"The Gift of Committed Community" - Matthew 3:13-17 (January 12, 2019)

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Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

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As we continue this journey talking about “Gifts That Keep On Giving,” our next step is Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  This is one of my favorite stops on the liturgical calendar.  Baptism is one of the two sacraments we observe in the Presbyterian Church and I feel like sometimes it doesn’t get its due attention.  Mostly this is because we observe Communion, the other sacrament, at least once a month, so that sacrament is naturally built into the rhythm of our worship lives.

But Baptism, unfortunately is something that we don’t talk about as much or seem to consider with the same intentionality.  Sadly, in the more than five years that I’ve been a pastor, I’ve only baptized one person, a child who wasn’t even a member of the church I was serving at the time.  This congregation hasn’t seen a baptism since before I arrived here as your pastor.  Which means that it’s important that we remind ourselves of the theology of baptism because without it our faith is empty.

Which is why I’m grateful that we observe Baptism of the Lord Sunday every year on the Sunday after the Epiphany.  In the Presbyterian Church, we tend to emphasize infant baptism.  While I was not technically baptized as an infant, I was young enough that I didn’t remember it.  I was baptized at the age of four on June 28th, 1992 by Rev. Jim Holderness at First Presbyterian Church of Dalton, Georgia.  I grew up in a sea of southern baptists who all seemed to remember vividly the event of their baptism.  Because they were baptized at an older age, they could remember what they wore, what the weather was, how cold the water in the pool, lake, or “crick” was, and what they had for lunch after the service.  I was often jealous of them because I had absolutely zero recollection of my baptism.  However, I eventually learned to leave my envy behind when I was once told that because I didn’t remember my baptism it meant that the congregation had a responsibility to remember my baptism for me and continually remind me of what it means.

Simply put, an important part of being a Christian is living as part of a community that is committed to following Jesus Christ.  And that commitment is rooted in baptism.  Whether it is an infant or an adult being baptized, baptism is about commitment.  If a child is being baptized, the commitment of God and the congregation to the child is emphasized.  If an older person is being baptized, the commitment of that person to God and God’s kingdom is emphasized.  However, both are an important part of baptism as the commitment of a healthy faith is truly a two-way street.

Baptism means that God has claimed us as God’s own and that God is committed to loving us and remaining with us in life and in death.  We receive this grace not because we deserve it but simply because God’s love is so expansive that nothing we can do or not do can separate us from that love, as Romans chapter eight reminds us.  And the Christian life is the faithful response to that truth.  

As Presbyterians, we do not believe that we achieve salvation for ourselves.  The words and waters of baptism are not some magic potion that secures our salvation, whether baptized as an infant or as an adult.  Baptism is a recognition and joyful reminder that God has sealed us into God’s life and love.

And yet, we are not passive recipients of the God’s grace.  Baptism seals us into a life of service in which we faithfully and gratefully respond to God’s grace.  Baptism without a life of service that follows it is nothing more than a sentimental moment for a good picture in a scrapbook.  But baptism that is followed by faithful service is an authentic response to the wonder of the grace it represents.

And that authentic response to baptism is not just the responsibility of the individual.  It’s just as much the responsibility of the congregation as a whole.  Our liturgy speaks to that truth.  In our Book of Common Worship, the congregation is asked to answer the following questions in the affirmative:

  1. Will you, by your prayers and witness, help this child to grow into the full stature of Christ?

  2. Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture this child by word and deed, with love and prayer?

  3. Will you encourage them to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church?

So, in the moments when I feel inadequate (yes, pastors feel inadequate at times), in the moments when I feel alone and isolated, unworthy and incapable, I remind myself that in my baptism the whole body of Christ has taken a vow to guide and nurture me through this journey of faith.  How wonderful is it to know that we aren’t alone and that baptism means we are part of a big family who has taken a vow to help us along the way?

We can disagree about a bunch of things as a church.  We can get a lot of things wrong.  But if we remain grounded in our baptismal promises and work to be a community that is committed to faithfully responding to those promises, then we’re gonna be just fine!

And today, we celebrate Meg Boden taking a step to respond to that baptismal promise.  The Book of Order (our denomination’s form of government) says the following about being ordained as an elder:  “Ordered ministries are gifts to the church to order its life so that the ministry of the whole people of God may flourish.  The existence of these ordered ministries in no way diminishes the importance of the commitment of all members to the total ministry of the church” (G.20102).

Meg has been called to a particular ordered ministry to which some of us are called to.  As the Book of Order states, this does not diminish the importance of commitment by all of us who are the Church.  But today we celebrate Meg taking a very tangible step to respond to her baptismal promises by taking a leadership position in this church, to help us flourish as a congregation, and be better able to respond to the promises made to us in our baptisms.  

So thanks be to God for the waters of our baptism!  Remember your baptism and respond faithfully to it!

In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, may all of God’s people say:  Amen.

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.