• Understanding Baptism, Mark 1:4-11      (see below)
  Rev. Karen A. Goltz
   

• A Day of New Beginnings, Genesis 1:1-5 (& Mark 1:4-11), by Rev. Randy Quinn
• God is on the Loose! Mark 1:4-11 by Rev. Rick Thompson
• God's in-breaking, Mark 1:4-11, by Doug in Riverside
• Driven into the Wilderness, Mark 1: 9 - 15, by DG Bradley
• Journeying, Mark 1: 9 - 15, by John in Oz
• Whom Do You Trust?, Mark 1: 9 - 15, author unknown
• . . . Into The Wilderness, Mark 1: 9 - 15, by Rev. Thomas N. Hall

More related Sermons (off lectionary):

• The Meaning of Life, Eccl 1:1-11, Mt. 5:1-6, Rev. Frank Schaefer
• Another New Year  Ecclesiastes 1: 1-11 and Luke 2:41-50
   by Rev. Frank Schaefer

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Understanding Baptism
A sermon based on Mark 1:4-11
Rev. Karen A. Goltz

About a hundred years ago, a baby born in England, Lucille by name, was taken by her maternal grandmother to the local Wesleyan chapel to be baptized. Lucy’s father, a sturdy Anglican, was skeptical about the whole proceeding since the Church of England does not regard Methodist clergy as being in the apostolic succession. So he took Lucy to the Anglican church where she was baptized again. Now Lucy’s mother was a convert to the Salvation Army and didn’t think much of either the Wesleyans or the Anglicans. So she took Lucy to the local citadel for presentation under the banner of blood and fire—the Salvationist counterpart to baptism.

In time the family emigrated to the Midwestern United States. The community they moved into had neither an Episcopal Church nor an Army Citadel; so the family attended the Methodist Church. As a teenager, Lucy joined a class of those preparing to take the vows of church membership. Now it happened that the pastor was one of those mavericks who looks upon the practices of his own denomination with disapproval, and regards the baptism of infants as a misguided tradition. He therefore decreed that all in the class had to be “truly baptized” at the font on the day of their vows. Lucy’s mother discovered what was afoot and said, “Absolutely not. Three times is enough for anyone.” But Lucy was a good psychologist and knew that once her mother was seated in church, she would not make a scene. When the rest of the group went to the font, so did Lucy.

Now it came to pass that some years later Lucy fell in love with, and married, a Southern Baptist—but not without extracting from him a pledge that she need not be baptized yet again. He agreed that she was quite sufficiently initiated into the church, and all was well—until they moved to a community where they attended a Baptist Church that was in need of a pianist. Lucy loved to play, and seemed to be a providential gift to the congregation. But, ruled the deacons solemnly and steadfastly, unimmersed hands may not play the Lord’s songs for us. And so, for the fifth time, Lucy was initiated into Christ’s church. [From Baptism: Christ’s Act in the Church by Laurence Hull Stokey; Abingdon Press, 1982]

I don’t know if Lucy deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records or not, but her story is a helpful one when dealing with some of the confusion that surrounds the practice of baptism. Who can properly baptize? Is one denomination’s baptism more authentic than another? Is the water really necessary, or should it be a more spiritual experience? Does a person have to be a certain age and consent to it? Does the manner or amount of water matter? Can or should a person be re-baptized? And what exactly does baptism do, anyway?

Let’s start with that last question and go from there. What does baptism do? In today’s gospel, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and people were coming to confess and be washed clean of their sins. I think a lot of the misunderstandings we have today stem from John’s baptism. It would suggest that a person must be able to repent, i.e. recognize their sins and want to turn away from them. That would mean that infants shouldn’t be baptized because they’re not capable of making their confession. It would also suggest that baptism washes away a person’s sinfulness, and that once you’re baptized you’re forever clean from the stain of sin, and its consequences. [continue]