In our passage from Acts today, Luke tells us of Paul's ministry in Ephesus. People there have been baptized. They consider themselves disciples. They are puzzled when Paul mentions the Spirit. You see, they have been baptized into John's baptism-the baptism of repentance. They have confessed their sins and are beginning their faith journey by listening to John and following his teaching. They know nothing of being baptized by the Spirit. In their spiritual journey, they had taken the first step, but did not yet know of the second. Their journey is unfinished and because of that, their faith is lacking. They had not yet moved on from John's teaching to the teachings of Christ.
Why is baptism by the Spirit so important? Why must one be baptized in the name of the Lord? What is the difference? The disciples in Ephesus are faithful in their following of the Lord, they have lived what John has taught them, and yet there is something missing. Their discipleship is not yet complete.
To understand what it means to be baptized by the Spirit, and what "in the name of the Lord" both mean, I think that we need to look back in our Bible. We need to go back to the very beginning-to Creation.
In the Creation account of Genesis, the Spirit is there. It is the wind that sweeps over the face of the waters. (the Hebrew word is ruah) The Spirit is the power that accompanies the voice of God that speaks Creation into being. God's voice has authority. When God speaks, things happen. And the Spirit is there-an animating force that assists in the declaration of God's will. This is a new beginning, and the Spirit is there for the inauguration.
The power of the voice of God is spoken of in the psalms as well. In psalm 29, the voice of the Lord once again has power over the waters. God's voice flashes like fire, shaking the wilderness, whirling the oaks, breaking the cedars. It thunders, powerful and full of majesty. The voice of the Lord is to be glorified!
God's name is filled with glory as well. The power of the Lord's voice is reflected in the name itself, YHWH. (LORD with all capitols) YHWH, the name alone, is to be revered and respected because it says who God is and what God can do. God is Lord and King of all, the ruler of life, the one who is revealed through the power of divine speech. God's name has power.
In Mark's gospel, we hear the voice of God once again, this time proclaiming that Jesus is the Son, the Beloved, the one with whom God is pleased. Jesus has His own private Epiphany experience here. He sees it all. The Heavens are torn apart. The Spirit descends like a dove. God speaks. Like Creation, it is the inauguration of a new beginning. The Messianic age has begun. God speaks and the Spirit is present.
To Mark, the time of Jesus' baptism is a defining moment. There is no birth narrative in Mark. We are only on verse four, and Mark wants us to know who Jesus is and how His ministry began. Look back to the first sentence of Mark's gospel, "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark begins with the baptism of Christ, because that is the moment in time when Christ begins His ministry, and to Mark that is what is most important.
As Christians, we are baptized into the baptism of Christ. We share with Christ in His baptism. It is the beginning, the inauguration, of a new age for us. It is when we begin our ministry in the name of the Lord.
Originally, the words, "In the name of the Lord," were included in baptismal liturgies to distinguish Christian baptism from other rites that involved water (the Jewish cleansing rite-Mikvah). The early church created the formula to make it clear that Christian baptism was unique in that it involved the presence of the Spirit of God and that God has spoken in our lives. Whether we are baptized as infants, or later in life, baptism recognizes what God has done in our lives. God has spoken to us and made us one with Christ. God has given us the gift of the Spirit in our lives. God has done great things for us and when we are baptized we thank God for that divine intervention through the Spirit.
When we look back at our passage from Acts, we can see clearly that the difference between John's baptism and Christian baptism is the presence of the Spirit. John was pointing the way to Christ, making the people ready for what Christ had to offer, making the people ready for baptism by the Spirit, baptism in the name of the Lord.
There is an orderliness, a beauty, a balance to what happens when God speaks. There is something that is right and life affirming when we invoke the name of the Lord. Our relationship with God is made right when we are one with the Spirit and live out the vows of our baptism.
I can imagine God speaking, creating, baptizing, making everything that way that it should be when I think of the musical Sunday in the Park With George. The work by Steven Sondheim tells of the story of what it is like to be an artist, creating something from nothing. In the first act, the musical focuses on the works of the French artist, Georges Seurat, developer of the painting technique, Pointillism.
At the beginning and the ending of the act, we hear Georges reciting the words that define his work, the words that he speaks while creating; "Order, design, tension, composition, balance, light, harmony." Words that make everything right. Words that speak of things being in their proper place. Words that bring order from chaos, inaugurating a new beginning, the creation of a new work of art. From these words, beauty is born.
From the time Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, we have been invited to join Him. We have been adopted by God and been gifted with the presence of the Spirit in our lives. Through the work of the Spirit, all has been made right. Everything is in its proper place. Order has been made out of chaos. A new beginning has been inaugurated. A new work of art has been created. There is balance and beauty.
And, we can believe this. We can have confidence in what God has spoken. We can have faith in our baptism in the name of the Lord. When God speaks, it happens. What God says is true. God spoke and the earth came into being. God spoke, telling us of the identity and authority of Christ. God speaks to us and tells us who we are. We are one with Christ. We belong to God. Amen.
Peace,
Rev. Cynthia Bacon
Minister
You may email at:
cbacon@heritagemadison.org
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