Friday, March 13, 2015

Friday, March 13, 2015

Romans 6:1-11

Baptisms are joyful times. We give thanks for people who are responding to a call to express their commitment to Jesus as Lord of their lives. We enthusiastically welcome them to ‘the family.’ Our supportive smiles encourage them as water is poured over their heads, and when children cry, we do our best to put smiles on their faces. The church is a little fuller than usual. If there has been any family drama relating to denominational tension, hopefully it has settled. The only real downside -- and this, only to some -- is that the service might be five or so minutes longer than usual.

A celebration of Baptism isn’t just about sentimentality, though. It’s a deeply serious time. People stand together to commit to supporting the newly-baptized in their faith journey. In the baptismal vows we pledge -- with God’s help (thank goodness!) -- to stand up for what is right and stand united against that which is wrong. Our reading today from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans expresses the seriousness of the baptismal covenant. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (vv. 3-4). 

Baptism, then, is certainly something in which we are to rejoice, but not something to take lightly, that is for sure. Lent is an appropriate time to reflect on one’s life as a follower of Jesus. Let’s take some time today to meditate on baptism. What, in your experience or imagination, is a powerful way to express our death to sin and our sharing in Christ’s resurrection? If you were designing a church’s worship space or a church’s baptismal liturgy, where would you place the font? What would it look like? How would you prepare the baptized and their families? How often would you get together? How much of your time would be spent exploring doctrine, and how much time in addressing the sin that we find not only in our individual lives, but also tied up in institutions and systems?

This is the kind of stuff, as a seminarian, that I love to think about. You might find reflecting on this to be fun, or maybe you won’t. Even if we aren’t designing worship spaces or liturgies, reflecting on baptism might help us in our interaction and follow up with those who are baptized in our church community. In supporting one another I believe that we will more seriously and effectively ‘die’ to sin, not just in words, but in action.  

- Matthew Kieswetter