Baptism (Mark 1:9-11)

The week after Christmas, Lindsey and I went back to Ohio to spend time with our families. One of the first activities we did was to attend the baptism of our nephew, Matt. In all honesty, I was nervous about it.

You see, Matt’s parents have decided to raise him in the Catholic Church. I wondered whether the non-Catholic attendees would be allowed to stand at the font with Matt, or if we would be banished to the furthermost pew. I wondered if I would have any strong theological disagreement with whatever the priest would say during the baptism. But most of all, and again I’m just being honest, I was a sad that the decision to raise Matt Catholic meant both that Lindz and I were out of the running to be Matt’s godparents and that I would not be able to baptize him myself.

When I was baptized 28 years ago I was baptized by my uncle, who is a Lutheran pastor. I like that I can say that that I was baptized by someone in my family. I’m proud that my uncle was the first one who officially welcomed me into the church. I’m thankful that often when I see my uncle I am reminded of my baptism, with all the gifts and responsibilities it entails.

I really wanted to serve the same role for my nephew. I wanted to be the first one to welcome him into the church. I wanted to establish a faith relationship with the little guy. Years down the road I want Matt to see me, be reminded of his baptism, and to know that God loves him and has claimed him as his own child.

Unfortunately, when planning the baptism, no one thought of asking me what my needs were!

In the end, the baptism was a wonderful event. We were not banished to the dark corner of the church, but instead were welcomed to stand at the font for the baptism and even invited to stand near the altar for the blessing. There was laughter, smiles, approximately a thousand combined pictures taken, and a liturgy which I could not find much fault in. What really matters is that there was a lot of love in that church; a lot of love surrounding Matt and his parents. The whole family was welcomed and supported. It was a triumphant entry into God’s kingdom.

And that’s what baptism is all about – it’s all about love.

We learn about this love in today’s scripture. When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River, he is embraced by the Holy Spirit and he receives a revelation which tears apart the heavens: he is told that he is loved. The first thing that happens after Jesus has been baptized is God claims him as a son and says out loud, “I love you.”

It is not an accident that Mark begins his Gospel account with Jesus’ baptism. He skips over the infancy narrative and goes straight to Jesus’ baptism because it sets the tone for the rest of his Gospel. If Mark’s Gospel was a term paper, this paragraph would be his thesis statement.

In baptism, Jesus learns who he is and whose he is; and this will guide his ministry from that moment on. Every miracle he performs, every healing that takes place, every word from his lips, even his death on a cross, is a testament to the fact that God loves him, has claimed him as his Son, and has given him the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s love enables him to live a selfless life of service to those in need.

If we really want to appreciate Jesus’ humanness, we should understand that his baptism was necessary. Without it, he may not have received the Holy Spirit. He may not have known his true identity – the Son of God. He may not have even known that God loved him. He may have gone through his life focused only on his own well-being; hesitant to help others; and always in search of something to fill the void left by the absence of God’s love.

Like you and me, Jesus needed to know that someone loved him. Like you and me, he needed the gifts that are bestowed at baptism so that he could live a life of service to others.

Baptism is a relationship based on God’s love for us. In baptism, God’s permanent and unconditional love is explicitly made known to the one being baptized. When parents bring their children to be baptized, they are saying, “we love you.” We love you so much that we want you to grow up surrounded by as much love as possible. We especially want you to know that God loves you and will always love you.

With regards to my nephew’s baptism, I lost sight of my role in his life. My desire to baptize him myself may have been well intentioned, but it was selfish nonetheless. I lost sight of the fact the most important relationship in baptism is between God and the one being baptized. Years down the road Matt may not look at me and recall his baptism, but I will try my hardest to make sure he looks at me and is reminded that God loves him.