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Archives For Baptismal Meditation

See Him Everywhere, Love Him Everywhere

December 3, 2012 — 1 Comment

In our Old Testament reading this morning, we read the famous Shema of Israel, the Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Here, God reminds Israel that they are to love God with all that they are, and that they are to teach that faith to their children by talking about it all the time and putting reminders of it everywhere: on the refrigerator, on the dashboard of the pickup, and at city hall.

One of the things we learn as we read the Bible and see what the world around us means is that God is our Father and we are His children, and that means He shows us how to do it. He created this world in order to constantly teach us about loving Him, and He decorated this world with constant reminders so that we would remember to love Him. The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament sheweth His handiwork. Day unto day, uttereth speech, night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. His invisible attributes have been clearly seen by all, since the creation of the world. Creation can’t stop talking about God. For example, trees are constantly reminding us of people, of God’s people, of wicked people, of fruitfulness and life, and reminding us and pointing us to the cross of Jesus, our tree of life. Continue Reading…

In Advent, Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Deuteronomy, Christmas, Theology - Sacraments, TRC

The Most Dangerous Part of Baptism

August 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

All baptisms are miracles. And this is precisely why baptisms are dangerous. Some recognize the danger and opt to tame the word of God, mute the Scriptures, and they say that baptism is the word of man. This is what it means to say that baptism is a public testimony, a profession of faith, telling everyone that you love Jesus. Now don’t get me wrong, baptism is at least that. But that’s not the most dangerous part. The most dangerous part is believing that God speaks in baptism, that God’s word is being proclaimed, that God is making a profession, a promise, a claim about us, about our lives, our stories, our families, our world.

The word of man is flimsy, our words are too light, too brittle, and really too small. But God speaks and the universe crashes into being, the worlds explode into existence. God speaks and light shatters the night.

And the wonderfully dangerous glory of baptism is that God put His words in our mouths. Jesus when he had been given all authority and power in heaven and on earth sent out the first evangelists to proclaim that God was remaking the world and to proclaim God’s Word, God’s authoritative word, and to enact that word by baptizing all who were willing to submit to this Kingdom. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Theology - Sacraments

How Regeneration Makes Orphans & Eunuchs

May 21, 2012 — 2 Comments

In Isaiah 56, the Lord says that foreigners and eunuchs who keep Sabbath and hold fast God’s covenant will be given a place in the Lord’s house and a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. He says that He will bring them to His holy mountain and make them joyful in His house of prayer. In the Old Covenant, the house of God was fiercely guarded. The ugliness of sin was underlined by the fact that anyone with a defect, blindness, physical marring, missing limbs, hunchback, or eunuchs were prohibited from going near the presence of God. But baptism is the sign of the New Covenant that Isaiah foretold. It is the gracious promise of God to all nations, all people, all outcasts, all the broken, blind, lame, eunuchs, that by the blood of Christ and His life-giving Holy Spirit all may enter the house of God.

We might wonder: exactly what has changed? Sin is still sin; God is still holy; and all those defects are still real. There are still people in this world born broken. There are still barren women, blind men, disease ridden bodies. Why is it that they can now draw near? The Ascension of Jesus means that we all have a man in glory. We have an older brother at the right of the Father who is completely whole, who has no defect, whom death could not hold, who ever intercedes for us. He is our ticket, our passport, our guarantee of entrance. But God doesn’t leave us untouched. Isaiah says that eunuchs will be welcomed into God’s house and given a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name that shall never be cut off, and He will make them joyful in His house of prayer. This is only possible if people really can be born again. This is only possible if the Holy Spirit regenerates and heals the fundamental problem of sin and guilt and death in us, in our bodies. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Isaiah, Federal Vision, Theology - Sacraments, Theology - Soteriology, TRC

Thaddeus Grant

October 24, 2011 — Leave a comment

“And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.” (Is. 27:12)

Isaiah describes a particular scene, a particular day of judgment and deliverance for Israel, but these events point forward to Jesus who has come to be our faithful Shepherd, the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and knows them all by name. He has gathered and He will continue to gather all of them one by one until all of the children of Israel are safe in the fold of His Kingdom.

Baptism is of course one of the central places where God insists that we believe that this true. Baptism is God’s insistence that He is our Faithful God and He will be our Faithful Shepherd. And He insists upon this by gathering us one by one, always as children, naming us after Himself, insisting that we belong to Him, that we are part of His family, and that He will watch over His children. He will feed and keep watch over His sheep.

Joseph you mentioned to me that you named your son Thaddeus for its meaning: a gift of God or in some translations “heart” or “friend.” Likewise his middle name “Grant” resulted from the simple recognition that as you prayed, you regularly pleaded with God to grant you a child, grant you this child, and in God’s goodness, He has. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Isaiah

A Love that Finds the World

August 8, 2011 — Leave a comment

In Pastor Leithart’s introduction to Song of Songs yesterday, he cited a Jewish commentator who noticed that in the love poetry of Solomon, the lover is not cut off and isolated from the world. Much modern love poetry tends to be isolationist, driving lovers away from the world, away from friends. Their passionate, obsessive love centers on each other in a way that closes them off from anything or anyone around them. But in the Song of Songs, the man sees the world in and through his bride. And this is sometimes rather humorous for modern ears: the woman’s nose reminds him of a particular tower, and her neck is like a battlement hung with shields. Her teeth and hair remind him of particular valleys, flocks of sheep and deer. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Song of Songs

Laughing at the Future

June 6, 2011 — Leave a comment

Proverbs 31 famously asks,“Who can find a virtuous wife?” Proverbs 31 is a song of praise that outlines what this virtuous woman is like. She is like Lady Wisdom: her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her. She has several clothing lines, she dabbles in international trade, participates in real estate deals, runs a mercy ministry, and her home is warm and well ordered and guarded carefully. And her husband is famous for being married to such a babe.

Literally, the word for “virtuous or excellent” is valiant, mighty, strong. The word is frequently used to describe men in battle. It’s a martial term. And the text underlines this theme: she girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. In all her ventures and enterprises, she wears the armor of strength. She stretches out her hands to make clothing, but she stretches out her hand like Yahweh to deliver the people of Israel from bondage. When she makes clothes it’s like going into battle. When she weaves fabrics, she’s taking down enemies and saving the needy and the poor. Strength and honor are her clothing, her uniform, her warrior tunic, her armor for battle. And because she is girded with this strength, because she is mighty and valiant and strong, because her arms are stretched out in faithfulness, she rejoices in time to come. Literally, she laughs at the days ahead. She laughs at the future. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Proverbs

How Baptism Means Christian Education

May 31, 2011 — Leave a comment

One of the reasons we have baptisms during our service is because we believe that baptism is a sacrament that all of God’s people participate in. It is not required that baptisms take place during a worship service. The New Testament frequently mentions baptisms that apparently took place wherever there was water and whenever people were converted, and it might be good to get back to that somewhat. But wherever and whenever baptisms take place, all of God’s people participate, and this is particularly obvious during a service in a local church. This is because baptism is the official entrance into the covenant. In this sense, it is a birth, and we are the family. When a new child is born, all of the family is affected. You become a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, an aunt, uncle, grandfather, cousin, whatever. When a new person enters the world, you are changed by the mere fact of your relationship to that person. And this is even more true in the Church. Baptism isn’t just an empty sign. Baptism isn’t a participant’s ribbon. Yay, you showed up. Baptism is much more like a marriage. Every baptism of course is a sign and seal of an individual to Jesus Christ, but it is also that same individual’s incorporation into the Body of Christ. Just as a man and a woman become one flesh, so in baptism, individuals are joined to the Bride of Christ, to God’s people, and by the working of the Spirit joined to Christ.

And this is why it is not only the parents who take vows, but the congregation as well. We are being changed by every baptism, our family is growing, and we are becoming brothers and sisters and parents to these little ones. But this is even more obvious when we remember who the Father of this family is. Our Father, is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; our Father is God the Father. And this means that we are all adopted sons and daughters in His Son, our Lord Jesus. Jesus is our older brother, and therefore, we are all brothers and sisters. And just as older brothers and sisters get excited when a new child is added to the family, so too we rejoice together when we become brothers and sisters again and again and again in the covenant. But for this to mean what we say it means, we must take our baptismal vows seriously. The Lord entrusts particular parents with particular duties, but we all take vows to uphold these parents in assisting them to fulfill those vows. The Lord asks all of us to hold up certain parts of His Kingdom, and then we all promise to assist one another holding them up. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Education, Family

Waters Full of Blood

May 23, 2011 — Leave a comment

“For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate, for the green grass has withered away; the grass fails, there is nothing green…. For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood; because I will bring more upon Dimon, Lions upon him who escapes from Moab, and on the remnant of the land.” (Is. 15:6, 9)

When we read passages of judgment, passages like this full of cursing and destruction, we must read them in faith, remembering all that we know about our God. We know that God created the waters. He set the boundaries o f the seas, and He rules over their chemical compositions perfectly. God gives life to the barren womb; God turns deserts into gardens. From the barrenness of nothing, God created the universe hovering over the waters. In the midst of the destruction of the flood, the Lord saved Noah and remade the world through one family in a vineyard. Later when the people of the Hebrews were enslaved in a foreign land, Yahweh again struck the waters and they turned to blood, and later He struck the waters and they divided so that the people crossed over on dry land.

When waters become desolate, when the green grass withers, when there is nothing green, and the waters are full of blood, we have seen this story enough to know that God is up to something. Even when lions are attacking the refugees, the people of God know that something is up. Right at the point at which it seems everything has unraveled, the people of God know that God’s justice is not merely punitive, it is not only destructive, if the history of God’s dealings teaches us anything, it teaches that God’s actions are also restorative, His actions are always also creative and medicinal. When God strikes His people, He comes to heal them. If God strikes the nations, His justice is coming to save them. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Isaiah

Beginning to Shine

May 2, 2011 — Leave a comment

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” (Mk. 9:2-4)

Often people think that this is an occasion when the deity of Jesus is revealed. He’s really God even though He looks like a man. So He goes up there on the mountain and gets all shiny because He’s God. But while it is certainly true that Jesus is God, there are a number of clues that Mark gives us indicating that the transfiguration is actually pointing to something else.

First of all, the event reminds us of Moses’ “transfiguration” when he returned to the camp of Israel with a glowing face (Ex. 34:29ff). Moses shows up again here, explicitly linking the two events. And Peter’s suggestion about building the tabernacles is probably related to this fact. He knew that the glory cloud came down off Sinai and filled the tent of meeting, and thus perhaps the same thing would happen here too (Ex. 40:34). Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, Bible - Mark

Easter Authority

April 24, 2011 — Leave a comment

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (Jn. 10:17-18)

There are various ways that the Scriptures describe Jesus death and resurrection. In some places Jesus is betrayed and handed over, and the Spirit raised Him from the dead. But here, Jesus says plainly that the thing that God the Father really loves is the fact that Jesus is the Lord of His life. He has the authority to lay it down and take it back up again because that’s the mission His Father has given Him.

But the same Spirit that filled Jesus with this authority, the same Spirit that assured Jesus of this mission has been given to every believer. When Jesus was baptized the Spirit came upon Jesus and God the Father declared His love. It was as if the very moment the Spirit came upon Jesus, He was granted that very authority to lay His life down and take it back up at will, and God the Father burst out, “I love that about you, Son, You are my beloved Son, in whom I’m well pleased.” That’s God’s favorite thing about Jesus. Easter is the mission of the Son, and that’s what the Father loves about Him. Continue Reading…

In Baptismal Meditation, bible - John