“Why Get Wet

“Why Get Wet?”

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

There’s a story by Flannery O’Connor[1] entitled, “The River,” and in this story, a little boy whose parents are alcoholics is taken by his babysitter to a baptism. When they get to the river where the service is being held, the preacher is already standing in the water and is hollering at the people:

“Listen to what I got to say, you people! There ain’t but one river, and that’s the River of Life, made out of Jesus’ blood. That’s the river you have to lay your pain in, in the River of Faith, the River of Life, in the River of Love…”

This preacher fascinates the little boy, Harry. Maybe it’s his hollering, maybe it’s something else but before he knows it, he is out in the water and the preacher has a hold of him and says, “If I baptize you, you’ll be able to go to the Kingdom of Christ, Sonny. You’ll be washed in the River of Suffering and you’ll go by the deep river of life. Do you want that?” The boy says, “Yes,” and the preacher plunges Harry’s head under the water and brings him up. The preacher then says to him, “You count now. You didn’t even count before.”

The story from Flannery O’Connor doesn’t have much in common with our story today of Jesus being baptized. In Luke’s account, Jesus isn’t a little boy but a full-grown man when he is baptized. Also, it says that Jesus is one among many who are baptized that day. I guess the only resemblance of Luke’s account with Flannery O’Connor’s story is that John the Baptist is a bit like that preacher standing in the river hollering at people. John is a pretty abrasive character. You would never hire John to be your public relations representative or your foreign diplomat because John never held back any words. But John was passionate about what he was doing and people always seem to pay attention to those who are passionate about something. It says in verse 15 that the people were filled with “expectation” that maybe he was the Messiah. John deflected all of this talk though and said the baptism he offered was nothing compared to what the Messiah would offer to them.

For Christians, baptism is one of those events in our lives that is a landmark, a reference point, and a memory we go back to. Particularly here, in this place, this is a memory that will stick with all of us for the rest of our lives. I know I will never baptize again without thinking of this place. This truly is holy ground!

The term “baptize” is not a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Catholic term; it is a Greek term. The word baptizo is a Greek word meaning, “to dip in or under.”[2] Originally, this term had no religious connotations. It was a normal word that often was used to describe a ship that had been sunk in battle or a piece of cloth that was dipped in dye to give it a new hue.

John the Baptist’s ministry brought special significance to this word. John connected baptism with repentance and forgiveness of sins[3] and people were coming to him in droves to be baptized. Tax collectors were coming, soldiers were coming, and all kinds of folks from all walks of life were coming to be baptized.[4] God was doing significant things through John!

John’s taught that baptism is a public display of turning away from the old and setting a new course in life – that’s what repentance means. Today, baptism for Christians has come to symbolize a new life with Jesus Christ at the center of it. When we go down into the water we are demonstrating that our old life is being buried and then when we come up out of the water, this tells the world that Christ has given us a new life, washed in God’s forgiveness and grace. It’s also is an act of obedience. Jesus told his followers to baptize believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.[5]

So today we are proclaiming repentance of sin, new life in Christ, and obedience to what Christ commanded.

The preacher in Flannery O’Connor’s story says something very disturbing, something very untrue, but also something many people believe. Remember when he said to young Harry, “You count now. You didn’t even count before”? That’s wrong! You have always counted in God’s eyes. God loves the drug addicts, the wife-beaters, and the embezzlers just as much as the churchgoers. Baptism, perhaps most importantly, is a way of saying to the world that we have heard the voice that says we are God’s children and that God gets a kick out of us. God is excited about you! God loves it when you score a touchdown, walk in the woods, and use your voice to sing in the choir. God even loves you when you get a D on your Math test, swear at your neighbor, and cheat on your taxes. I know I talk about this a lot but I think it’s so important for us to hear the voice of God that says we are the beloved too. And baptism is a way of saying we have heard that voice of God.

Amen

[1] This story is quoted in Kenneth L. Gibble’s sermon “The River of Life” in Preaching Magazine, January-February 1997. pp. 36-37. Gibble is the Senior Pastor of Chambersburg Church of the Brethren in Chambersburg, PA.

[2] See Albrecht Oepke’s article, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Edited by Gerhard Kittel, Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing. 1964. pp. 529-546.