it was meant to protect people
and welcome people
and set them free for worship in the joy of Gods love
And so he tossed it all aside And he went out to meet the people.
well many more, in the days ahead
came to the cave
they left things outside
went in to drink and wash
just to be in the water....
.they would come back into the sunlight
Put their clothes back on
pick up the things
they had left outside
They would think about what they had just done
but they went back to their lives with no change.
Not much change at all.
Even though they thought about what they should do
or could do
and how life would be different
even though they had some new idea ..some hope.
A calling
of how to be truthful and faithful

it wasn’t strong enough to move them
or push them to try
it didn’t convert them
or transform them
So they told themselves
I drank the water of life
and I washed in the water
that was enough
that enough
I’ve been to the water
I have the water.
But they didn’t realize that they were still themselves
just as before

You could say I suppose that they were still dry
They had not received the real gift of the water.
They went back to their lives still
bound ...still
.held..
By fear and insecurity and selfishness
the parable says

they didn’t realize the freedom of being children of God
they did not trust and know the power of bending and worshiping God
they didn’t know what it meant
to be marked with the sign of the cross
they didn’t share the power of love and ..
And th e sacred power of Giving themselves for others
still today..
people hear about the water
they come to the water
they bring their children and grandchildren to the water of life
but they do not live in the freedom of the new life...
they simply didn’t remember
I think you can hear the parable
How about us? Personally, and as the church
Have we been to the water?
will you let the let the water truly be
the waters of life splashing over you
every day
new life
cleansing
renewing
refreshing
ever flowing
essential abundant life



In the gospel lesson this morning
John the Baptist stood at the Jordan river long ago
and said repent
. Be changed ...
. turn your life to God..
yes
this is a baptism of repentance
and in Jesus Christ
we too are called to repent
it is also the water of freedom and love
It the water of being graced.
.it’s letting Jesus Christ live in us,,
and it’s that grace
that love
that gives us
the power to change. And repent
It is the water of a new life..
Will you remember that?
a new creation..not the same old thing...
it is the living flow of discipleship and rebirth
in Jesus Christ..
That’s how to Remember your baptism!
Every day we let the old self
the selfish self
the sinner in us..
We let that die
and be washed away
the stinking thinking
the old attitudes
the prejudices and the pride
the greed and the grudges
old habits
old ways
old control need
the perfectionism
the judgementalism
the meanness
just plain old sin..
In whatever forms it happens in your life
..it also goes to the cross
it dies...
With the one who dies for your sins
that what it means to remember your baptism
and then be raised with Christ
To know the power of his resurrection
It’s new thinking,
new behavior..new vision ,,new spirit grows in your life
remember your baptism
because
every day the wash of forgiveness is there
the hope is there
the power to break free and start over
its really there
remember it..
the grace is there every day
Jesus is in your life..saving..and redeeming..calling and teaching
remember your baptism
remembering the gospel
remembering Jesus and his love
it can change your life
Because in the name of Jesus Christ
that is who you are/
and we are here
to help each other ..just to remember.
We’re going to renew the baptism covenant as part of the service this morning..
But I want to also make an open invitation
if you have not been baptized
and you would like to be baptized..give me a call this week..we can talk some more
or if you want to
I’m going to invite you to come forward
when we renew the covenant..
. if you would like to have this sacramental watermark on your life ..
Come forward at this time
And you can be baptized..
Now
you got to know that we do not do re-baptism in the United Methodist Church
You just don’t need it. God’s promises stay forever
but we can celebrate it and renew it ..and we can remember it..
And we can be thankful

so how is your memory ?
In the tradition and sacrament of baptism, We are being given a very good memory
turn to page 50 in the hymnal



**In Megan McKenna .p 53 of Matthew, The Book of Mercy