Baptism

 Gate Pa – 10^th February 2013

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture:     Isaiah 6:1-13  

Psalm:             Psalm: 138                 

Epistle:            1 Corinthians 15:1-11            

Gospel:            Luke 5:1-11                

What I want to say:

explore bounded set and centred sets in relation to baptism

suggest John’s baptism and Jesus ministry is about centred sets

è wedding feast imagery – all are invited

è which we replay at Eucharistic table – one table where all gather (Paul and Galatians)

explore what that might mean for our baptisms and what we are to live out

What I want to happen:

discuss – what do they hope for TB?

-          how might they live that out?

 The Sermon

      1.      Introduction:

Today, we are going to baptise TB.

I wonder what we think we are doing when we baptise someone?

            ask – what is baptism?

joy of preaching each week

            wrestle with scripture

            enjoyed appreciated get new insights

            appreciated forced re-evaluate old assumptions

one those is what baptism is all about

      2.      Bounded sets

In some circles two images of church have been discussed

            probably heard them

based on how control livestock

one build fences

other – works in dry places is have no fences, and to dig wells

            stock don’t stray far from water

During Advent we spent a couple of weeks looking at John the Baptist.

if we were to apply those metaphors to religion in his time,

            - be the fence that fits

            to be honest fence applies most religious endeavours today as well

John lived in a society people in or out

important to know who was in and who was out

as a Temple priest one people maintained the boundaries, fences that kept people in and out

at temple, before you could enter, needed to first complete washing rituals

washing oneself clean of pollution, corruption, accumulated through contact unclean things, animals and people

            (people who were out)

This ritual washing

means of maintaining the boundaries who in and out

            washed self clean all that corrupted you

                        marked you out as someone who belonged, who was inside fence of Gods care

            excluded everyone else, labelled them as outside God’s care

John comes out of that

            doesn’t seem to be what he was about

      3.      Centred sets

suggested that John not maintaining fences

But, you might ask, wasn’t John’s baptism one of repentance?

            surely that is all about fences

How might we understand this repentance?

Sin Bible first and foremost communal –

when read prophets for example,

            todays reading from Isaiah, if read passages before and after

                        see sin when communities fail allow all live in it to both contribute and benefit

sin is economic, social, political and religious.

            individual sin becomes expression of communities sin

repentance is not for individuals moral failing

repentance is for what family and wider community has done

Isaiah – all about wealthy getting wealthier

            poorer getting poorer

            complete lack of caring about that

about oppression of the poor

term forgiveness is usually about forgiveness of debt

                        debt meant loss of land

                        loss of income

                        loss of status, place in society

                        exclusion from community

fences kept these people out

            forgiveness was about forgiveness of debt

                        forgiveness was restoration of land,

                                    restoration honour, mana,

                                    restoration of the place in the community.

in light of that, how might we understand John’s baptism?

            not maintaining fences here

            breaking the fences down

use our earlier metaphors

            suggest that more like sinking wells

            all who want to come are invited

repentance was either of being people who excluded others from God’s care

            or who believed themselves excluded God’s care and concern

inviting people came Jordan see that there is no fence around God’s care and concern

            need to rid themselves of all that stops us believing that, and living that out.

      4.      Jesus Ministry

How does this fit with what Jesus was on about?

Jesus was not about building fences

He constantly broke the rules about who was in and who was out

one of images he gave us for kingdom of God is that of feast

            in his feast – all were invited

lived this out by eating with very people who were excluded from table

            tax collectors

            prostitutes

            sinners

because all invited God’s feast

each week we re-enact that image with eucharist

this table should not have a fence around it

it is well

stand with John Baptist and invite all wish to embrace the fact they are within God’s care

we join with Jesus and invite tax collectors and sinners to join with us

This is the place where God bends down in love

            where all can bring their deepest longings and find God

this all sounds like liberal wishy washy mumbo jumbo

that is exactly image we get from Pauls writing

in Galatians

            neither Jew no Gentile, slave nor free, male or female etccc

amazing image that being acted out

imagine just how radical this was

Jew and Gentile eating at same table

male and female

slave and free

rich and poor

brings us back to Theo’s baptism

      5.      Finish

discuss – what are we doing when we baptise TB?

-          what might that require of us?