January 14, 1996	Behold, the Lamb of God!	Isaiah 49:1-7

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

Many Christians think that the ritual of baptism started with John the Baptist. What we may not know, however, is that there was a very rich tradition of baptism in Israel even before John the Baptist. In fact, for many years, through rituals that included water, God's people would celebrate and remember their historic crossings over the Jordan to get into the Promised Land. Thus, John the Baptist was taking something old, something right out of tradition, and using it to remind his people that they were the children of God. And, if they were the children of God, they needed to repent from the evil ways of their present age. Thus, John's was a baptism of repentance. It was a time wherein God's people would celebrate their having been chosen by God to be a light unto the nations. It was a time wherein God's people would reclaim for themselves their historic role of "suffering servanthood." The Baptism of John was, indeed, a time when they turned their backs upon the sins of their day.

Of course, when we baptize in our own churches, this is what we are doing, as well. When we baptize an infant, a child, or an adult, we are using an ancient tradition to proclaim to the world that this person is one with the children of God, one with the Body of Christ. And, so you see, with baptism the correct emphasis has always been upon the group – the children of God, the Body of Christ, the Church. Thus, in the historic church the emphasis in baptism has always been on what the Church is doing and what God is doing, not upon what individuals receiving baptism are doing. Baptism is an act of God's grace and a recognition of that grace by the Church. Baptism is not the act of an individual. It is not dependent upon the grace of the person being baptized, but solely upon the grace of God. And this is why we in the United Methodist Church baptize infants, as well as adults.

In fact, we in the United Methodist Church are emphasizing the use of water much more than we used to. I have attended some large worship services wherein the congregation was invited to remember their baptism with all that it means. In fact, in one annual conference worship service water from all over the state was put into a large glass bowl at the front of the sanctuary. And the congregation was invited to come forward so that they could put their hands into the water and remember that they were members of the Body of Christ through water. Some people crossed themselves with the water. Some simply felt the water on their hands. Some would put the water on their faces. And returning to their seats they had smiles on their faces, because they had been reminded of something very important that God had done in their lives.

You know, in many churches around the world, the water of baptism is placed where people can touch it and experience it, freely. In this particular church, for instance, it is placed in the back of the church, by the door, as a reminder to people that it is through baptism that we enter into the Body of Christ. In other churches there isn't a cover on the font. That way, as people come into the church they can touch the water and be reminded of their baptism. And in many churches, including United Methodist Churches, water is often sprinkled on those joining the church and even upon members of the congregation, on occasionaly, so that all may celebrate and remember their entry into the Body of Christ.

And why is this done? Where did all of this come from? They come from the traditions of the Church that go back 2,000 years and from the traditions of Israel that go back to the Hebrews as they crossed through the waters of the sea. Thus, these practices are not the property of any particular denomination of the Christian Church. The idea of sprinkling water upon the faithful is not the sole property of the Roman Catholic Church, or the Anglican Church, or the Eastern Orthodox Church, anymore than is praying, or the Lord's Supper, or the confession of sin, or the belief in God, or the reading of the Bible, the property of any particular denomination. Rather, these are the traditions of the Body of Christ, of the people of God, of whom we United Methodists are a part, and have every right to claim as our own.

What John the Baptist did out in the Wilderness beyond the Jordan was well within the context of the history and traditions of God's people. And, John's recognition of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world was also firmly grounded in the traditions of the faithful. In fact, it was the awareness and appreciation of these traditions that made Christ's appearance so meaningful to those who met him and put their faith in him.

When John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!" he wasn't saying anything new! He was simply announcing the climax of everything Isarel's faithful had lived and hoped for for the last 1,000 years! The concept of God's sending his only Son as a final sacrifice for sin had its roots in the story of Abraham and Isaac. John's announcement that Jesus was the Lamb of God, had its roots in Passover traditions spelled out in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In other words, the time and place of Christ's appearance upon this planet was crucial. It was like the appearance of an actor in the middle of a play upon a stage that had been carefully prepared and before an audience that had been sitting there since the beginning of the play. Only those members of the audience who had been sitting there from the beginning of the play would be able to fully appreciate the meaning of the arrival of that actor in that particular scene of the play.

Therefore, how important it is for us to accept and know the story of Israel and God's people as our own story! The more we know of that story the more we understand and appreciate the significance of the coming of Christ and of Christ's continued presence in our lives, today. How important it is for us to be able to claim for ourselves the story and, therefore, traditions of the people of God!

Our Old Testament lesson gives us a very helpful clue as to our role as God's people, as well as the person and work of Jesus Christ. In verse three Isaiah puts it very bluntly. Quoting the council of heaven, Isaiah says, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. . . I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

Who was Isaiah calling God's servant? The people of God! And who was the ultimate servant of God? Jesus Christ! And who are God's servants, today? Those who follow Jesus Christ! And, hopefully, or it's at least our claim, those servants of God are us – the Church.

You know, when you think about it, calling ourselves "the servants of God" is a pretty hefty claim. It means that we are the ones doing God's work in this world. It means that we're God's brains, God's hands, God's feet, God's mouth – doing the things God would have us do. But, the problem is knowing what it is that God would have us do! How do we know? Is it doing what ever makes us feel good? Is it doing what is good for us and makes us stronger? Is it rising up boldly to destroy God's enemies? I mean, how do we know what God would have us do?

But, that is where our awareness of history and tradition is so important. For Isaiah says that God's suffering servant may look terribly insignificant in the eyes of the world. And, yet, all the time God is at work in the background, setting the stage, so that the servant can do wonderful things in God's name.

Our role, then, is simply to be faithful to God. To work humbly and patiently where we are or where God leads us, knowing and believing that God is preparing a way. Even in the midst of suffering, in the midst of pain and turmoil, God's servants will prevail. For, as Isaiah says, "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down." Why? Because of what we have done? No. Rather, as Isaiah says, it is "because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

Amen.