Baptism
Gate Pa – 10th 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?
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