Third Advent:
Joy
Went to a baptism this morning for the child of a young couple I married five years ago and whose first baby was my last baptism before leaving for secular ministry three years ago. They had a second child this fall and invited me to attend the baptism this morning at a local church. I didn't hesitate for a moment. Baptism is at the top of all the things I enjoyed the most about being a pastor. Right there with serving Holy Communion. Baptism is to me the greatest sign of Christianity in the life of a person. It is where t all starts.

I know there are those who disagree with that. When I first became a Christian 43 years ago (That long?) I would have been one of those. I had been invited to a Baptist church by my best friend and his family. I was 15 years old. They only did believer's baptism, of course. Infant baptism wasn't the way according to their theology.

To make a long story short, as an adult I became a Moravian- a mainline, traditional Protestant denomination and came to discover a theology of baptism that was different- infant baptism. Not dedication, as in the tradition I was familiar with, but the real thing- baptism as a sacrament- an outward and visible sign of the awesome grace of God that works within us.

I came to discover that infant baptism is about as good a symbol of the meaning of grace as anything. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," wrote Paul. Nothing we could do could ever, ever get us grace. There stand those parents holding that incredibly powerless and vulnerable little child, a child who has done nothing to deserve anything except be born a human being. That's it. Nothing else.

And we declare with full assurance of faith that God loves that little child as fully as God loves anyone. We declare that God's saving grace in Jesus Christ is handed to that child BECAUSE they can't earn it or do anything to grab it or even understand it. We will never get faith and understanding confused when we go to an infant's baptism. Thank God.

The pastor said a number of interesting things about baptism as he proceeded with the sacrament. First he said:

What you parents are saying this morning to these children is that we wish for you the gift of eternal life.

It is part of our human desire to give to our children the best we can. "I want you to grow up and discover who Jesus is. I want you to grow into the likeness of your Savior."

Which led to the second insight:

Baptism is never finished until we die. We are always growing into being more Christlike.

Baptism is then the beginning of the journey from birth to death with Jesus. It is not just what was done this morning to these children, it what is happening to all of us who are baptized as we grow and learn and make mistakes.

What I missed this morning was the words that we say in our Moravian baptism. They say the same things. It was an awesome moment of the Spirit at work when I would place my hand on the child's head after the water had made the sign of the cross and these words that Moravians have used for centuries from Scripture are recited:

Therefore live. Yet, not you but Christ live in you and the life you live, live by faith in the Son of God who gave His life for you.

Whether infant or adult that is what it is all about. And on this Third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy, what better celebration of His birth and coming in our lives.