Improving your baptism

This morning the Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord and we have celebrated the baptism of Trevor Christian. Now whenever we witness a baptism we should take the opportunity to remember our own. Our forefathers often spoke of the duty of improving upon our baptisms. You see for the Apostles, the Fathers, and the Reformers, baptism remained a focus throughout the Christian life. For them the Christian life is really nothing more than the process of being conformed to baptism. Just as someone has described the history of Western Philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato, you could think of the Christian life as a series of footnotes to baptism. What does it mean to improve upon your baptism? In Romans 6 Paul says that it means learning to live as those who have died and risen with Jesus. He says that your baptism into the death of Christ means that you died to sin and therefore you should no longer be its slave. And likewise he says that just as Jesus rose to new life, even so you are to walk in newness of life. And beloved that is why you are gathered here this morning. Perhaps you continue to struggle with particular sins. Perhaps there are sinful patterns in your life to which you feel bound. Well, if you are in Christ Jesus, God says differently. You are gathered here as the baptized people of God, the household attendants of the King of kings and Lord of lords, to improve upon your baptism. You are gathered here to confess and repent of your sins and be raised up to walk in newness of life. Having heeded the call to worship, turn from your sins and fix your eyes upon Jesus. You are no longer under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. Christ has borne that in your place. You are under grace, grace that abounds more than sin and empowers you to walk in newness of life. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

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Describing vs. Defining

This morning as we baptize Trevor Christian we should be mindful of a helpful distinction; the distinction between the descriptive and the definitive. There will be any number of physical and personality traits that will describe him. If he’s anything like his parents, he’ll probably be tall and have dark hair. I’m sure you could easily envision him having a good sense of humor and being outgoing, perhaps even outspoken! But these traits – “tall,” “dark,” “good-humored,” “outgoing” – would only describe him. They would tell us what he is like, but not who he is. Our physical or personality traits describe us, but they don’t define us. Our identity is not to be found there. But beloved what takes place here this morning will define him. For in baptism an identity will be conferred upon him. Whereas his appearance and personality will tell us what he is like, his baptism will tell us who he is. This morning Trevor Christian will be marked out as a Christian belonging to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as a Christian he will have the calling to live and as one who has died and risen with Christ. It’s quite fitting, then, Trevor and Christina, that you will be calling him “Christian.” I exhort you to bring him up to find his identity and purpose in Christ. Bring him up to know that what describes him is to be put into the service of that which defines him. As parents it is easy to focus on our children’s gifts and abilities (what they will do) to the neglect of their character/identity (who they are). Bring him up such that every time he hears his name, he is reminded of the identity that God gives him this day. And brothers and sisters in Christ, I likewise exhort you to come alongside the Davis’ and encourage them in this calling. Never allow young Christian, or Trevor and Christina, to forget who he is in Christ. Always be reminding him that regardless of what he is like, what is most important is who he is: a Christian who belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

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