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TEXT: GOSPEL of LUKE 3: 15-22
IN THE NAME OF GOD: CREATOR, PAINBEARER AND SPIRIT OF LIFE AND LOVE.
“kalee-mera!” “Ti kan-etay?”
You are all looking slightly vague and perplexed!!!
Your response should be – either “kala” (fine) or “etsi ketsi” (so –so)
Perhaps it’s all Greek to you? Well that’s just what it is!
When Meredith and I travelled in Greece in 2008 we had to recite these and other phrases as we travelled along. They did come in useful – I must say. People respond positively when they see an attempt to use their language – no matter how bad the accent! This applies especially in France where it is imperative to differentiate oneself from the English tourist. Greeks are much more laid back and frankly opportunistic when it comes to meeting foreign tourists – it’s also surprising how many people speak perfect English. That aside however, it’s always good to address people in their own tongue if at all possible – It puts aside much of the arrogance often displayed by the ignorant archetypal tourist who thinks that if one speaks slowly and loudly enough in English - often with a funny accent, the poor hearer will understand.
I felt led to speak about language today in the light of this being the day when the church celebrates Jesus’ baptism. In reflecting on this word which is so familiar to us all I realised that it was not an English word at all but GREEK! Hence my greeting in Greek!
In ordinary everyday secular usage ‘baptizein’ or ‘baptisma’ translates to English as “to dip” or “to plunge”. In the passive it is used in the sense of “be drowned”, or to” sink”.
It’s hardly surprisingly the word found its way into Christianity and hence the English language via John the Baptist. John’s practice of plunging his converted into the waters of the river Jordan gave him his nickname – “the Baptist”. The practice was utilised by the early Christian church as an initiation rite and hence the word came into our vocabulary. John Baptised, as we are told, “for the forgiveness of sins”. It was a Jewish symbolic washing away of guilt arising from a person’s perceived wrongdoing.
It soon came to mean more than that, however, as the early church assumed it as their rite of initiation and a public indication of a conversion to what became known as “the way” of Jesus.
There is no doubt that in, and before the early church, the rite was confined to responsible adult persons who had indicated their acceptance of the teachings of John and then Jesus as interpreted by the early church apostles such as Paul and others.
In the mid 50’s Paul writes in Romans, Galatians and 1 Corinthians concerning baptism but tantalisingly for us, offers no explanation. His readers and hearers knew what he was talking about.
It is also in the little book called “The Didache” which, published around 80ce, sets out the practices of the early church. Sadly we can but guess at detail whilst trying to piece together the jigsaw puzzle.
Without getting involved in a deep theological discussion I would suggest that there are two ends of the spectrum of Baptism. On one end we have a rite involving water and which is definitely a human initiated action.
On the other we have God’s involvement in the form of bestowed grace. A theologian by the name of James Dunn states that the initiative for baptism is human. Philip Tolliday from the Adelaide College of Divinity and Flinders University agrees, stating that God’s “divine action is of a different kind” to that of the human component and not in competition or conflict.
So, baptism was for adults, was an initiatory rite, was unrepeatable and set a person into the church community. It brings about a “rebirth” in the candidate – a regeneration. The ancient Tertullian observed, “Christians are made – not born”.
Baptism is a sacrament of the church – it is not magical – it is meant to be a public initiatory rite – which is why I believe baptism should only be administered within the regular service of the church and in the midst of the Christian community.
So called “private’ baptisms are in direct conflict with this and are, in my opinion, to be strenuously avoided. The presence of the church community is needed as it is the community that is asked to respond “WE WILL” to the question, “You have heard these brothers and sisters respond to Christ. Will you support them in this calling?” The community is a vital and integral part of the service.
Baptism is also an action closely bound with daily human life – and it is symbolic of and demands a change. It can be seen as the human response to gracious and undeserved forgiveness. The act of pouring the water is an indication of ‘living water’ – water that is in motion rather than still and dead – and symbolic of the ‘Living water” mentioned by Jesus.
The Gospel reading today raises another interesting point. John is reported as saying that Jesus will not baptise with water but with the Holy Spirit and fire – This perhaps being a reference to the day of Pentecost experience when this same writer of Luke describes a scene where tongues of fire seemed to appear on the gathered disciples resulting in a resurgence of courage and purpose that took them into the streets effectively preaching Jesus as having been the very revelation of God to humanity.
Today many communities of the charismatic evangelical persuasion maintain that they must see the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a person in the form of untranslatable language and other psychological phenomena, as evidence of the baptism by and presence of the Holy Spirit.
That interpretation is one with which I cannot agree. I have no doubt that such overt demonstrations have their source in the psychological disturbance of susceptible people. Of course, you are entitled to disagree with me.
I however would prefer to search for evidence of the deep inner peace of mind, and the strength to face life’s inevitable challenges that only the spirit of God can bring into a life. This is something that does not ‘magically appear’ as a result of some human initiated rite. It is something that comes, sometimes dramatically, sometimes slowly over time, to settle like a refreshing morning mist that comes with the long awaited change after days of dry heatwave.
As I see it, the value that is to be found in baptism, particularly of an infant, is not some perceived ‘magic’ but a resounding call for the family and the community to support that person and ensure that all possible is done to surround them with the love that is found in the spirit of God and should be found in the church community.
Sadly we all too often fail abysmally in this regard.
Let me remind you of the exhortation from the Prayer book for Australia which is said during the gathering and preparation segment of the Baptism service;
Baptism is the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When he had risen from the dead, he commanded his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We have come together to obey that command. Baptism with water signifies the cleansing from sin that Jesus’ death makes possible, and the new life that God gives us through the Holy Spirit.
In baptism, the promises of God are visibly signed and sealed for us. We are joined to Christ, and made members of his body, the Church universal.
So it’s not about the rite itself – the pouring of water over the head of a person – or the immersion of a person into water – it’s more about the question that is difficult to answer. That is, has God here acted in a human life? Has the spirit of God come into that person’s life – not as a result of some magic that a human has performed in a rite – but as a result of humble prayer arising from a genuine desire to turn around an unsatisfactory and unsatisfying life?
So as evidenced in Acts 10 the dynamic is from the Spirit towards baptism rather than out of baptism emerges the spirit. Here is the question then,” How may we better recognize the grace of God in a human life?”
The answer is not about judging another person at all. It is rather being able to recognise what Paul called ‘the fruits of the spirit’ in Galatians 5: 22 - Love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
There would appear to be no difficulty in recognising such traits in any person. There is no doubt that out of this comes a mighty challenge to us all. We might well have been subjected to or subjected ourselves to the rite of baptism but are we able to confidently assert that the spirit of God resides in us?
Food for thought!
The Lord be with you!
