A sermon based on Mark 1: 4-11
Do you remember your baptism? Do you have a baptism story? Does it end with a dove descending or a voice from the heavens?
Mark is in way too much of a hurry to spend time telling a big story about Jesus’ baptism. Matthew and Luke go into far more detail. Even John has more lines to the story, telling it all from John’s perspective. But Mark just wants to get through the story as quickly as he can; in this case we get a little about what John’s doing and then onto the main point: “Jesus was baptized and God claimed him as God’s own child, beloved, and pleasing to the Creator of the Universe.” Now, moving on…
I’m right there with Mark when I say that this is by far the most important thing to carry away from this story. The PC(USA) has large chunks of confessions, a big section in the book of order, and gobs of published briefs on the meaning of baptism. Great debates go on among denominations – is sprinkling ok, do you need to be immersed, does the water have to be flowing, rather than a standing pool or font? But first and foremost, as I try to simplify it all: baptism shows that God has claimed you, loves you, and is pleased to have you follow God’s own will.
See the whole sermon, including a reaffirmation of baptism here.
