Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Nearly 40 years- ago, when I was a Youth Director in a church in South Minneapolis, I was asked by a high school senior to read his college admissions essay.  He was applying to Carleton, or as St. Olaf alums refer to it, The school on the wrong side of the tracks.”  His essay question was; “Describe the most important event in your life.”  The young man was an accomplished piano player, star cross country runner and an excellent student.  I wondered what he would describe as life’s most important event. He surprised me. He chose to write on his baptism. In simple prose he described how he was born premature, and while he was still in the hospital, he was baptized by his pastor father. He went on to say that he had absolutely nothing to do with this, but it was the event that was most important and transformed his life. Yes, I was surprised that this was to be his college admission essay, and I imagine that the reading committee at Carleton College was surprised as well. But he was admitted- just the same.  He was a rare young man who could see in baptism, a defining and formative event.

Of course, baptism has always been a defining and formative event at the heart of the Christian faith. It is sign and symbol that a person belongs to Christ. It is a requirement for membership in the church. It is a sacrament which offers a means of grace and the promise of God’s salvation. It is also the event which gives confidence to life. Martin Luther once said, “There is on earth no greater comfort than baptism.” Luther confessed that when he was in the distress of affliction and anxiety he consoled himself by repeating the phrase, “I am baptized!”  Yes, when it seemed to him that the whole church had left the teachings of the Gospel, when he was under scrutiny from Church officials as to the truth of his beliefs, when his own life was under threat, and when he suffered self-doubt he would boldly claim, “I am baptized.”

Regretfully, we live in world where baptism is often looked upon as a simple religious ritual, rather than a life changing moment in time.  I am reminded of the familiar story of the three pastors who got together for coffee one morning. Much to their surprise they discovered that all three of their churches had problems with bats infesting their belfries. The bats were making a terrible mess. “I got so mad,” said one pastor, “I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling but did nothing to the bats.”

“I tried trapping them alive,” said the second. “Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church.”

“I haven’t had any more problems,” said the third. “I simply baptized and confirmed them,” he replied. “I haven’t seen them since.”  Why do so many Christians take baptism so lightly?

This morning let us meditate upon Jesus’ own baptism in the River Jordan.  For I believe that there we will find three insights that make baptism a defining and affirming event.  In baptism, God calls us. In the waters of baptism, God equips, and as the spirit hovers over the waters of baptism, God promises that he will never deny or forget us.

St. Luke begins his account of Jesus’ baptism by speaking of the Word of God coming to John the Baptist in the wilderness, and so Jesus journeys out into the wilderness to be baptized by John.  In scripture, John the Baptist acknowledged that he wasn’t worthy to tie the things of Jesus’ sandals, and yet Jesus joined the crowd that was being baptized by him. It was a dramatic moment of opening up himself to do the work of his Father. It was the moment of his call. In the waters of baptism at the River Jordan, God the Father called him to begin his work.

In baptism, you too were given a call to begin your work. The heavens were opened for you, but it may not yet have been as clear what your purpose should be. Certainly, however, you are confident that God knows you and your possibilities. In baptism you were made a holy instrument of God’ kingdom.  That doesn’t mean that baptism makes you perfect. You will undoubtedly still fall short of God’s glory. But in baptism God has given you a purpose.  When we are you we often are asked, “What would you like to do with your life?”  And as graduates of liberal arts schools, we answer, “I’m keeping all my options open.” But when you are conscious of your baptism and God’s call in your life,  you are forced to wrestle with another question, “What would God like you to do with your life?”  In baptism, God calls you.

Why is baptism such a defining and formative moment in life?  It is the waters of baptism that God equips and empowers you for the work he has set before you.  We read that when Jesus was baptized, and as he was praying, the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove. That is your assurance as well. God will empower you with the Holy Spirit when you choose to use the spiritual gifts needed for each day. There is an old, but wise saying, “Remember… The will of God will never take you, Where the grace of God cannot keep you, Where the arms of God cannot support you, Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs, Where the power of God cannot endow you.” Unfortunately, many Christians today lack the confidence and enthusiasm to draw upon these gifts. Perhaps, because they have been convinced by the world around them that baptism is not that important.  It is strange.  The world accepts enthusiasm in every realm except the religious.  An enthusiastic salesman is an achiever.  An enthusiastic lawyer is an asset. An enthusiastic farmer, as the saying goes, is outstanding in his field.  But an enthusiastic Christian, is an unwelcome guest.  In the waters of baptism, God empowers you with his gifts through the Holy Spirit.  He simply longs for you to be an enthusiastic disciple and use these gifts to further his kingdom.

Finally, at Jesus’ baptism when you were baptized there was a voice from heaven speaking, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”  That same message was spoken to at your baptism, “You are my child always.”  It is a defining and formative moment in life, but it is more of a life-long journey than a singular instantaneous change. As Martin Luther said, it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.  As a child learning to walk, you will fall down and make mistakes, but you are to continue to walk and grow.  Unfortunately, many who have been baptized have stopped growing, simply because they believe that the voice speaking to them at their baptism wasn’t the voice of God.

Two ladies in their eighties were enjoying sunshine on a park bench in Florida.  They had been meeting in that park every sunny day for years, just talking and enjoying each other’s company.  One day, the younger of the two turned to the other and said, “Now dear, don’t be angry with me, but I must ask you a question.  After all the time we’ve been together, I am so embarrassed but I just can’t remember your name.  Could you please remind me? ” The older of the two stared at her, looking very distressed, and said absolutely nothing for two full minutes.  Finally, she broke the silence and said, “How soon do you have to know?”  It is good to know that we can celebrate a God who never forgets our name or his promises.

Jesus‘ baptism in the River Jordan was a defining and formative moment in his life, just as your baptism should be for you. From the moment he was baptized and raised from the water, he left behind his carpenter’s tools and began his public ministry. Jesus’ own identity and purpose would be unquestionable; his ministry to the lowly, sinful and forgotten, unalterable; and his march to his death on the cross, unstoppable.  From the moment he rose from the waters, and the heavens opened before him, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, his work and mission were clear and obvious. And he would do so with the affirming words of God ringing in his memory. “This is my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

My friends, let your baptism be a defining and formative event in your life. “In you, God is well pleased.”   Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.