THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, FRANKLIN, MA Ephesians 1:1-14 The spiritual blessing and significance of Holy Baptism July 15, 2012 This is a

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1 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, FRANKLIN, MA Ephesians 1:1-14 The spiritual blessing and significance of Holy Baptism July 15, 2012 This is a day to celebrate; it s the day that Brian Michael Gaul will be baptized; but don t miss the significance of what s happening this morning. Holy Baptism of an infant is a public act of profession of faith by his parents and godparents on his or her behalf. Baptism is the initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into the Church, the Body of Christ in the world. Shonna and James and Stacey and Andrew will speak for Brian with the understanding that at an appropriate time he must declare his own faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. Paul s Letter to the Ephesians outlines God s eternal plan for all humanity. He writes that he regularly prays and never stops giving thanks for his fellow believers whom he describes as chosen in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that [they] should be holy and blameless before him. They re adopted as God s children through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus and for believers in neighboring churches as well. I believe this is a prayer is for every believer in Jesus Christ. In verse 15, which follows our reading, Paul begins, For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. He gives thanks to God because he s aware that their lives reflect the fundamentals of the Christian life faith and love faith, believing in Jesus, and loving God and others as themselves. Think for a moment about Jesus Great Commandment. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like

2 2 it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [Matthew 22:37-39 ESV] That s the reason Paul never stops giving thanks. In the verses that follow he continues his prayer. First, Paul prays that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. [v. 17] It s the power of the Holy Spirit who brings understanding of the things of God. As we open ourselves to the guidance of the Spirit, we begin to let go of our agendas and follow God s. For example, anyone who is able to read can sit down and read the Bible. But it isn t until we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our reading and its implications for our life that it begins to come alive. The Bible, written under the inspiration of the Spirit, can t be fully understood without His guidance; that s the essence of Paul s prayer as he prays for a spirit of wisdom and of revelation for his fellow believers. The Christian life is about coming to know God better each day and we need His help to do that. Second, after praying for a spirit of wisdom and of revelation, Paul prays for spiritual comprehension: having eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. [v. 18] We usually use the word heart to convey an emotional response, but for Paul heart had a holistic meaning it involves one s entire being, not just emotions or intellectual knowledge. He expresses a similar thought in Second Corinthians. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world [Paul is referring to Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [4:3-4 ESV] Paul is clear: it s only as the significance of the spirit of wisdom and of revelation is realized that Christians begin to appreciate the hope to which [God] has called [them]. The Christian hope is certain it s the assurance of

3 3 forgiveness of sin and eternal life with God promised in the gospel of your salvation [which is] sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. In addition, through Jesus, God values believers as His treasure: the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. [v. 18] The Catechism in The Book of Common Prayer describes the Christian hope like this:...to live with confidence in the newness and fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God s purpose for the world. Finally, after praying for a spirit of wisdom and of revelation and spiritual comprehension, Paul prays that all who believe may have an awareness of God s immense power: what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. This power, that s available to all believers, is described as the power that raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated him at [God s] right hand in the heavenly places. We should never underestimate the power of God whether we need help in overcoming temptation, in empowering our prayers, in giving us courage to do what is right or in what He will do in Brian s baptism. Do you believe that you re the beneficiary of this kind of power? The Christian life includes getting to know God better each day and to pray for others so that more and more people will come to know Jesus and experience God s power in their lives. How does Paul s prayer relate to Brian Michael s baptism? There are various traditions in the Church concerning the appropriate time and method of baptism. In the Anglican tradition we baptize infants because we believe that God has not changed His way of creating a people for Himself. Jesus gave us an outward and visible sign the water of baptism; His pledge to do an inward and spiritual work. Christian traditions that limit baptism to adult believers appear to assume that God has changed His approach and there s limited continuity between

4 4 the Old and New Testaments. Anglican Christians, however, believe that baptism, like circumcision, is an outward sign of the New Covenant in Christ s blood a part of the transaction that expresses God s promise to continue to do the inward work that s still needed. Thus it s appropriate to baptize the children of believing parents. Other Christian traditions understand baptism as a testimony that the inward work has already been accomplished and that it s only appropriate to baptize individuals who are old enough to repent and believe for themselves. The bottom line, however, is that all Christians agree that salvation is a transaction that involves two parts God s work in Jesus Christ and our response to His sacrifice on the Cross. The Bible says repent and believe in the gospel [Mark 1:15 ESV] of the Lord Jesus Christ. We baptize infants who will be nurtured within a believing family and by members of the local church; thus parents and godparents are able to affirm the baptismal vows on behalf of a child who is unable to speak for himself. The members of the congregation are asked to affirm their commitment to do all in their power to support the baptized child in his life in Christ. What s accomplished in baptism? First, it s a visible sign that proclaims that the baptized is in need of a Savior and that God has provided that Savior in Jesus Christ. Second, it s an act of initiation that grafts the baptized into the Body of Christ, the Church, by an outward and visible sign of the New Covenant the water of baptism. Third, it s a means of grace that solemnly calls upon God to continue the inward work that He promises in the outward sign Jesus gives us and by which we express our trust that He will do what He has promised.

5 5 Although we can trust God to be about this inward work of shaping Brian s heart, it shouldn t be done in a vacuum. It should take place within his family and his congregation where he is taught the essentials of the faith, upheld by regular prayer (similar to what Paul did for the Ephesians) and surrounded by Christians whose good examples God can use to model what He wants to produce in Brian and in each of us. In baptism we are buried with Christ in his death [and] by it we share in his resurrection. It isn t simply a human action or response; God is present in ways that may be difficult for us to explain or understand. Bishop John Rogers wrote: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism is the gift and work of Christ and is of great importance. It needs to be boldly and vividly celebrated and taught in the congregation. Baptism of the young is to lead to the confirmation of those who have come to personal faith in [Jesus] Christ. In other words, while baptism is of great significance, but it s not an end, it s a beginning. In baptism we renounce Satan; we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We began with this proclamation: There is one Body and One Spirit; There is one hope in God s call to us; One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all (these words also come from Paul s Letter to the Ephesians). Every believer who witnesses Brian s baptism is called to do all in [their] power to support him in his life in Christ and to affirm their own belief in One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all. Holy Baptism is a gift; it s the work of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit; it is of great importance and should be boldly celebrated by every member of Christ s holy Church. God is at work in baptism and He invites you to join Him. Amen. Father Jack Potter+