INTRODUCTION:

An old old story is still as funny today as the day I first heard it over 25 years ago. My pastor told it to me when we were headed to Annual Conference. There was a little girl who had gone to a Baptist Church with her family that morning so they could witness the baptism of her older cousin. The girl was thoroughly enthralled. She asked all kinds of questions about baptism when they got home and Mom and Dad muddled through as best they could.

Nobody realized just how impressed this little girl was until they looked out into the back yard. The little girl had all of her dolls lined up on a bench. Next to the bench was an old wash tub. The little girl took one of her dolls, plunged it into the water and said: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, in the hole you go."

Baptism and the water of our baptism is one of the most powerful symbols of the Church. Water itself is essential to life. And the waters of our baptism are essential to our spiritual life as well. Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus.

Let's look at the passage from Mark 1:4-11 this morning.

[4] John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

[5] And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

[6] Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

[7] He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.

[8] I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

[9] In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

[10] 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.

[11] And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." [NRSV]

This morning I invite you to COME TO THE WATER, COME TO THE RIVER, COME TO THE SAVIOR, AND COME CLEAN.

I. COME TO THE WATER:

A. POWER OF WATER:

Water is such a powerful symbol. Just think how powerful water is, as a force of nature. It can be a thing of beauty. It can provide a quiet place to sit and contemplate life or commune with God. And over a period of time, it can erode and change the face of the earth.

Think about all the things and people and animals that are dependent upon water.

Think about all the things we do with water. We play in it. We drink it in various forms and flavors in order to quench our thirst. And to sustain us.

We bathe and shower in it. We use it to clean everything from our hands and face, to our vegetables and dishes, our vehicles and our laundry. Some critters even live in it.

Water can entertain us. It can sustain us. Or coupled with the other forces of nature it can destroy.

Water can be our friend or it can be our enemy but we can't live without water.

B. JOHN'S WATER:

John the Baptist knew the power of water and invited people to "COME TO THE WATER" to be cleaned up. To be symbolically cleansed from their sin and experience the forgiveness of God.

One day Jesus was walking along the edge of the river and heard John preaching. Jesus CAME TO THE WATER and was baptized by John.

II. COME TO THE RIVER:

A. AFFIRM: Jesus CAME TO THE RIVER and submitted himself to John's baptism. Why? Wasn't and Isn't Jesus the Sinless Son of God? of course He is. But then why would He need to be baptized with a baptism for the forgiveness of sins? The truth is He didn't. He chose to be baptized to align Himself perfectly with us.

And Jesus chose to be baptized by John to AFFIRM His own calling to be our Savior. It was a big step. A big step because it lead to the cross.

B. CONFIRM: John didn't want Jesus to do it. He recognized who Jesus was, not just his cousin, but The Lamb Of God. The Lamb whose whole purpose was to take away our sins. To bear them Himself on the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus submitted Himself and the minute He came up out of the water, God cheered, like a proud Father at his son's Confirmation. And in a sense that's exactly what it was. Jesus Confirmed his faith in God and His willingness to follow God in every aspect of His earthly life and ministry.

And then God grinned from ear to ear and CONFIRMED the choice Jesus made. [11] "Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." [Msg]

III. COME TO THE SAVIOR:

A. THE PURPOSE: Jesus CAME TO THE WATER AND CAME TO THE RIVER so we could COME TO THE SAVIOR. That was His whole purpose in being Baptized.

How many times as a parent have you told your kids, here try this and they wouldn't. You would say, "Here, I'll show you it's good" or "it's fun" or "it's easy" or whatever. You taste it first. Or you go first. Most of the time they just give you one of those looks that say: "You're crazy. You're completely nuts," and they don't do or try what we want them to do or try. But sometimes it works.

We're like that. When it comes to some things in life, we're all from Missouri. You have to show us. That's what Jesus did. He went first, so we could follow.

B. THE PRACTICE: The water of baptism is a sacred symbol of new beginnings. As United Methodists, we recognize and accept three distinct modes of baptism: SPRINKLING (the most common in the United Methodist Church), POURING, and IMMERSION. The reason we accept all three is theological. We believe the primary actor in baptism is God through God's prevenient grace. The Grace of God which works in our lives before we're even aware of God. The Grace of God that PREVENTS us from falling so far away from God that we can't hear God's call leading us back.

Since God is the primary actor the mode of baptism isn't important. All are valid. And all three modes have their own unique symbolism.

1. SPRINKLING: Sprinkling symbolizes cleansing.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 reads, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

2. POURING: Pouring symbolizes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In Joel 2:28, God says "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."

3. IMMERSION: And Immersion symbolizes dying, being buried with and rising into new life with Christ. Romans 6:4 reads, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

All three are scriptural and historical. But no matter what mode of baptism is used, through baptism we are initiated or brought into the fellowship of the community of faith known as the Church. Through baptism God marks us and says this one is mine and like fine stationary we have a water mark that sets us apart for God's purpose and God's kingdom.

As we are initiated into the fellowship of the community of faith through a local church, the congregation whispers God's acceptance by promising to surround the one receiving baptism with love and support to enable that person's journey toward wholeness in faith.

One of the questions I'm asked as a United Methodist pastor has to do with infant baptism. A lot of people come to me and ask me if I'll christen their babies. And I tell them, "No! We don't christen babies, we baptize babies. We christen ships." Christening simply means "naming." I'll gladly baptize their baby but I'm not about to whack some newborn baby up alongside the head with a bottle of champagne just to give it a name.

And yet, it is one of the greatest joys of ministry for me to be able to baptize an infant and present that child to the members of the congregation for their care and support, both of the child and it's parents. That infant, that child of God, is incorporated into the community of faith. It will be raised and nurtured in faith until it can make a decision for Christ, itself.

We baptize infants because we believe that God claims these children as God's own and we respond to that claim by incorporating them into the body of Christ. Infant baptism is a powerful visual, spiritual, and sacramental reminder of the prevenient grace of God. The grace that works in our lives before we're even aware of God's grace. It is "the spirit bearing witness to our spirit that we are children of God." Romans 8:16 It reminds us of the power of God's grace as it continues to work in our lives.

There's one more point I want to make. We don't re-baptize people! We believe in one baptism for the remission of sins and for the incorporation into the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:4-6 says: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."

And in the Historic Nicene Creed we say: "We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."

That's why we recognize all three modes of baptism. That's why we baptize infants, children and adults. To re-baptize someone is sort of like saying to God, "Well Lord, I don't think the first one took." Baptism isn't like a flu shot, you don't need to get one every year. Baptism is a once and for all sacrament, an invisible watermark that says you belong to God.

IV. COME CLEAN:

Baptism says to God, the congregation and to the rest of the world that you've COME CLEAN. Not by any washing you did. Not by any cleaning up you tried to do. But simply by the work of God's Mercy and Grace bought for you at the Cross.

We come into this family by professing our faith in Christ and by getting rid of the junk that keeps us separated from God.

Tucking his six-year-old son into bed one night, Dad tapped his son's chest and asked, "Do you know what you have in there?"

The boy looked puzzled and responded, "My guts?"

"No, you have a piece of God," his father replied.

After a brief silence the boy responded, "God is in my guts?"

"No," said his Dad, "we have a piece of God inside of us; it is God's gift to each of us." The boy smiled, tapped his Dad's chest, and asked whether his Dad had a piece of God in his guts. They laughed and together they began to ask the same question about the rest of the family.

"Does Mommy have a piece of God?"

"Yes," they answered, laughing.

"Does brother have a piece of God?" "Yes."

Dad knew that the boy attended a day care center with a little girl named Mary who was so spoiled she made the people around her miserable. He said, "You know, even Mary has a piece of God."

The boy looked stunned, and then he said emphatically, "No, not Mary." When his father insisted the boy said, "Daddy, I have been with her more than you. She doesn't have a piece of God."

Dad told his son that God never missed anyone; everyone has a piece of God inside. The boy pondered that for a while, and then said, "Well, her piece must be all covered up with junk!" (1)

It's that junk that separates us from God. And it's that junk that Christ came to remove. That's why he was baptized. Not because he needed to remove any junk from his life, but so that you and I could have the junk cluttering our hearts removed and our lives cleaned up.

He did so we could COME CLEAN. That's why Jesus went to the cross. To show us just how much God loves us and how much God wants us to COME CLEAN.

CONCLUSION:

You have been created by a loving God. You are a designer original. There are no plain label or generic brands in God's eyes. Each of you is a unique creation. You have been created in the Image of God, therefore, you each have a famous maker label.

It doesn't matter if you have picked up a sack full of garbage throughout your life. It doesn't even matter if you have lived in the junkyard. God wants you to COME CLEAN. God invites you to let Christ Jesus Clean You Up. All it takes is a little faith and a little water. You are a child of God. Get rid of the junk and affirm that. And let God confirm His love for you. DIVE IN.

COME TO THE WATER. COME TO THE RIVER. COME TO THE SAVIOR SO YOU CAN COME CLEAN.

COME TO THE WATER AND DIVE IN.

1. Mark Victor Hansen & Barbara Nichols with Patty Hansen, OUT OF THE BLUE: DELIGHT COMES INTO OUR LIVES (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996), 30-32.

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