A drunk stumbles on a baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river. He proceeds to walk down into the water and stand next to the preacher. The minister turns and notices the old drunk and says, “Mister, are you ready to find Jesus?”
The drunk looks back and says, “Yes, preacher. I sure am.” The minister then dunks the fellow under the water and pulls him right back up.
“Have you found Jesus?” the preacher asked.
“No, I didn’t,” says the drunk. The preacher then dunks him under for quite a bit longer, brings him up and says, “Now brother, have you found Jesus?”
“No, I did not, Reverend.” The preacher, disgusted, holds him under for at least 30 seconds this time, brings him out of the water, and says in a harsh tone, “My God, have you found Jesus yet?” The drunk wipes his eyes and says to the preacher, “Are you sure this is where he fell in?”
When I was instituted as Rector of this parish close to twenty years ago, I was presented with several symbols of ministry, and with each symbol, there were appropriate words spoken. Thus, I was presented with a vessel of water, and the Bishop said, “Fredrick, take this water, and help me baptize in obedience to our Lord.” He, and all of the presenters, did use my given name Fredrick. It reminded me of when I was a child. To my family I was always Fredrick. Now, if they had said Fredrick Arthur Robinson I would have thought I was in big trouble!
One of the most interesting of symbols presented was a set of keys. Actually, they were the keys to the doors of the church. I believe George Bloodworth was the one who presented them (May he rest in peace), and he said, “Fredrick, receive these keys, and let the doors of this place be open to all people.”
“Receive these keys.” Keys were an important enough symbol for them to be used in a service of worship alongside of a Bible, water, a stole, oil, and bread and wine. When you think about it, keys are a very important part of our lives. Through keys you gain entry into important places like your home and your place of business. There are few things as thrilling to a human being as being given that first set of car keys. In our society that’s Independence Day!
And you can’t talk about keys in a religious vein without being reminded that Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to St. Peter.
I am reminded of keys today because, when I think of an apt metaphor for baptism, that is what comes to my mind. First of all, we are led to be baptized through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have been given that faith through the witness of other faithful Christians, the Holy Scriptures, and the tradition of the Church. You might say that the scriptures, the tradition of the Church, and other Christians unlock the truth of Christianity for each new believer.
When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, “the heavens were opened and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove…and a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” That, too, was a kind of key, unlocking for all time to come Jesus’ nature. It is an epiphany, a manifestation, a kind of key, opening to us the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God.
And then there is baptism itself. It opens the door to everlasting life. It is our entrance into the Church, the way we become members of Christ’s Body. It is the point at which we are born anew, forgiven our sins, and made children of God by adoption and grace. Baptism is the key that opens the door to all of this.
And yet, baptism, as key as it is to our salvation, is not the goal of the Christian life, but only the beginning. When I put the key into the ignition of my car and turn it on, I haven’t reached my destination. In fact, until I put the car in gear and step on the gas, I haven’t gotten anywhere. When I unlock the doors to the church, I still have to walk in and avail myself of what goes on inside in order for me to receive what God wants so very much to give me in this place.
As with all metaphors, they only go so far. To compare baptism to a key we must say that this key is a powerful one indeed. Yes, baptism is only the beginning, but it is a huge beginning, for it is nothing less than rebirth into the family of God. It is a huge beginning to the Christian life, but it is a beginning.
Today we will baptize two babies. They have no idea what will be happening to them. Their profession of faith will be done in their name by their parents and godparents, who will promise to bring them up in the Christian faith and life.
For these children this can be a mere blip on the radar screen or it can be the most important day of their lives. If it is the most important day of their lives, it is the beginning of a completely different way of life from the way of the world. Their baptism will open the door to eternal life, both in this earthly life and in the life to come. It is a life characterized by immersion in God’s grace, centered in the worship of almighty God, nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ, enlightened by the Holy Scriptures, and given to a readiness to forgive and to reach out to those in need.
In the film, Tender Mercies, Robert Duvall and his ten-year-old stepson are baptized by immersion in a rural Texas church. Each candidate, draped in a robe, stands in the pool, and then the minister supports the candidate’s head while holding him for a moment under the water. On the way home from church with his mother, a strong believer, and his stepfather, the boy asks him, “Do you feel any different? They said this would change my whole life. I don’t feel any different yet.”
In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, “Through baptism into Christ’s death we were buried with him, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.” While those who are baptized may not feel any different, they are different. Baptism is a turning point, a beginning of life in the new age, life as a child of God, if we truly live into our baptism. May God grant to Liv and Kendall the grace to use this wonderful key of baptism to come into the fullness of his presence all the days of their lives.
Sermon preached by the Very Reverend Fredrick A. Robinson
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, FL
1st Sunday after Epiphany
12 January 2014