Why do I need to go to school, mum? Little James asked.
So you can read, James – and that will be really good. Mum replied.
It came to September and mum delivered James to School.
At the end of his first day James came home with mum and ran upstairs.
He picked up his book excitedly – and burst into tears!
Why did James burst into tears?
Education takes time. Going to school isn’t like going to the shop.
When you go to the shop you leave with a finished product you’ve bought.
When you go to school you are working day by day on finishing something that never really finishes – in this case James’ education.
Education takes time. So does being a Christian.
What we’re doing this morning to
I know someone who just trained to be a policewoman. She did her training and went onto the beat.
Did her training finish when she left college?
No it didn’t. She’s having to grow into the role. It’s the same with being a Christian.
We become what God makes us on the day of our baptism.
In baptism we see our sin drowned out though Christian living is a daily dying to sin.
In baptism we see the Holy Spirit come on us though Christian living is day by day life empowered by the Spirit.
Our first reading this morning from Ephesians 1:3-14 tells the whole tale of what it is to be baptised. It’s the passage actually set for today in the lectionary and it’s the earliest known baptism hymn.
Let’s have a look at it.
It tells us how God sees baptism. This passage is a great tonic for knocked around Christians because it says how God sees us even if we fail to see it and live it ourselves. Christianity is a great aspiration. If ever you doubted it look here!
Let’s read verses 3-6: 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ 4before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5God destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of God’s will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
God chose us, he chose Florence, Michael and Oscar not only when they were a sparkle in their earthly father’s eye but when they were a sparkle in their heavenly Father’s eye when he chose them in Christ 4before the foundation of the world….v5 destined them for adoption as his children.
What we are doing this morning is celebrating that choice, owning it and the parents and godparents are starting to work with them on its implications. Let’s read together verses 7-12. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of God who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.
This passage sets forth what Jesus is all about. It sets forth the glorious purpose he has for
There are two ultimate destinies for every human being – to be gathered up with all things in Christ or not to be. The future for humankind is either in God’s joyful goodness or outside of it (we call that hell) – there’s no other choice so far as the Christian revelation goes. The whole universe is being gathered into one through Christ – we can enter that movement of unification – or we can reject it.
The choice is ours – and baptism is meant to be that choice. It’s a choice for our self centered, sinful nature to be put to death and to rise again through receiving forgiveness again and again 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us.
In a moment we are going to bless water and pour it over these infants as a sign that they’re in principle dead to sin. Then we will anoint or seal them with holy oil taking up the last section of this early baptismal hymn. Let’s read aloud v13-14: 13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people to the praise of his glory.
Florence, Michael. Oscar are to be marked men and women.
God, though, has marked you and me as special. He’s marked us. We’re his marked daughters and sons through our baptism. As people mark their bodies so people look twice at them, God does the same. He places the mark of his love upon us. We need to believe it: I’m special, you’re special, ‘cause God’s made us special.
Here is a proof of that
That’s my fingerprint blown up. Is it the same as yours, or yours? No. Each of us is marked by the way we’re made to be specially you and me. The seal we’re given at baptism underlines this.
G.K.Chesterton wrote that Christianity hasn’t been tried and found wanting; it’s been found difficult and not tried. If every Christian lived the joyful reality of Ephesians chapter one the world would be a lot closer to unification. That’s why
It’s a message we need your help to get home – because their owning that message will affect the unification of the cosmos!
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