“Water, repentance, new life.”

A sermon for Advent 2, 08/12/19 by Roberta Berke.

“I baptise you with water for repentance…He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 3.11]

Water, repentance, new life. Today we welcome Joseph, Thomas, Maya and Isobel to be baptised. In baptism, through water, repentance, and the Holy Spirit, they will begin a new life in Christ. Baptism is a fundamental Christian sacrament, which has been performed since the very earliest days of the Church. Baptism may be done in different ways. We pour water on the person’s head. Some churches completely immerse the person in water, often in a river. I’ve heard of a pastor in Georgia whose baptism services are popular, because they’re very quick. This pastor baptises quickly because his local river is full of alligators. There are no alligators in our font. Paul has checked.

Water, repentance, new life. John the Baptist said, “I baptise you with water for repentance” [Matthew 3.11]. If you look up behind the altar, you’ll see a statue of John the Baptist. He’s come in from the wilderness, and he wears a rough tunic of camel hair. On the other side is Isaiah, who holds his book of prophesies. Isaiah announced the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Isaiah urged, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” [Matthew 3.3] Why did John choose the Jordan river for baptism? John wanted to remind people of how the Israelites had to cross the Jordan river after they’d escaped from slavery in Egypt. Before the Israelites could reach the promised land, they had to overcome this obstacle, the Jordan River.  The Jordan is the longest river in the Holy Land. It rises from sources north of the Sea of Galilee, then it runs from north to south for over 200 miles before it ends in the Dead Sea. The Jordan is 100 feet wide at its widest, and 10 feet deep at its deepest.  During the spring floods, the Jordan can be even wider and even deeper.  When the Israelites crossed the Jordan, they were in danger of drowning, just as pharaoh’s army had drowned in the Red Sea. Crossing the Jordan was as dangerous as trying to walk through rush hour traffic in Marble Arch with no stop lights. The Jordan River was an obstacle, a barrier to the promised land.

The river Jordan also gives life, as it waters the nearby lands. John the Baptist used the water of the Jordan to show that sins were washed away. This river’s water also reminds us of God’s power over the waters, both at creation and at the Red Sea. “Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters…. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” [Is 43: 16, 19] Today we will use some actual Jordan River water to baptise these children.

Water, repentance, new life. John said, “I baptise you with water for repentance.” [Matthew 3.11] Crowds of people flocked from all around to be baptised by John. Yet John called some of them, “You brood of vipers!”.  John condemned those who observed the outward duties of religion but ignored its true spirit. John attacked their complacency and hypocrisy with disturbing words. There are disturbing words in our baptism service today: the devil, evil, the powers of darkness. We recognise the reality of evil, but we do not submit to evil. We confront evil through the power of Jesus Christ. Evil is personified as the devil. The devil is not a silly man in red tights with a barbeque fork. The word “Satan” means “the adversary”, “the opposer”. Evil is an obstacle. Evil is like a dark turbulent river that can block our way. Evil is insidious. None of us are immune to evil’s temptations. “All have sinned and all have fallen short” [Rom. 3.23] Even St. Paul said, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do the thing I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” [Romans 7.19]. The godparents will be asked, “Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?” The godparents’ promises are like a proxy vote, made on behalf of these children. Godparents promise to renounce the deceit and corruption of evil. They promise to repent of the sins that separate us from God and our neighbour. Baptism doesn’t mean that a baptised child will never sin when an adult. Baptism means that the Holy Spirit is ready to guide us. We have been redeemed from sin by Christ’s sacrifice.

Water, repentance, new life.  John said, “I baptise you with water for repentance”. [Matthew 3.11] What does repentance really mean? We often think of repentance as feeling bad about something we’ve done or not done. Repentance can feel stagnant: like being stuck in a swamp of guilt and remorse. But true repentance is not static, but dynamic, flowing like a fresh stream. Literally, repentance means “to think again”. Repentance in Greek is “metanoia”, “to think after, to think again”. The deepest meaning comes from the Hebrew word for repentance: “teshuva” to return. To repent is to return to God from the slavery of sin. Repentance is to return from bondage to freedom in the promised land.

Repentance is a change, a re-birth, a new life in Christ. Jesus said, “You must be born again through water and the Spirit.” [John 3.5] Repentance is the beginning of our journey, not our final destination. Repentance means not only to stop doing wrong actions, but to do good actions as well. John not only said repent, but also to, “bear fruit worthy of repentance” [Mt.3.8].

Water, repentance, new life. Baptism and repentance give us new life in Christ. Christian life is a journey through the wilderness of obstacles and temptations. We make mistakes, we take wrong turns, we fall in the mud. But we do not journey alone. We journey with God, through the Holy Spirit of God within us. At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. This dove is a reminder of the dove that brought Noah the promise of God’s peace. The dangerous flood waters have been calmed. With baptism we do not journey alone. We journey with God and with God’s people. We all promise to support these children on their journey. We all renew our vows. We all dip our hands in the holy water.

Water, repentance, new life. Our final journey will be our crossing through the dark river of death. Christ, who crossed this river before us, will be with us. Christ leads us to eternal life. Christ promises, “I am with you always, even to the end of time.” [Matt.28.20] Christ gives us new life, now and forever. AMEN.