Matthew 3:13 - 4:11
DAILY BYTE
As we conclude this week’s devotions, today (and every Friday through this Lenten series) we will be looking at a sacrament of the church that relates to the overall theme of the week. This week we’ve been exploring the theme of identity, as we’ve asked the question ‘Who are we?’ A sacrament of the church that speaks most powerfully into this theme is the sacrament of baptism.
But first, what exactly is meant by the term ‘sacrament’? A sacrament has been defined in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.” The term refers to a rite or ritual of the church in which God is uniquely active, doing God’s work of healing and transformation in the lives of those who participate in the sacrament, and through them in the life of the entire world. The outward and visible sign - for instance, water (in baptism) and bread & wine (in communion) - points to the deeper reality of God’s grace at work.
In the tradition of the church, baptism has always been a sacrament of incorporation and belonging, through which the person who is being baptised is welcomed into the family of God which is the church. Baptism is God’s work. In baptism God is declaring boldly and publicly, “This is my beloved child who belongs within my family!”
It’s important to remember that the sacrament of baptism is a sacred mystery. Which doesn’t mean that it cannot be understood, but rather that it cannot ever be fully understood, for there are endless layers upon layers of meaning within baptism. We see this in the varied theological convictions and practices of different churches when it comes to baptism.
Some churches (like the Baptist Church and most of the so-called Pentecostal Churches) only practice what they call believers’ baptism. For these churches, the personal element of a confession of faith in Christ is an essential requirement for someone to be incorporated into the family of God. And so, such churches will only baptise believers, which typically means adults who are able to confess their faith in Christ.
Other churches (like the Methodist Church & other mainline Protestant churches, the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church) have a different approach which allows us to baptise infants as well as adults. For these churches, baptism is understood as an act of God’s prevenient grace - that is, God’s grace that takes the initiative in reaching out to us long before we are even aware of God. And so, when an infant is baptised, which has no conscious understanding of what is going on, it is a beautiful sign of the unconditional love of God that takes the initiative in reaching out to us, declaring that even this little child is fully a part of God’s family. It is this experience of unconditional welcome, embrace & acceptance within God’s family that gives the child the best chance of growing into a personal, saving faith in Christ.
As a church minister, it’s one of my special joys and privileges to baptise little children and adults. Every time it happens the drama of the gospel is re-enacted, and it’s a reminder to all of us that our deepest and truest identity lies in God. Baptism is a beautiful reminder that we are indeed the beloved children of God.
Our Scripture reading today from Matthew 3 - 4, relates the story of Jesus’ baptism, and his subsequent temptation in the wilderness. It’s highly significant that in his baptism, Jesus’ essential identity as the beloved Son of God was affirmed; and it was this very point that was attacked in his subsequent temptation by the devil. For in the wilderness the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God…” Jesus resisted the temptations to try to prove his sonship, instead choosing to trust that what God had affirmed about him in his baptism was indeed true. What an example to us, to trust our essential identity as well.
What a gift that baptism is one of the sacraments of the church - a visible reminder to us all of our deepest identity as the beloved children of God.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
- Do you know the story of your own baptism? (When it happened, where, who was the minister, etc.) if you were baptised as a child, and your parents are still alive, ask them to tell you the story.
- In what ways do you think the practice of infant baptism reflects the good news of the gospel?
God of unconditional, embracing love. Thank you that long before we were even aware of you, you were already reaching out to us in love, declaring that we are your beloved children and that we belong to you. Thank you that in the sacrament of baptism, we see a visible demonstration of this deep and abiding truth. Help us to rest in that knowledge of our belovedness, and to steadfastly cling to it, especially in the face of the many deceptive voices that tempt us to doubt this great truth. Amen.
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