All Saints – The Sunday After

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: All Saints – The Sunday After
PROPER: A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: November 3, 2002


TEXT: Matt 5:1-12: The Beatitudes and The Baptismal Symbols: They Call Us to Mission with Christ

ISSUE: This sermon reviews the meaning of Baptism Symbols of water, oil, candle, chrisom, and the presence of people. The selection of All Saints as an appropriate time for Holy Baptism recognizes each of us as the community of God’s saints, not be virtue of achievements and talents but as a spirited people in union with Jesus Christ.
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The Feast of All Saints’ Day is one of the days that the church sets aside as especially appropriate for Holy Baptism. Today, I’d like to review for us all some of the symbols we use in Holy Baptism and how they express the meaning of the importance of Holy Baptism for the Christian Community. Unfortunately, there were some strange teachings concerning Holy Baptism in the Middle Ages that were used more to control people than they were to make Holy Baptism a confession of Faith in Jesus Christ. Some of you older folks will remember the teaching of Holy Baptism that said if your baby wasn’t baptized it would not go to heaven. Baptism was seen as a way to clean up people from their sins. Many folk, especially mothers, were left to wonder what sins their new born baby had committed. That whole mentality and belief was often a manipulation of making people afraid not to be Christian for fear of hell.
In recent years the church has struggled to restore the ancient meaning and theology of Holy Baptism. Holy Baptism is the outward and visible sign of our being made a Christian, or a follower of Jesus Christ, and a child of God. It is a ritual of renewed spiritual birth into the community of Christ Jesus, which we call the church.
The use of water is a birthing symbol. We were all carried in the womb in a sack of water. When we are born, we are born out of that water and into the world. Immersing or pouring the water over the child tells us this is a spiritual birth experience. The child is born again into the community of Christ, the church. The event may take place in a church building, but the church is the people of people baptized Christians. For that reason, we do not do baptisms privately, but when the whole church community is gathered at its main service of worship on a Sunday or Feast Day.
Water is also a symbol of new creation and hope that goes far back into the Hebrew Scriptures. Out of water came the creation of God with the Holy Spirit of God brooding over the chaotic waters. Out of it came the creation, and God scooped up from the clay the image of Adam the first human. Moses led the people of Israel to the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds). By the power and Spirit of God, he raised up his staff, and the waters parted, and Moses and his people fled oppression and slavery and the evil of the Egyptian pharaoh, crossing the Sea, and landing safely on the shore to continue an adventure toward the Promised Land. The sea closed up, and evil Pharaoh’s oppression was washed away. The Israelites with Moses begin a new life in anticipation of hope and finding the Realm of God’s Promised Land.
The Baptism of Jesus by John marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Coming up out of the water the Holy Spirit is there brooding over Jesus identifying him: This is my son, my child, the one in whom I am well pleased. Jesus is the new Adam, He comes up out of the water and begins his ministry, going just as Moses had done going into the wilderness and begins the journey to the Kingdom of God.
Notice the symbolism of a person or child’s baptism in the church today. It is the immersion into the water. It is actually a drowning experience. Early Christians were, and still some today are fully immersed into the water. Then they are raised up out of the water. It is rebirth, and it is death and resurrection to a new life. All the evil of the past is renounced and done away, and we begin a new life never beyond the reach of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and compassion, and that God’s the church. Listen for the voice of God saying: “This is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Still another ancient symbol was that of the anointing with oil. The oil chrismation was all but lost for a while in our church, but has been returned to the ritual. The oil comes from a time when the prophets of God anointed priests and Kings, who were to serve His people. It was a marking with the Spirit of God. Today we make the sign of the cross (+) with the oil, saying, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and marked as Christ’s own forever.” (P.B. p. 308) The baptized are the sealed and anointed of Christ. Remember when Jesus asks the Herodians and the Pharisees whose image is on the coin, and they say, Caesar’s. And Jesus tells them to give that to Caesar, but give to God what is God’s. That’s us. We are the ones marked as Christ’s, anointed, signed, sealed, and delivered as his own coinage, priest, and prophets in the world today. See how this symbolism impresses, or imprints upon us who we are and who this child really belongs too, at her baptism. After the imprinting we all say together: “We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his royal priesthood.” P.B. 308
Still another symbol is that of the Chrysom, which is a white garment placed upon the baptized person. It was an ancient garment of the very early church. Again for a period of time, it fell from use, but some parishes are restoring the custom. The white robe is reminiscent of the Resurrected Lord, of purity in Christ, of putting on Christ and being in partnership with Christ in the Church. These are the ones whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev.7:9-17) (The Chrysom was also used as a shroud in the event of the death of a child within the year.) Another common custom in baptism is to give the person a candle, which is lighted from the Paschal (Easter) Candle. It reminds us that we are the lights of the world in God’s world.
The role of this congregation, these parents and all parents, the sponsors or Godparents is to see that this child is brought up and raised in the community into of God’s church, learning the ways and teachings of God’s church so that it will join with us in that mission of proclaiming the love of the crucified Lord, proclaiming hope and resurrection, sharing faithfully in the royal priesthood of servanthood in the world, which is the work of the saints of God.
What we are doing today is making another saint. Alexa is born and acknowledged a saint of God today. We all know that there are famous wonderful saints who are remembered in books and stained glass windows. But there are many more saints of great simplicity, who were hardly ever known. Who were they?
Well Jesus took his disciples up on a mountain. He sat down and he began to tell them who were the saints, the ones whom God held as blessed. Indeed, the disciples were probably shocked again, because Jesus was always doing and proclaiming things different from the way the world thought. The Saints of God were not always people of great achievement and accomplishment. Let me tell you, says Jesus who the Blessed are . . . Let me tell you who the honorable folks are, the Saints. The honorable saints of God are the poor in Spirit. It is those who suffer and cry and mourn at the hand of injustice. The honorable and blessed are those who are meek and hospitable, who are merciful, and strive for righteousness and justice. The honorable ones, the saints are they are not the hot shots and big shots, but those who have been persecuted, but who remained faithful. You too, you disciples will know persecution, but remain faithful to me, and join me in servanthood for a troubled world, and you too shall be my saints, the honorable and blessed ones.
W live in a world where people set one another on fire, where people kill one another with guns and bombs. We live in a world threatened by war. We live in a world where people argue and fight for the right to put someone else to death by the death penalty. We live in a world where people use one another to have them selves made into hot shots and big shots. We live in a world where people will go to great lengths for fame and mostly for fortune at the expense of the poor and the struggling.
But what does God bless and honor, and who does God want to call his saints? Why Alexa Marie Harle, of course! Her parents and Godparents, this congregation and all who are poor in spirit, mourning and sadden over the world situation, and who want to be the lights of Christ in this generation working, hungering and thirsting for righteousness sake, and will to face persecution. Because we have been chosen and respond faithfully to proclaim the loving faith of Christ crucified, and share in his resurrection to a world of hope.
We have to understand the symbols of our rituals, because they call us to join with Christ, to be instruments and agents of his love and grace, resurrection hope, to be his saints in mission with Christ, and being partners in his vital ministry of hope for the world.