A Baptism of Death (Baptism of Christ A)

Today my thoughts are on the Tsunami.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

My soul cries two responses as I meditate on the Tsunami. I hope the first is common for those who belong to Christ: compassion and sorrow. The second response I have shuddered under is the transcendent majesty of God.

Storms have always spoken to me of the power and bigness of God. I have always enjoyed sitting in a safe place and watching lightening flash. I have no qualms seeing God's hand in the devastation. Because, I think, I don't try to say why he does what he does.

Is it Judgment? Is it some great purpose? No, that is trite. It is God, the LORD. And I fall on my face and worship.

Nathan Nettleton preached a sermon last Sunday that I think I will modify for this week. One of the things he said is,

"Perhaps when water is flung at us in a few minutes to remind us of our identity as those who have been buried in the deep waters of death with Christ perhaps this week we'll have a little more sense of what a serious matter it isto go under the deep waters of death."

The LORD and the Baptism (Baptism of Christ A)

"I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other"

It strikes me that on this day, a day for remembering Christ's baptism and our own, that all the readings besides the Gospel focus so much on God as LORD. The un-nameable self-existent one, the all-powerful Jehovah, the one God is due all praise and honor and glory!

Peter calls to the house of Cornelius, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all."

This, the One Who Exists, who does not share Glory, at the baptism of Jesus says "This is my Son."

My tradition practices believer baptism. In keeping with our view of the ordinances of the church being symbolic in nature, we see it as a ritual public expression of faith. This is why the symbolic force of immersion, as death and resurrection are so important to us. As one textbook on theology points out, we only do it because we are told to. It is not regenerative.

That does not satisfy me. My friends who practice infant baptism look at things differently. For Father John, it marks the beginning of Christian life and salvation to the child. To my Lutheran friend, Cliff, it means the Holy Spirit has entered the child's life to lead them to salvation.

If I could truly hold to either of those ideas, I would readily change my practice. And I wish I could, because I long to touch the mystical truth of Baptism. There is much here to grapple with and perhaps this week will not bear my questions.

All I know is that somehow this onetime act identifies us with Christ's death and resurrection. God accepts those who fear him and do right, but how this purification works and why it only has to be done once I don't know. For Christ it meant fulfilling all righteousness, but I, like John don't know why he did it.

But he did it, and the LORD was pleased.