HOME

10.18.09

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

SERMON SERIES: QUESTIONS FOR GOD

SERIES 5: SACRAMENTS & THEOLOGY

PART 2: WHAT ABOUT INFANT BAPTISM?

MARK 10:13-16; ACTS 16:25-34

• The Fellowship of Believers
• Christian Baptism
• Christian baptism is an act of fellowship; it is a sign of God’s acceptance of us a members of the household of God
• Through baptism, we are adopted as children of God and made full heirs of all the promises of God in union with our brother Jesus Christ
• Through baptism, God places the mark of the Holy Spirit upon us and names us as God’s child
• Through baptism, we are clothed with the likeness of Jesus Christ
• The waters of baptism, however they are administered—through sprinkling or pouring, or by immersion—cleanses us from sin
• The amount of water is not significant; what is significant is the symbolism of the water
• Through baptism, we are made clean by the grace of God
• The practice of baptism has a long history
• The Jews practiced baptism for those who converted to Judaism from other faiths
• Prior to the coming of John the Baptist, no Jew had ever been baptized because they believed they had no need for baptism
• To be born a Jew was to be accepted by God already, so baptism was reserved for those who were not privileged enough to be born a Jew but who decided to convert to the Jewish faith
• When a convert was baptized, he/she was given a new name and a new set of clothes
• The new name and new clothes indicated the beginning of a whole new life
• Through baptism, that person’s identity was completely changed
• In the waters of baptism that person’s old life died and as they are raised from the waters, they are raised to new life
• This practice of giving a new name and new clothes was adopted by the early church for those who came to faith in Jesus Christ
• Two Forms of Baptism
• Among the various forms of the Christian faith, there are two types of baptism that are practiced: believer’s baptism and infant baptism
• Believer’s baptism is administered to those who are old enough to understand the message of the gospel for themselves and who come before the church in repentance to make a public profession of faith
• Infant baptism is administered to the children of believing adults as a sign of their acceptance into the family of God
• As Presbyterians, we practice both infant baptism and believer’s baptism
• Believers who desire their children baptized are encouraged to do so, although there is no requirement to have children baptized by a certain age
• Infant baptism is not a magical spell that will guarantee the child’s entrance into heaven if something tragic should happen to the child before reaching the age of accountability
• We believe God’s love and grace is sufficient enough to allow little children who die into the Kingdom of God whether that child has been baptized or not
• As Presbyterians, we also practice believer’s baptism
• In order to unite with a particular congregation, the person desiring membership in the church must have received the sacrament of baptism
• If he/she had not been baptized as a child, the Sacrament of Baptism is administered as he/she makes a public profession of faith when he/she chooses to unite with a congregation
• If he/she had been baptized as a child or received believer’s baptism in another congregation, that person does not need to be re-baptized in order to unite with the Presbyterian Church
• We believe that only one baptism is necessary and sufficient, and we accept a person’s baptism no matter what Christian denomination they were baptized in
• No matter what form of baptism we have received, whether as an infant or as a believer, and no matter if the water was administered by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, baptism marks the beginning of a new way of life
• In the waters of baptism, we die with Christ to sin and are raised with him to new life
• Through the act of baptism, we are given a new name—we are given the name “Christian,” we are named as a child of God—and God imparts God’s Holy Spirit upon us to equip us to live the new life we have been given
• The Directory for Worship, which is part of the PCUSA’s Book of Order, says, “Baptism signifies the beginning of life in Christ, not its completion.  God’s grace works steadily, calling to repentance and newness of life.  God’s faithfulness needs no renewal.  Human faithfulness to God needs repeated renewal.  Baptism calls for decisions at every subsequent stage of life’s way, both for those whose Baptism attends their profession of faith and for those who are nurtured from childhood within the family of faith.” (W -2.3007)
• When parents present their children for infant baptism, both the parents and the congregation make a commitment to God to nurture those children in the Christian faith
• The parents promise to teach the faith which they profess to their children, and the congregation promises to support the parents in the spiritual development of their children and to provide whatever programs and resources are necessary for spiritual growth to occur
• Infant baptism and confirmation are inextricably linked
• The promises made for the child by the parents when their children are baptized are fulfilled when the child makes his/her profession of faith when they are confirmed in the church
• Welcoming the Children
• Why Practice Infant Baptism?
• Why do we practice infant baptism?
• The answer to that is found both in the Scriptures and in the promises of God
• Our texts for today shed some light on why we, as Presbyterians, practice the Sacrament of Infant Baptism
• Mark tells the story of how, on a particularly busy day for Jesus, people were bringing their children to Jesus to bless them
• Children had no rights or privileges in the culture of that day, and they were considered a bother until they were old enough to contribute to adult society
• Since Jesus was a renowned teacher, he was too important to be bothered with children, so the disciples sought to drive the children away
• Jesus became indignant when he saw this and called the children to come to him
• He took them up in his arms and blessed them, and he used this incident as a teaching moment
• “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” Jesus said.  Then he continued, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
• Jesus’ actions and words demonstrate several things
• First of all, by taking the children up in his arms and blessing them, Jesus raised the status of children in his culture
• Because they have a place in the Kingdom of God, they must also have a place in the culture of humanity
• They are more than possessions, they are people, and as people, they have the same rights and privileges of other people
• Since God’s love is for all people, children cannot be denied access to the love of God since they are people too
• We baptize children as a sign of their love and acceptance by God
• Secondly, Jesus uses their innocence, their dependence, and their trust as an example for adults to follow
• The baptism of children reminds us that we are all children in the eyes of God
• The baptism of children reminds us that just as children are dependent upon their parents to provide for their needs, and they trust them to do so, so we are completely dependent upon God, or Heavenly Parent, and we must learn to trust God to take care of all the needs in our life
• As faith is an instinctive part of the life of a child, so faith must be an instinctive part of our life as adults
• The baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God’s love claims us even before we are able to respond in faith
• The Role of the Family in Faith Development
• The story of the Philippian jailer reminds us of the role of the family in the development of faith
• In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses admonishes the people of Israel to pass on the story of faith to their children, to talk about it in their homes and as they travel along, and even to engrave it upon the doorframes of their houses
• The family is to be a microcosm of the church, the central place where faith is taught to succeeding generations
• As the Philippian jailer understood and professed his faith in the truth of the gospel, he took that faith home and passed it on to his family
• While each person must ultimately come to accept the truth of the gospel for themselves, it is within the context of the family that the seeds of faith are planted and watered
• As all of the members of the jailer’s family were baptized as a result of his coming to faith in Jesus Christ, it is appropriate that we baptize the children of believing parents so that the seed of faith might be planted in them and nourished so that they might grow in faith into a full understanding of the gospel for themselves
• The Directory for Worship points out, “As circumcision was the sign and symbol of inclusion in God’s grace and covenant with Israel, so Baptism is the sign and symbol of inclusion in God’s grace and covenant with the church.”
• The Directory continues: “As an identifying mark, Baptism signifies the faithfulness of God, the washing of sin, rebirth, putting on the fresh garment of Christ, being sealed by God’s Spirit, adoption into the covenant family of the church, resurrection and illumination in Christ.” (W-2.3004)
• “Baptism enacts and seals What God’s Word proclaims: God’s redeeming grace to all people.” (W-2.3006)
• We cannot rightly deny our children the fullness of the blessings of God
• This is what Jesus demonstrated on that day when he took the children up in his arms and blessed them
• The greatest gift we can give our children is the blessing of the love and grace of God given through Jesus Christ
• Once we give them this blessing, it becomes our responsibility to nurture them so that they might grow to claim Jesus Christ for themselves
• “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them,” Jesus says, ‘for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”