We continue our series, How Deep?, this Sunday with a celebration of Baptism.
How Deep?
Oct 5 rooted in Grace (Matthew 14.22-33)
Oct 12 growing in faith (Matthew 14.22-33)
Oct 19 reaching in love (Matthew 14.22-33)
Oct 26 Celebration of Baptism (Matthew 22.34-40)
Nov 2 Deep Commitment Sunday (Matthew 23.1-12)
The United Methodist Church teaches “that in baptism God initiates a covenant with us, announced with the words, “The Holy Spirit works within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.” This is followed by the sign-act of laying hands on the head. The word covenant is a biblical word describing God’s initiative in choosing Israel to be a people with a special mission in the world, and Israel’s response in a life of faithfulness. The baptismal covenant calls us to a similar vocation” (From A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism by Mark C. Trotter. Copyright © 2001 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission).
Jesus clearly defines our vocation in Matthew 22.34-40.
Mark Trotter continues, You have heard people say, “I was baptized Methodist,” or “I was baptized Presbyterian,” which could mean that in baptism they got their identity papers and that was the end of it. But baptism is not the end. It is the beginning of a lifelong journey of faith. It makes no difference whether you were baptized as an adult or as a child; we all start on that journey at baptism. For the child, the journey begins in the nurturing community of the church, where he or she learns what it means that God loves you. At the appropriate time, the child will make his or her first confession of faith…Most often, this is at adolescence or at the time when the person begins to take responsibility for his or her own decisions. If you experienced God’s grace and were baptized as an adult or received baptism as a child and desire to reaffirm your baptismal vows, baptism still marks the beginning of a journey in the nurturing fellowship of the caring, learning, worshipping, serving congregation.
As we have talked with persons who will be baptized this Sunday, we’ve been reminded that our United Methodist understanding of baptism is different than many commonly held views. Many people tell us about baptism as a “an insurance policy” against hell and a God of judgment. Our United Methodist Book of Worship states: “While baptism signifies the whole working of God’s grace, much that it signifies, from the washing away of sin to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, will need to happen during the course of a lifetime…baptism anticipates a lifetime of further and deeper experiences of God…” (UM Book of Worship, 81-82).
How does your understanding of baptism matter in your life right now?