Water of Life

Date: January 9, 2011
Scripture Lesson: Matthew 3:13-17
Sermon: Water of Life
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In July of 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander definitively identified water in a soil sample taken from the planet Mars. About two inches beneath the surface, the Phoenix exposed what looked like white sand, but after being heated, it was definitively identified as water. This confirms previous indications and observations pointing to the presence of water on Mars. And just why does this discovery have scientists and others so excited? Without evidence of water, scientists did not expect to find any signs of life. But now that water has been conclusively identified on Mars, the search continues for chemicals containing carbon and other raw materials which could lead to the discovery of life on Mars. Since there is water, there may be life. [“NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended,” 07.31.08, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html%5D

We know the importance of water to sustain life. Areas without water are uninhabitable. Lack of water imperils life. In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond identifies environmental factors that lead to the decline of civilizations and cultures. One of the significant factors that can influence the decline of a civilization is drought. Lack of water affects the ability to produce and procure food to perpetuate life.

Because water is critical to life, it is not surprising that water has a significant place in various religions. It is honored and worshiped in ritual and rite. Cleansing and immersing in water are important in many religions. It symbolizes life and unity with the sacred. In ancient practices, water was considered a representation of the semen of a god, or the water of the womb of a goddess. So immersion was symbolic of being reborn and receiving new life. [Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Supplement, “Baptism,” p. 85] Water rituals represented transition from one state to another. Rituals with water also symbolized consecration, taking up a high calling, like an ordination or inauguration, though we saw no rituals with water amidst the pomp and circumstance of the inaugurations of this past week.

While secular society may have abandoned rituals with water, they are still prominent in religion. Orthodox Jews practice ritual washings. Muslims wash in certain ways, including ears and nostrils. In India, millions of pilgrims flock to the Ganges River to immerse themselves in what is considered its holy water. Hindus believe that life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganges at least once in a lifetime. The city of Varanase is scattered with steps leading into the water for people to engage in ritual immersion in the sacred water of the Ganges.

And, of course, for Christians water is important because it is necessary for baptism, the sacramental entrance into the Christian life. And people flock to the Jordan River today to be baptized in the very river in which Jesus is said to have been baptized by John as we heard this morning. Being baptized in the Jordan is big business, though the condition of the river is threatening this tradition.

Last summer, an environmental organization called Friends of the Earth Middle East issued a statement calling “on regional authorities to halt baptism in the lower Jordan River until water quality standards for tourism activities there are met.” The statement continues identifying issues that compromise water quality: “Sadly, the lower Jordan River has long suffered from severe mismanagement with the diversion of 98 percent of its fresh water by Israel, Syria and Jordan and the discharge of untreated sewage, agricultural run-off, saline water and fish pond effluent in its place.” [“Jordan River Too Polluted for Baptisms,” http://news.discovery.com/earth/jordan-river-baptism-pollution.html%5D

In Jesus’ day, evidently the water in the Jordan was flowing strong and clear. And baptism was practiced by Jews as a ritual of purification and self dedication to God. It had connotations of moral purification with ethical obligations as well. New converts were initiated through the cleansing ritual of baptism. The emerging Christian community continued the practice of baptism from the Pentecost story of the first century on.

Christian Baptism is linked with the holy spirit and the consciousness of relationship with the Divine. It represents reception into the faith community, the church, the body of Christ. Once part of that body, barriers that divide people are no longer of significance. For Christians, baptism is symbolic of hearing and receiving and responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the life giving word, the bread of life, living water. Baptism involves the commitment to love God, self, neighbor and enemy. Baptism marks a transition to a new life and a new identity with high ethical and moral standards.

Taking on this new life means emulating the life of Jesus. It is centered on the commitment to love and serve. It involves generosity and material simplicity. It is marked by devotion to spiritual disciplines and religious observance. The new life initiated at baptism involves investment in reconciliation and forgiveness, never retribution, vengeance or retaliation. New life in Christ involves commitment to non- violence. In fact, as we have been exploring through the Advent season, it a commitment to anti-violence and peace making. To live in Christ, is to live in a way that does not take advantage of others in any way, that does not create victims, that does not oppress – those in your family, community, in the fields, or in a sweat shop oceans away. Baptism is a transition to a completely new life and a new identity.

This week, there was an article in the Neighborhood Times [St. Petersburg Times, 1/5/11] about a woman who was ordained as a Buddhist nun. This lovely article discussed the commitment that entails, including taking a new name. Reading the article I noted how similar this transition is to Christian baptism, including some of the same commitments and values. When we are baptized into the body of Christ, we make a transition into a new life, with new commitments that involve a new lifestyle, and we are given our name for life as God’s beloved.

Of course, any transition to a new life comes with its challenges and Christian baptism is no exception. This new life of devotion to God and others is a significant departure from the values of the world around us. It is an alternative to being consumed with greed, success in worldly terms, power grabbing, attention seeking, self absorption, addiction, material wealth, etc., all of which never fully satisfy the soul and leave people unsated, ever hungry for that which does not fulfill, but only drains and depletes. Baptism is a big life alteration.

Now there was a backslider in a certain congregation, and every time the church had a revival, this man would get religion. Then, it was down to the river to be baptized – again. After being baptized for the sixth time, the preacher put the man under the water three times, raised him up, and said, “You’ve been baptized so much that the fish know you by your first name!”

Because baptism involves such a drastic conversion, the new life in Christ initiated at baptism requires nurture and support. That is why we are baptized into the faith community; to be our support. Baptism is not a solitary matter. It is not about the individual alone. It is about entrance into a community, a community that is needed so that the full joys and blessings and relationships of this new life can be realized and appreciated. The faith community, the church, is needed to help us go deeper into our life in Christ, to grow in discipleship and to reap the harvest of comfort and joy that comes with the Christian life. The community is needed to help us maintain our commitment as temptations and challenges confront us.

Twelve step programs are noted for their success because of the community of support, the relationships, and the connections made that help people to pursue the life of sobriety. The people who founded Alcoholics Anonymous were Christian, and modeled AA on Christianity with its built in community of support to help people transition and live into a new way of life. The weekly meetings. The fellowship. AA was a way to emulate the role of the church as a community of support for the Christian, but for the alcoholic pursing a new life of sobriety.

Christian baptism marks the beginning of a new life, whether we are baptized as infants, children, adolescents, or adults. Baptism begins a new adventure. A total makeover. It is a moment of definition. Of transition. This is who you are. This is your primary identity. You are a manifestation of divine love for the world. And in that life, there is salvation, from selfishness, tyranny, bondage, oppression, greed, abuse, fear of death, and from all that diminishes and destroys life.

Given the magnitude and significance of Christian baptism, it is ironic that our tradition of the sacrament has evolved into a solemn ceremony with a mere sprinkling of water done with dignity and decorum. Unless, of course, the child has the impulse to cry and scream. Which brings us much closer to the image of John the Baptizer, crying out in the wilderness. Loud. Bold. Uncompromising. Full of power and passion. Far more fitting for the drastic nature of the commitment involved.

Baptism is a whole life commitment. A total transformation. It’s not about dipping your toe in, it’s about diving in, being doused head to toe. And not caring about clothes that are ‘dry clean only’ or about the chill or about the hairdo or about being seen in a wet T shirt. We belong to God. We are sacred. We are holy. We are love. That is life! Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.