The Church of the Redeemer

The Baptism of Christ

January 12, 2003

Mission Strategy Sunday

Each time I read this week’s Gospel, I am struck by God’s final words, “This is my son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”   And, as I contemplated these words, I found myself asking, is the ongoing Body of Christ, the Church, as pleasing to God today as Jesus was to God so long ago?  If we are not as pleasing to God, what is it that we are called to do?  During 2002, Bishop Shaw began asking similar questions for our diocese and by last fall in conjunction with the mission strategy committee developed a statement and slogan that he hopes will guide this diocese in the years to come to be more effective in its witness to the world around us.   This morning, Bishop Shaw has asked his clergy to focus our thoughts on the new Mission Statement. 

But why today, the first Sunday after the Epiphany, the day we traditionally celebrate the Baptism of Christ by baptizing our children and renewing our baptismal vows?  If we look at Baptism through our modern lenses, beginning a mission strategy year on this date makes little sense.  The act of infant baptism has little to do with personal commitment to Christ, since infants are far to young to make any commitments on their own. In fact, during today’s service, it will be the parents and Godparents who make these commitments on the children’s behalf. The actual commitments of the children will not come to fruition until they kneel before the Bishop in 13 – 15 years time and publicly affirm their faith through the sacrament of Confirmation.    

However, if we look at Baptism in its original form, the connection Bishop Shaw if trying to make becomes clearer.  As many of us are aware, the early church only performed adult Baptisms, and this only took place after a three-year course of instruction.   This did not mean that faith in Christ only occurred after three years of instruction, for as I emphasize with our confirmands each year, sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace, and these early candidate for baptism certainly began their instruction with a rudimentary understanding of God’s love and grace in their lives.  And, if they were to become ill or worse yet die during their course of instruction, the full rites of the church were available to them.  What is different about Baptism then in relationship to today is that when one came to the waters of Baptism they entered them with a fuller understanding of the Church, and what was expected of them as ministers of Christ.   Thus, in the early Church, Baptism became an act of commissioning.  In confirmation class, I tell our young people upon their confirmation they are being empowered to take their place among the adult members of the congregation.  This is in keeping with the layout of the Gospels; all four writers use the event of Christ’s Baptism as the beginning of his formal ministry. 

Baptism therefore is the act of empowering or commissioning us as ministers of Christ. Bishop Shaw has purposely chosen today to emphasize his desire for all of us to feel empowered to become involved in the mission and the direction the diocese and this parish will take in the years to come.  As I think about Bishop Shaw’s desire to begin shaping the future for this Diocese, the questions he is asking of us are appropriate as we prepare to welcome three new children into the family of Christ.  In a few moments each of us will be called to support these children in their spiritual development, so it bears asking, “What do we want this parish in relation to the Diocese to be like when they are ready to be confirmed in thirteen years?”

As we ponder this question, let us take a few minutes to think through the guiding words of the mission statement. 

The first word of our mission logo is inviting.  Like all four guiding words, it is presented in the active verb form, suggesting a current action.  It is a term that calls us to assess not only the spirit of the community that gathers here each Sunday morning, but also how we behave beyond these walls each day.  In a few minutes we will promise to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.  This is a promise we make as a congregation at least four times a year.  It is a promise to share our story, to discuss our relationship with God in Christ with others, but sadly statistics tell us the average Episcopalian invites someone to church once every twenty years.  And yet, of the fifteen new families I have visited this year, the majority have come to the Redeemer because someone they know invited them.  Imagine what the Redeemer would look like if each of us felt comfortable enough to converse with others about our faith and invite people to be part of this congregation.  What is it that holds us back?  What tools could this church or the diocese offer that will help us become more comfortable sharing our faith with others?  What changes could we make that would make this parish more welcoming to others? These are just some of the questions the diocese and we are being asked to consider as the Church explores new ways of becoming more inviting to those who remain outside the walls of faith.

The second word we see is forming.  When delegates from this parish met with delegates from throughout our deanery, many took exception to this term.  Today we rarely talk about forming or molding our children, but about facilitating a process of maturation so they can become their own person.  However, as I have read many of the local school profiles I have noted that most discuss programs that assist our young people in building strong character.  The life and the work of the church are to provide the tools to form spiritual beings that view the world through the lenses of scripture.  Later we will promise to continue in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.  This statement tells us through baptism we are reborn into a community of faith that cannot shine within us if we choose to go it alone.  We need the community and the sacraments to help keep us in relationship with God and to help us maintain the next vow, to persevere in the resistance of evil. 

Frequently when I prepare families for the baptism of their children the question of original sin comes up.  St. Augustine wrote that we are not born tainted with sin, but with the propensity to sin because we enter a world that is so shrouded in a cloud of evil we cannot navigate the waters between good and evil.  This is why an emphasis on formation becomes so important.  So much of what we see and do outside these walls asks us to act in opposition to the teachings of the Gospel. In order for us to know the life God is calling us to, we need to experience that life, we need to have opportunities to explore the issues of our society and the world within the context of the Gospels.  This is why Bishop Shaw has been so determined to build the new camp and conference center, and why the experience our young people had in Puerto Rico last summer was so important, because both provide opportunities for our children to experience God in the context of Christian community.  Maybe Redeemer sponsored mission trips for adults could be a part of our future, or adult retreats at the new camp and conference center.  These opportunities are invaluable as we all struggle to remain connected with God. 

The final two words are sending and serving.  They are dependant on an inviting and forming community, a community that is alive and excited by message of the Gospel.  What kind of impact could the Diocese of Massachusetts make if all of our parishes became open and inviting communities that provided opportunities of spiritual formation that excited all who walked through our doors? What impact could the Redeemer make if we became more supportive of the individual ministries of our members that take place every day.  We at the Redeemer are fortunate, because we have already seen the impact John Finley and Tim Crellin have made outside of our neighborhood.  The work they have accomplished is a result of the support they received and the spiritual growth they made while within our midst.   But I ask you, what would this parish and this diocese look like, if all Episcopalians felt nurtured and supported enough to use the talents and skills God has given them in their work places and communities solely to the greater glory of God. I believe if this happened throughout the universal church.  A church focused on being inviting, forming, sending, serving, we would all hear God’s voice proclaim, “this is my Church, the body of my son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”   Amen.

The Rev. Craig R. Swan

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