Baptism of
the Lord Sunday!
Introduction:
A. Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday!
B. It is a day we celebrate in 3 ways:
1. We take a look back to Jesus’ baptism and
consider
it.
2. If there are candidates wanting to be
baptized, it
is certainly appropriate to baptize them, not that
they can’t be baptized on other days.
3. We remember our own baptisms and what that
means.
Matt. 3:13-17
Prayer
I. Let’s
look at Jesus’ baptism.
A. Jesus comes to John to be baptized of him.
1. John is surprised, and says “I need to be
baptized
by you!”
a. John’s
baptism was an act of repentance, but
Jesus didn’t need to repent!
b. Thus John’s confusion.
2. Jesus
says, “I want to do it to fulfill all
righteousness.”
B. After his baptism, “A voice from heaven
declares, This is
my Son in whom I am well pleased.”
1. Jesus’
baptism marked the beginning of Jesus’
ministry!
2. Jesus’ baptism set him apart as claimed by
God!
C. Those who want to say that baptism is just an
act of
repentance have trouble reconciling what happened
here.
They are about as confused as John.
II. As
we remember our baptism, what is baptism to us?
A. Baptism. First and foremost is a witness to the grace
of God!
1. Baptism has 2 components:
a. The baptism vows that we answer to. Pg.
34,40,
or 50 (which we will use today)
1) The
vows show what we are doing!
2) They
are our show of repentance.
3) They
witness to our part of the commitment!
4) We
can renew our vows as many times as we
want!
a) We
might renew them when we feel we have fallen away.
b) A
child I a sense renews the vows that have been answered at their baptism when
they are Confirmed.
c) We
renew our vows as a way of drawing closer.
b. Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
1) The
baptism itself is a witness to the
grace of God!
2) The
baptism shows what God has done!
3) The
baptism claims us by God!
2. For United Methodist, the key word - choice! We
have many choices about Baptism.
a. First choice: we recognize three modes. Mode
is not an essential.
1) sprinkling
2) immersion
3) pouring (AFFUSION)
b. 2nd choice: We do Baptize infants.
Whether or not we do, is not an essential!
1) We recognize infants as being saved until
they reach an age of deciding for themselves.
Since we believe they are saved and Baptism is a witness to the grace
of God, they can be baptized. The
parents answer for their vows on their behalf.
2) If a child is baptized as an infant, they should
later confirm their vows through confirmation. During confirmation, they are
taught about God and the church and given a chance to say “Yes, I want to
follow Jesus.” As they say their vows for themselves, they are claiming the
grace that was declared at their baptism for themselves.
a) If
they do not follow through with that personal commitment, they can fall away.
b) When
we baptize an infant, we and their parents make a commitment to bring them up
so that they will want to say the vows for themselves, so they do not fall
away!
c) We
also make a commitment to create a memory for them of their baptism.
3) For this reason, we encourage only baptism of
infants who will be brought up in the Lord.
4) But we
can also choose not to have our baby baptized.
a) When
we make that choice, they can still take part I Confirmation classes.
b) If
they decide to follow Jesus, they will be baptized while the others are saying
their vows and remembering their baptism.
D. We do not re-baptize.
1. To
get baptized again is to say God’s grace failed! God never fails! God never fails! If there is a failure, it is on our part!
2. Then
we can renew our part: our vows!
3. We
don’t baptize people who have been baptized by another Christian denomination
and want to join with us!
4. When
someone joins the church who have been baptized, we have them renew their vows
as a way
remembering their baptism and
drawing closer.
Conclusion:
A. So
as we recognize baptism as a witness to the grace of
God and an act of being claimed by
God, Jesus’ baptism makes
sense and so does ours!
B. As
we encounter Christ at the table today, examine
yourselves. If there is any commitment
we need to make,
make it.
C. Today,
on Baptism of the Lord Sunday, after communion, we
will renew our vows as a way of
remembering our baptism
and God’s claim on our lives and as a
way of drawing closer!
Prayer
of Confession
Service
of Communion
Congregational
Reaffirmation of Baptism pg. 50
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