EPIPHANY II

January 17, 2010

St. Augustine Anglican Church

“But he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”

The Rev. Gerald Parks +

          One of the greatest events in our life, or maybe we should say the greatest single event in any life, is our Baptism.  As great as it is, though, because it happens so early in life for most of us, we don’t remember our Baptism.  But remembered or not, the effects of Baptism are life-altering and indelible.  Having been fifteen at the time, I do remember my Baptism.  But I remember it more as a statement of who I was as a Christian at the time – in spite of criticism – than any special feeling of being “born again” or saved.  My family wasn’t particularly religious at that time, and those who were were all Methodists; so the idea of their son becoming a Catholic (Roman or any other kind) was not at the top of any of my parent’s lists of acceptable things to be.  As my father said to me on leaving the church, “There have never been any Catholics in our family before;” it was not a remark meant to express his approval.

          Journeys in faith can have many origins and many pathways, but only one destination.  They are full of hills and valleys, times of complete clarity and times of utter confusion.  They can give us the deepest sense of peace, as well at times a sense of total dissatisfaction and hopelessness.  My own journey is peculiar to me (some would say peculiar is not nearly a strong enough word) and yours is peculiar to you.  But all journeys of faith have one thing in common: as coincidental as they may seem at the time, they are all prompted by the urgings of the Holy Spirit, and designed by Him.  If we let Him, He will lead us to a place that Scripture tells us has been prepared for us through all eternity.  And it is all the result of the changes wrought in us by the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, and made possible by our Baptism.

          Our Lord’s Baptism in Jordan, according to the Gospel of St. Marks, which we heard today (Mark 1: 1-11), is the earliest account of this event in the Gospels, and St. Matthew and St. Luke relied heavily on it in their own writings.  Each contains the basic details of the “dove” descending” and the “voice from heaven,” but I have always felt there was something missing in their accounts: Who saw the dove, and who heard the voice?  Did others witness these things, or was our Lord the only one?  For a partial answer, we need to turn to the Gospel of John, as he wrote concerning the event as witnessed by John the Baptist: “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto men, Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I say, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34)

          Just as John Baptized with water, so too does the priest pour water in our Baptism, as he intones the words, “I Baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,”  No doves appear, and no mighty voice from heaven is heard; but we know by faith that in Baptism all trace of original sin is washed from our souls, and we are welcomed into the community of Christ’s Church, and to the larger community of the faithful in Christ Jesus.  Yet, we know also that that isn’t all that happens: Jesus said, “Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3: 5)  Water is necessary as a visible sign of Baptism, but it is Christ Himself, through the power of His Spirit, who brings about the cleansing of our souls, and thus prepares us to be with Him in the kingdom of God.

          Journeys of faith, once begun, are never completed in this life.  We pray for the faithful departed in the life to come, saying, “Grant them continued growth in thy love and service,” giving us the sense that the souls in Paradise are still being perfected for admittance into the heavenly kingdom.  Some have faulted this practice, calling it “prayers for the dead,” which have always been rejected by Anglicans; and in a sense they are right.  But if we believe our Lord’s promise of a heavenly kingdom, where the souls of all the faithful in Christ will be united in love with Him for eternity, then we must also know that the souls in Paradise, far from being dead, are more alive now then ever they were before.  Prayers for the dead have no purpose whatever: the dead are dead forever.  But the living souls of the faithful departed are another matter entirely.

          My own “peculiar” journey of faith didn’t start as well or as early as I may have wanted, and I still at times regret the disappointment it caused my parents and family.  They were of the belief, as many are, that Baptism should come only after a person has reached “the age of reason,” which I strongly believe to be a basic misunderstanding or distortion of our Lord’s words and intention.  By His own words, we know that a soul of whatever age, being unprepared by the washing of Baptism, can never enter into the kingdom of God.

          Having come to Baptism late, though, had an upside for me.  For at an early age, I experienced the working of the Holy Spirit in my life, and that sense of closeness and guidance has never left me.  Even in times of spiritual darkness and deep concerns over my imperfect faith, I can still feel the beckoning of the Spirit – always comforting and always compelling.  It is a blessing we all share, for it is in our Baptism that we receive the blessing of Christ in His Holy Spirit, our cleansing and purifying in preparation for our journey toward Him and eternal life.  Though we may stumble and fall along the way, He is ever with us, picking us up when we fall and, at times of our weakest moments, carrying us on His back.  Such is the greatness of His love, that He told us, “Lo, I am with you alway,” (Matt. 28: 28) and that means forever.

          Praise His Holy Name!