Repent and Believe

Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15

There are several times within the Christian year that we are reminded that we have been baptized. Several Sundays ago, on the first Sunday of Epiphany, we celebrated the baptism of our Lord that took place at the Jordan River at the hands of John the Baptist. And, as I recall, one of the main themes of that worship service was that we can recall our baptisms, whether we can remember the event, or not, simply because that baptism had power and is still working within us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The symbol of water is very important. Over the years, the United Methodist Church and other denominations have not emphasized enough the importance of symbols. And I think this is because symbols have been misunderstood, if not misused, over the years.

For instance, the Roman Catholic church has been accused of over emphasizing the symbols of the faith to the extent that it almost seemed as though the Christian faith were about symbols, rather than about Jesus. So, when many persons think of the Roman Catholic Church, they immediately think of such symbols as the Rosary, statues of the Virgin Mary, the Stations of the Cross, the mark of Ash Wednesday, the crucifix, holy water, and the act of crossing one's self. And this has been unfortunate, because the Christian faith is not a religion about symbols. Rather it is a religion about the love of God in Jesus Christ.

But, this doesn't mean that symbols are not important. For, indeed, when used and understood properly, the symbols can teach us and serve as reminders of the truths taught by the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only when the symbols are emphasized more than the truths that they represent that the symbols become meaningless and even contemptible.

So, for a few moments this morning we need to remember what the symbol of water teaches us. Of course, the Bible uses water to teach several important lessons. First, in the first chapter of Genesis, we are told that God created through water. And, not surprisingly, our gospel lesson for today, which mentions Jesus' baptism, is accompanied by the story about God's making of the first covenant with Noah, following the flood. And, further, water should remind us of the trek of the Israelites from Egypt into the Wilderness and, finally, into the Promised Land. So, of what does water remind us? It reminds us that God creates, that God purifies and saves, and that God delivers those who are his faithful people.

So, as Christians, we are truly people of the water. And baptism uses this very simple, but powerful, symbol to remind us that we are the children of God. And we need that reminder every day. For it gives us strength when we feel weak. It gives us hope when we feel hopeless. It gives us joy when we feel sorrow. And it gives us a sense of God's fullness when we feel empty. Certainly, our daily, even mundane, use of water can remind us of God's creativity, of his desire to make us better, and of our salvation and deliverance.

Our gospel lesson tells us that after Jesus was baptized he saw heaven torn open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. It was at this moment that Jesus knew that his ministry had begun.

Certainly, this is something that our own baptisms should tell us, as well. When we have been baptized our ministry for Jesus begins. And when we are reminded of our baptisms, we are reminded that we are not simply Christians, but that we are ministers of the gospel.

I think that this is something which many Christians have not understood well over the years. In fact, many Christians still insist that it is not they, but their pastor who is the minister. In fact, there are many who still believe that the reason they pay their pastor his salary is so that he can be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But, I have problems with this. I believe that even if I wasn't a pastor I would still be a minister of Jesus Christ. Why? Because I have been baptized. And through that baptism I was anointed by God's Spirit to share the good news. And so have you!

When Jesus looked up and saw what seemed like heaven opening up and God's Spirit descending like a dove, what he was seeing was what happens when any of us, young or old, are baptized. Through baptism God's Spirit becomes a part of our life. Through baptism God's Spirit nurtures us in the faith. Through baptism God's Spirit works with us to develop our gifts of love and ministry. Through baptism God's Spirit fills us to do more than we may have dreamed possible.

My friends, we need to be continually reminded that we have been baptized. We need to be continually reminded that we are a very important part of the ministry of Jesus Christ. We need to be continually reminded that with our baptism gifts are given to us for the service of God. We need to be continually reminded that with baptism comes the very power and authority of God to do wonderful things!

So, I thank God for the reminders he gives to me. I'll always remember how as theological students at Wesley Seminary we used to pass from one seminary building to another in the rain. If Dr. Larry Stookey, the professor of liturgics, saw us, his most likely greeting to us as we dodged the raindrops would be, "Remember your Baptism and be thankful!" Indeed, these words eventually became the words said by the pastor to the congregation in our service of Baptismal Renewal -- "Remember your Baptism and be thankful!" Something as common as a raindrop was made into a glorious symbol of God's power for our lives. And, yet, if it takes but a raindrop to remind me of God's power in my life, let there be a torrential rain of such reminders! Let there be a flood of such reminders! Let the river overflow with such reminders every day!

Our gospel lesson tells us that after Jesus was baptized John the Baptist was arrested and thrown into jail, but that Jesus went to Galilee to proclaim the gospel. And the scriptures tell us that Jesus' words were, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

These very words were said to you who came to the Ash Wednesday service, this past Wednesday: "Repent and believe the gospel!" For the Christian, for you and me, believing the gospel means sharing it, as well. Amen.