Dr. John Tamilio III
Sunday, January 12, 2020 ~ Baptism of the Lord
Sermon Title: “Cleansed and Ordained”
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 3:13-17
In our Congregational tradition, we celebrate two sacraments: baptism and Holy Communion. There are many theories as to why we celebrate these two instead of the seven that are recognized by our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers. One view is that these are the two things that Jesus specifically told us to do. Many a Communion table has the words “Do This in Remembrance of Me” etched onto the front of it. This comes from Jesus’ words of institution in the Upper Room when he broke the bread and shared the cup with his disciples. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, the Risen Christ tells his disciples to go forth and baptize all nations in the name of the Trinity. So there we have it: these are the practices we are to do in Christ’s name.
But the command to baptize comes earlier than the Great Commission. It’s interesting that Matthew’s Gospel concludes with the command to baptize all nations and, as far as Jesus’ earthly ministry goes, it begins with a baptism: his own.
Now you can’t blame John here. Imagine being him for a moment. Jesus comes to be baptized by you! No wonder John said, “I need to be baptized by you, [yet] you come to me?” It’s sort of like the father in the delivery room. After the baby is born, the doctor asks, “Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?” I wouldn’t be surprised if more new dads said, “Um, aren’t you a little more qualified to do that than me?” Either that or, “Sure, if you knock a few hundred bucks off the bill, I’d be happy to help out.”
Yet, even though John logically tried to decline the request, Jesus says something curious: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” What does this mean? Jesus needs to be baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness?
First of all, Jesus’ words appear to create a dilemma. John baptized sinners as an act of repentance. The text makes that clear. But isn’t Jesus the one without sin? Why would he need to repent? One possible answer comes from Pastor John Calahan in his commentary Never Thirsty. Calahan writes, “John’s baptism also symbolized preparation for the coming kingdom of heaven.” “Ay, there’s the rub!” as Hamlet declared.
Jesus’ baptism not only prepared him, but, more importantly, it prepares us for his ministry. That is why we are initiated into the body of Christ though the sacrament of baptism. Through these cleansing waters, we become part of the Church Universal. Through these waters, we are called into the ministry.
I’ll never forget: when I was in seminary, one of my professors stood in front of the class on the first day and asked, “How many of you are ordained?” It seemed a strange question, since most of us wouldn’t be in the class if we were already ordained. No one raised their hand. Instead, everyone just looked around the room. After a brief pause, the professor said, “So, none of you are baptized?” A collective chuckle filled the room, because all of us realized what a profound question it was. Almost everyone (if not everyone) in that room was baptized, which meant all of us were essentially ordained: called into the ministry to serve God. Official ecclesial ordination was not the point.
I could ask you the same question. “How many of you are ordained?” If you are a baptized Christian, you are essentially ordained. You have the mark of Christian discipleship upon you. You have been called to serve the Living Christ. Whether you were baptized recently, ten years ago, or when you were an infant, those waters designated you — set you apart, which is what the word “ordain” means — they designated you as a servant of the Jesus Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul speaks at length about the body of Christ and how all of its members are necessary for the body to be whole and healthy. Paul’s point is that even the members that are seen as less important (by themselves or others) are just as vital as all other members. Paul writes, “if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body” (1 Cor. 15-16). Regarding these verses, New Testament scholar W. Harold Ware writes, “The whole body cannot be a single part, or it would not be a functioning body. So it is with the church. Members with one gift should not repudiate that gift and complain that they do not have some other gift.”
Take a moment to think about your spiritual gifts. How can you use them not just as members of the Church in the Cove, but as part of our National Association of Congregational Christian Churches? How can you use them as part of the wider Church (with a capital “C”)? Whatever your gift is, you are to use it to spread the Gospel — to bring others to Christ.
Now don’t get nervous. I am not going to ask you to stand on the corner of Cabot or Rantoul Streets handing out fliers, nor am I going to suggest that you go door-to-door throughout the Cove asking people if they found Jesus. Remember when Forrest Gump was asked by Lieutenant Dan, “Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?” Remember what Forrest said? “I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.” That could happen to you! Remember that old adage: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Before you can be a disciple of Christ, before you even think about evangelism, you have to have a love affair with Jesus. You need to fall madly in love with the Savior. Allow him to saturate your spirit — to fill every corpuscle of your being. If you do that, you won’t be able to not evangelize. The Gospel will seep out of every pore. You will become infectious. You will live the Good News. Remember what Saint Francis of Assisi said: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and, when necessary, use words.”
The light of God should shine through you giving hope to the forlorn, peace to those in distress, love to the lonely, and salvation to the lost. You were cleansed when you were baptized. You were also ordained to serve God in the service of others.
I leave you a story I once heard Rabbi David Wolpe offer. Wolpe, who was named “the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine and one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post,” once told the following story. There once was a man who was so upset with the state of the world that he demanded an audience with God. When God appeared, the man said, “I can’t believe you!”
“What can’t you believe?” God asked.
“This world you created is so full of hatred, and violence, and abuse. Nations wage war against each other. People suffer from horrific diseases. Children die of starvation. Why don’t you do something about it? Why don’t you send someone down here to make things better?”
God looked at the man and said, “I did. I sent you.”
Through the waters of baptism, God sent you as well, my friends. Go forth to serve in the name of the Living Christ. Amen.
This sermon was delivered at the Church in the Cove in Beverly, Massachusetts as part of the Massachusetts Conference of Congregational Ministers annual pulpit swap.
© 2020, Dr. John Tamilio III
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Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor & Professor 