"Baptize: Initiation"

(Ps 27; 1 Cor 1:10-18; Mtt 4:12-23) JG White ~ 10:30 am, Sun, Jan 25, 2026, FBC Amherst

Last Sunday afternoon’s Ray Legere concert left behind, for the moment, some bottles of water, for the musicians. Actually, I asked Roy Pettigrew to leave these here until after this Sunday worship, as I preach about water, about baptism. 

Maybe this is a new parable: Baptism is like bottled water. 

The usual preference is for chilled, cold water. ‘Jordan River is chilly and cold,’ we might sing!

Sometimes the whole thing is used, but often only a bit of water is taken. 

This water is very pre-packaged and controlled, with certain words used about it. 

Some of the people who use this water do everything right, dispose of the plastic in the recycling, and rejoice. Many people don’t finish it, leave the bottle laying around, waste it. 

Some people know when it is time for water, and drink. Others just seem to go for water when they aren’t really thirsty.

Last Sunday, and the Sunday before, we read in the Gospels about John the Baptizer offering baptism in the Jordan River to many people, including to Jesus of Nazareth. This was, of course, a form of Jewish baptism, which is an ancestor of Christian Baptism. 

What is a Christian? What does a practicing Christian look like? What do we do? Well, we get baptized. That physical ceremony is an initiation into the spiritual path based upon Jesus. 

Our new Church Covenant starts with reference to our Trinitarian baptism: Having been led by God’s grace to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on a profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we solemnly and joyfully covenant together to live as members of Christ’s body.  

Initiation rites into religions and spiritual traditions are common. Often very simple, such as in Islam. To become a Muslim, once one understands things, you simply have to declare “I bear witness that there is no god except God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.” 

In Christianity, we declare Jesus the Christ to be our Master and our Saviour. This becomes what we state at the moment of our baptism, often by complete immersion in water. This ritual with H2O is our initiation. 

Baptism goes hand in hand with saying Jesus is the provider of what we truly need, and is in charge of our lives now. Our Jewish predecessors were always saying this of God, such as in Psalm 27, The LORD is my light and my salvation. We say it of Jesus, ‘God the Son.’

Our Bible text today that mentions baptism is on the first page of the First Letter to the Corinthians. Right off, the author starts dealing with some problems in that congregation of old. Those Christians were not getting along with each other perfectly. Fancy that! Sounds like they had split up a bit, favouring one of their leaders over the others. And some claiming they were the true followers of Jesus. The letter-writer, Paul the apostle, asks rhetorically: Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Then mentions he’s glad he did not baptize any of them in that city. Except for one family. And maybe someone else. And, well… Paul didn’t really keep records. That’s not the important bit! They all have Jesus the Christ in common, not who baptized them or who taught them or who is leading them now. 

Admittedly, Baptism and other rituals have been used to divide and separate us within Christianity over the past two thousand years. Ever since this congregation in Corinth, Greece. 

Now, you may happen to recall, and remember quite fondly, your baptism, if it was when you had grown up a bit (or a lot). I do. Well, my memory is not that great, but I remember slightly my baptism by immersion one Easter Sunday morning. And I still fondly think of Rev. Don Robertson, now of Digby, who baptized me and my mother and a bunch of other folks, that day. But I don’t attach myself still to Pastor Don. I certainly don’t keep my Church membership in Middleton. And I have not ever felt the need to be baptized again because I understand it more now, or know Jesus better now, or somesuch. My baptism was enough, was in my Faith beginning, and remains meaningful, almost 42 years later. With Jesus, I have also moved on. 

Our baptism in one place and time in our lives does not need to attach us to that place and time. We respect our faith ancestors from back there, we live with them forever in our hearts. And we move on.

So I think I have always reacted against the style of pastors who wield undue authority and influence in their churches. Being the Boss. There is a strong tradition of this in some congregations and denominations. We can see it started back in Corinth. I’m for Paul. I’m for Apollos. I’m for Peter. I’m for Jesus! I am grateful we are not in a tradition that has the minister be the chairperson of certain committees. I think this happens for the Uniteds and Anglicans and others. We ministers have so much influence, too much influence, already without putting us in charge of more. 

Even the frequent singing of solos or whatever by some musical ministers I used to shun. I never wanted to become one of those pastors who was always singing a solo or duet - even though some do this very well in their ministry. Everywhere I’ve been it has always taken a lot of arm twisting to get me to sing one solo a year. 

In church, the cult of personality has been for me a danger to avoid, to discourage. And this is just what Paul speaks to when he mentions baptisms here. Be baptized, be in Church, be one, without a human power struggle. 

A bit later in today’s reading we heard this. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Our ritual, baptism, is a baptism into death and resurrection. It speaks of the cross, actually. It points to the real power and authority in life, to God. 

Yes, it is a pointer. Baptism is intended for the early stages of ‘being saved.’ Though some don’t get around to it until later in life. I certainly remember folks of 75 and 80 I have had the privilege of baptizing. Many of you have seen that here too. At any age it speaks.

Our tradition tends to teach that baptism says something more than it does something. But surely something is also happening in our brief moment of baptism. Surely God the Spirit has an opportunity to be at work in the moment. 

We also have other rituals. Such as Holy Communion, called the Lord’s Supper. And wedding ceremonies. And funerals. And the dedication of children. And maybe a few others, though Baptists have claimed there are only two ordinances, two rituals Jesus spoke of to do: baptism and communion. 

So what is a Christian? Someone who has been baptized into the Faith. Baptized into Christ, we say. This is an answer. Part of the answer. Of course, like my parable of the little water bottles, the ideals of Christian baptism regularly do not work out. Many many baptized people don’t practice much of the rest of the Christian faith, such as being in a local fellowship, worshiping with them in person, using the Bible in their lives every week, praying significantly each day, developing in their morality and their service to others, etc. 

I am grateful that we, of First Baptist, are willing to include almost anyone in our life and ministry. People who are not baptized. People who are not members of First Baptist. Also people who are simply wondering and exploring the Faith. And people who still feel attached to some other Church in some other place. 

And we are so willing to welcome into the official membership people baptized as Christians in any other tradition, at any earlier age of life. When I joined the Middleton Baptist Church at age 13, they would not accept my baptism as an infant; I had to get baptized again, as a believer, so we say. So I did that, with my mother. Don’t get me wrong: I was very happy to be baptized, upon my own decision and as a way to say to my community I rely upon Jesus and will follow. Baptism of only believers, who make their own decision: that’s been the Baptist way, for centuries. But I think we are correct, now, to respect the rituals of other types of Christians, and welcome in people of other baptisms. This is still not totally accepted by the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada. It is respected by the Canadian Association for Baptist Freedoms. 

Today is the finale of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As we consider what the Spirit would show us about how to be Christians, we see how almost all of us do baptize people into Christ, and into the Church, in the name of God, the Son, and the Spirit. 

An Anglican visitor with us here a couple weeks ago quoted that lovely protestant phrase that was popularized by a pope of the 20th Century.  “In essentials, unity; in [doubtful matters] non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Let this be our attitude to all who follow Jesus, baptized or yet-to-be baptized into Christ.