Yesterday we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. There are many theologies surrounding baptism, and in Modern Christianity there is a wide interpretation of these events. However, despite where different churches fall on the spectrum there a few things that we agree on.
We agree that baptism is the beginning of a new endeavour, a new way of life, a “fresh start”. It is a distinction from who we were to who we are now becoming. This is the beginning of the journey, with the Spirit descending on our shoulder. At this embarkation point there is a sense of hope in God, a sense of our future joy of arriving, as we take the journey down a new path. We acknowledge that a transformation is beginning to take place.
Baptism is also communal in joining our church community as well as Christians around the world currently, as well as with our predecessors and claiming their stories as our stories. In our baptismal vows we in turn are promised the support of our faith community, our guardians, and in some traditions are godparents. This is a reminder that while faith is inherently personal, it is also inherently communal. “We are not alone, we live in God’s world” (The New Creed, The United Church of Canada).
Baptism is also the one sacrament that is common across Christianity. In Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions there are many other sacraments. In some traditions there are only a couple of sacraments, and in others there is only Baptism. Baptism is the one common sacrament to all of Christianity. Therefore it seems important to not only recognize this, but to reflect on how we relate to our Christian neighbours. As well, as how all Christians start this new transformational journey, just a Jesus did so long ago.
For most of us our baptism did not take place yesterday… It happened long ago. As a result, I invite us to pause, to question what we or our parent/guardians vowed on the day or our baptism and how this has affected our lives up until now… Looking at where we have come from sometimes gives us the sense of where we are headed, or at least ideas on how we can continue the journey with purpose. Trusting in the journey, and walking toward the joy of our destination, with the Spirit of God sitting on our shoulder.