Reflections on “Baptism: From Womb to Tomb?” Isaiah 43: 1-7; Acts 8: 9-13

this was the next-to-last sermon of the baptism series, but my last sermon in the series.  I have greatly enjoyed each of the sermons, and this one was no exception.  In a way, it felt like the final sermon of the series because I was using several stories that I had planned to use in one of the sermons.  I hope I was able to tie the stories together in a fitting way for the sermon. 

“Baptism: From Womb to Tomb?” January 28, 2024; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Baptism series; Isaiah 43: 1-7

We continue our baptism preaching series for two more weeks, then Transfiguration Sunday, then Lent arrives early this year.  Feb. 14 is Ash Wednesday.

Isaiah 43: 1-7  But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. ⁵Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; ⁶I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— ⁷everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Move 1:   David Beckham story 

Ron Byars, in his commentary on baptism, tells the story of David Beckham and his wife Victoria, one of the Spice Girls, arguably one of the most famous celebrity couples in the 21st century, choosing to christen their sons Romeo and Brooklyn. As you may know, christening in the Anglican church includes baptism, so this is how they planned the baptism.

David Beckham was quoted as saying, “I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don’t know into what religion yet.”

As the BBC described the event planned by Victoria, it was noted that the chapel had been built for this occasion on the family Hertfordshire mansion. 

The chapel had a white angel about the arched doorway.  To get to the doorway, guests walked past fake ruins modeled after the crumbling Irish church where the couple wed.

Two Buddhist shrines were on either side of the chapel entrance.  at the entrance. of the chapel.  

As an added note, Brooklyn’s godfather Elton John was on tour and unable to attend the ceremony. Ronald Byars, The Sacraments in Biblical Perspective, from the Interpretation series, 25-26; also https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1479657/Beckhams-sons-christened-in-back-garden-chapel.html)

An over-the-top example of recognizing that baptism holds a special place in the person’s life, but not quite understanding how God is at work in the waters of baptism.

Baptism is more than a family tradition that grandparents pressure their children into doing for their children.

Baptism is more than a special ceremony associated with the birth of a child.

Baptism is more than some kind of Christian bar mitzvah that arrives at the culmination of confirmation.

Baptism is more than some type of New Year’s resolution to mark a new direction in someone’s life.

Baptism is more than a time for friends and family to pledge their support of the person being baptized.

Baptism is not a magic act.  We are reminded of that in the story we read from Acts.  

The magician Simon, is so amazing people call him Great and think he is a man sent from God.

But, then Simon met Philip

Simon heard the good news about the kingdom of God and Jesus.

Simon was baptized and recognized that his magic could not compare to what God was doing in the waters of baptism.

Move 2:  some refer to baptism as working from womb to tomb

a.  Let me explain.  

In the early church, baptism was tied to the womb. because of the emphasis on baptism on new birth.  

The womb image connected with birth, of course, and perhaps also connected to the story from the Gospel of John when Nicodemus asks Jesus, How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ ⁵Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. John 2: 4-5)

And, of course, the early church practiced infant baptism.

Just out of the womb, the child is baptized.

Baptism; 

new birth;

womb.

b. later, the tomb image for baptism grows in its usage.  

Biblically, it is tied to the words of Paul, who tells the Romans:  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.

Baptism unites us with Christ, the one who is resurrected and leaves the tomb.

likewise, as the Reformed tradition has focused on its liturgy for funerals, the tomb image of baptism has become important. 

When Tom Long, the well-known preacher and homiletics professor did work on the funeral service, he noted that he began with the belief that the primary purpose of the funeral was to provide comfort for the family. 

he grew to believe that the funeral service should, of course, comfort the grieving family, but the service also plays an important role in retelling the gospel story, worshipping God, and reaffirming the baptismal identity of the one who has died. (Byars, 177).

Baptism - from womb to tomb, from new birth to united with Christ in his death.

c.  it seems to me when describing baptism as being from womb to tomb, we are also describing the depth and breadth of God’s claim on us in the waters of baptism.

God has called us into relationships at our birth, a relationship that will continue through our deaths and beyond.

Baptism does not just mark us as one of God’s own but marks the ongoing, covenant relationship God has with us.

Baptism - from womb to tomb and beyond.

Move 3:  Each summer, a member of First Presbyterian Church in Amarillo, TX, worships with us when she is in the metroplex for a work seminar.   She usually sits on the pulpit side near the aisle about ten rows back.

 she was here this summer when I told the story of my having to go to the Disciples of Christ church in KY back when I did my first baptism by immersion.

After the service, she told me that the First Presbyterian, Amarillo has a portable baptistry.  They roll it into the front of the sanctuary when a youth or adult is to be baptized by immersion.

It can be plugged in to heat up the water (apparently not abiding by the early church practice of using cold water), and, if I understood it correctly, the minister does not have to get into the baptistry, but stands behind it as he or she immerses the person being baptized. 

After she described the baptistry, I asked her, “Are y’all doing that many adult baptisms by immersion?  Presbyterians historically have practiced infant baptism.”

She told me that the young adults who end up joining their church are influenced by the S. Baptist and other evangelical traditions, so they not only want to be baptized, but they want to be immersed.”

I’m not sure our chancel area could handle a portable baptistery.  We might have to put some of our handbell choir in swimsuits if we had a baptism on a Sunday when the handbells played.

But imagine the power of the image of a baptistry being rolled into to the front of the sanctuary on a regular basis.   

We have the baptismal font center stage each week, but imagine a big ole portable baptistry regularly intruding on our worship space, coming in and out of our worship life, reminding us of the God who pushes into our lives to claim us in the waters of baptism

the God who pushes into our lives to be in a relationship with us from womb to tomb.

Move 3:  at font 

I baptized him, along with his mother and his younger brother and younger sister,  when he was a young elementary school kid.  His family was joining the church - the father had been baptized, but not the mother or the three kids they had at the time (I would baptize their fourth child a few years later when she as an infant).

The family was active in the church, and he showed up with them until about Jr. High.

he never made it to confirmation.

In high school, he drifted away from the church, although I still saw him on a somewhat regular basis because our families were friends, and he was in the same high school class as my oldest daughter.

In a tragic accident on the Ohio River, he drowned river when he was about 20.  

church members and friends looked up and down the river for more than a week before his body surfaced.  

his memorial service took place in a packed sanctuary late one May afternoon with torrential rains.   

The visitation took place in the sanctuary before the worship service and people lined up and down the aisles because it was raining to much to have a line on the sidewalk outside the church.

The Streets were so flooded that some people who came to the service were stranded at church for several hours until the water across some major streets in town receded.

No one missed the connection between the ring waters in which he drowned and the raging waters that poured down as we gathered at his service.

I stood at the baptismal font at the beginning of the service and announced that in his baptism, he was united with Christ in his death and resurrection.

Images of water permeated his life and death, but the final image was at the baptismal font at the end of the service as I lifted the water and declared:  “his baptism is complete.”

Conclusion:  But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior

Reflections on “Baptism: When and How?” I Corinthians 1: 11-17; Acts 16: 25-34

This sermon dealt with infant baptism vs. adult baptism in different faith traditions.  With so much material out there, it was hard to decide what to keep and what to eliminate.  the sermon generated a lot of comments from people, much of it about adding this or that to the conversation. 

I don't think this phrase is in the written notes below, but I used the phrase "theology by architecture" when describing how churches designed with infant baptism as the norm (baptismal font in sanctuary) make it difficult to have adult baptisms by immersion (no baptistry in the church).  I  have had that phrase in mind for many years, but this is the first time I have used it in a sermon!  It could apply to other topics as well, not just baptism.  Over the course of time, our theological underpinnings for worship can be shaped by the space in which we worship, instead of vice versa.

The baptism preaching series has seemed to be meaningful to those attending.  I have heard lots of stories about people's baptisms in the past few weeks.

 “Baptism: When and How?” January 21, 2024; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Baptism series; I Corinthians 1: 11-17; Acts 16: 25-34

For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; (Steh fu nas) beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Move 1:   (top step) In March 1525, the city council of Zurich passed a statute sentencing to death, without even a trial, any person baptized as an adult by immersion.

Why? Because the Anabaptists, an offshoot of the newly established Reformed church, had begun baptizing adults when seemed heretical to the Reformers.  After all, most infants were baptized in both the Roman Catholic church and the emerging Reformed church, so to baptize an adult meant baptizing a person for the second time.  Apparently, that was enough to be put to death.

The Anabaptists, however, did not consider an adult baptism to be a second baptism.  Since they had decided baptism had to be by immersion, the adult baptism was not a second baptism, but the first correct baptism.

(MOVE TO CARPET)

When I was in 7th grade, I kneeled right here on THE carpet and was baptized as part of the confirmation process. 

I do not remember which minister baptized me; I do not remember much of the liturgy; but I remember kneeling here and the water running down off my head. 

Why was I baptized as an almost adult?  Because the Presbyterian minister at the church my parents joined with I was about 18 months old and thought I was too old for infant baptism.  

Clearly, he was not concerned about whether a person was baptized as an infant or an adult.

As we continue moving through our preaching series on baptism, this morning we reflect on an ancient divide in the church - does a person have to be baptized at a particular age and does a person have to be immersed, or is sprinkling ok.

Move 1:  Let’s look at the biblical evidence

a.  The Greek  word for baptism is not much help in this matter.

1.  the word baptizo can mean “dip, immerse, wash, plunge, sink, drench, or overwhelm” (Ronald P Byars, The Sacraments in Biblical Perspective, 121 quoting Arndt and Gingrich, 131)

1.  that gives us a  lot of leeway in putting that ritual into practice.  

2. I have been accused of drenching those being baptized - not quite immersion, but lots of water.

b.  those who want a biblical story to match explicitly with a particular style of baptism probably will end up in the adult baptism camp.

1.  John the Baptizer was baptizing in the River Jordan.

2.  People were coming in droves to the river to be baptized.   

3. It does not mention whether the people were adults or infants, but river baptism suggests immersion.

3.  We might imagine younger children being baptized in the river, but it is hard to imagine infants being carried into the water by a parent or another adult to be sprinkled.

4. Although there is the old joke about being baptized in the river could be sprinkling or immersion depending on how tall you are!

4. Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan.

5.  Most people who are mentioned as being baptized in the biblical text are named with no mention of their age, so it is assumed they were adults.

6. As baptism developed in the early church, the first option was to baptize in running or moving water, which suggests immersion. 

b.  The biblical evidence for infant baptism is a bit thinner.

1.  We read Paul’s comment about baptizing the household of Stephanas and perhaps can legitimately make the assumption that the household would cover adults and children, maybe even infants.

2. Even if the household does not include infants, it could presumably include your children who would have been presented by an adult for baptism.

3.  But there is no explicit example in the biblical text of infants being baptized.

Move 2: Look for a moment at the theological arguments for baptism.  

a.  The theological foundation for Adult baptism is tied to a person professing his or her faith in Jesus Christ and the person choosing to follow Christ.

1. God still acts in the waters of baptism, but ritual emphasizes how the person makes a choice tied to his or her conversion or newly discovered commitment to Christ.  

2.  It connects with the baptismal image of being baptized into Christ’s death and then his resurrection - that is the dying of the old self to become a new creation, with baptism marking that moment in the person’s life.

3. that seems primarily an adult thing since it is hard to imagine a baby dying or her or his old self or becoming a new creation - they haven’t even developed into their old self!

b. Theologically, Infant baptism focuses on God’s covenant and covenant life together.

1.  As the Reformers laid claim to their understanding of the sacraments, they shifted from the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic church to two sacraments - baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

2.  As they gave theological rationale for baptism, they emphasized the grace of God which claims us as children of the covenant.

3. in this theological framework, baptism is likened to circumcision in the Old Testament, which was a sign of the covenant people, at least the male ones (unlike circumcision, baptism comes equally to male or female).

4. Infant baptism gave concrete expression to the idea that God claims people in love as part of the covenant people even before they are able to respond in faith.

5. it offers the powerful image of the God who chooses to come to us and claim us.

6. of course, once infant baptism becomes the norm for a church, there are fewer possibilities for adult baptism because most people have already been baptized. 

which, of course, leads to the church having baptismal fonts instead of baptistries, so when adults are baptized, it must be done at the baptismal font, which effectively removes immersion as a possibility for baptism. 

Move 3: For a moment, let’s look beyond the biblical and theological differences in styles of baptism.

a.   Jack Rogers:  the differences among Christians regarding  Baptism sometimes mask the common concerns which we share. (Jack Rogers, Presbyterian Creeds: A Guide to the Book of Confessions, 133).

1.  Both infant and adult baptisms reflect incorporation into the covenant God has extended to us.

2.  Both are tied to the profession of faith in Jesus Christ - in infant baptism, the adults presenting the infant or young child profess their faith;

in adult baptisms, the person being baptized professes his or her faith.

3.  We recognize the image of water washing away our sins.

4.  Or, Union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

5. the images we have for baptism, and our theological approach to baptism speak to both infant baptism or adult baptism, sprinkling for immersion.

6. Last week, Dr. Patterson reminded us how baptism gives us a new identity.

c.  As our Directory for Worship tells us, “Baptism is the sign and seal of our incorporation into Jesus Christ.”

1.  A sign of God’s ongoing work in the world through baptism.

2. A seal that marks the baptized as God’s own and as part of the covenant community.

3. Again, baptism as sign and seal speaks to both infant baptism and adult baptism.

d.  united with Christ in baptism ought to lead to unity among us not division.

1. We are connected to each other through our baptism, not divided.

2. Christ binds us together.

d. Finally, Baptism is a faithful and joyful response.

1.  the story we read in Acts reveals the jailer becoming overwhelmed by what he has seen God do, what he has heard Paul and Silas proclaim.

2. How can he respond - by being baptized, by sharing the joy of what he has discovered with all his household

3. Whatever age the members of his household are, whatever the depth of their understanding of baptism,  they are moved

they are brought 

to the waters of baptism

and claimed by God as children of the covenant.

Conclusion:  (back on the carpet) On that day when I kneeled on the carpet in this spot and was baptized years ago, I suppose I could have been sentenced to death 450 years earlier!

but instead, I was united with Christ in his death and resurrection and incorporated into the covenant community.

The gift God extends to all of us.