Sermon for St Edward’s, Sun 22 June (also with a baptism).
Reading: Romans 6:1-11
As many of you will know, the Church follows a pattern of readings throughout the year. These readings are set for us and are preached on in churches all over the world on the same day. When we have a baptism booked in, I never quite know what the readings will be, and I have to confess that occasionally I’ve quietly chosen something else when the passage has seemed a little unusual for a baptism service!
But today, the reading we have just heard from Romans falls perfectly. You may have noticed that Paul talks quite a lot about sin, but actually this passage tells us exactly why Jesus is so important to us, and it speaks directly about baptism. So let me explain a little of what it means.
This letter was written by Paul – St Paul as we now know him – who wrote much of the New Testament. Around 2,000 years ago, Christianity was still very new. Small communities of believers were beginning to spring up across the Middle East and Europe. Some churches had been founded by Paul himself, while others had simply heard of him and his teaching. There was nothing like the worldwide Church we know today.
Paul wrote letters to these young churches to encourage them in their faith, to answer their questions, and to help them stay on the right path. This particular letter was written to the church in Rome, a community Paul had not yet visited but with whom he hoped to share the good news of Jesus.
And in this passage, Paul explains something at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.
He talks a lot about sin, and that is a word we can sometimes get hung up on. But when the Bible talks about sin, it is really talking about all the ways we fall short. We all make mistakes. We all hurt people, get things wrong, or fail to be the people we want to be.
Spiritually speaking, those things can create a barrier between us and God.
Think of a time when you’ve done something wrong and hurt someone. How did you feel afterwards? Most of us feel uncomfortable. We might think, “I wish I hadn’t said that,” or “Why did I do that?” Sometimes, because we feel ashamed or embarrassed, we avoid that person. And perhaps they avoid us too. A barrier has appeared in the relationship.
Paul says that something similar can happen in our relationship with God. God wants to be close to us, but when we become aware of our failures, we can begin to feel unworthy of God’s love. We step back. We put up barriers. Sin draws us away from the relationship God wants to have with us.
But Paul’s message doesn’t stop there.
He says that through Jesus we are invited to walk with him, and to live in what he calls “newness of life.”
What does newness of life feel like? Perhaps it’s falling in love, making wonderful friends, starting a new job, moving into a new home, or welcoming a baby into the world. It is that sense of hope, joy, possibility, and fresh beginnings.
And Paul says that this same newness of life is offered to all of us through Jesus.
How do we enter into that new life? Paul points us to baptism.
He describes baptism as a kind of death and resurrection. In the early Church, people were often fully immersed in water at baptism. They would go down beneath the surface and then rise again. It was a powerful symbol that the old life, with all its mistakes and brokenness, was being left behind.
In a similar way, Jesus died on the cross, but he did not remain in the tomb. He was raised to new life. Paul says that in baptism we are united with Jesus: united with him in his death and united with him in his resurrection. So that we leave behind the sin and darkness in the water and rise up in new life. We do this symbolically now by pouring water onto J’s head.
And notice how Paul describes that resurrection. He says that Jesus was raised ‘through the glory of the Father’.
That is such an important reminder. The God we meet in baptism is not a distant God, but a loving Father, particularly apt as we think about Father’s Day. Just as a loving parent delights in their child, so God delights in each one of us. Through Jesus, we are welcomed into God’s family and invited to know God not simply as Creator or King, but as a loving Father.
In baptism, we are not only washed clean; we are adopted into a relationship. We become children of God, held in his love and care throughout our lives.
We call baptism a sacrament, which means we believe God is at work through these visible actions in a spiritual way. There is rich symbolism throughout this service: the water that speaks of cleansing and new life; the sign of the cross, marking us as belonging to Christ; the candle we will light later, reminding us that Jesus is the Light of the World.
All of these signs point to God’s love and grace.
Today we bring J to God, precious and beautiful as she is. Some people might ask, ‘Why does a baby need baptism?’ She doesn’t need that cleansing Paul refers to.
But what a wonderful way to begin life: knowing that God is with you from the very start; knowing that you belong to God; knowing that God’s love will be there through the difficult times as well as the joyful ones; knowing that nothing can separate you from God’s care.
Baptism is the beginning of a lifelong friendship with God. It is a declaration that before J can do anything to earn it, God already loves her, already knows her, and already calls her God’s own.
In a few moments, J’s parents and godparents will make promises on her behalf. They will declare their intention to turn away from all that is wrong and to turn towards Christ. Then all of us will join together in affirming our faith and trust in God.
We do this because baptism is not only about J; it is about all of us. Today we welcome her into the family of God. And as we do so, some of us will be reminded of the promises made at our own baptism, or the promises made for us. We are reminded that we belong to God, that we are loved by our heavenly Father, and that through Jesus Christ we are continually invited to walk in newness of life.
And that is good news for J, for her family, and for every one of us.
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