3

rd
Sunday of Easter
Baptism
Baptism
1. Some people are materialistic. The only things that are real for them are the things
that they can see and touch: the physical world, the world of matter. They view the
spiritual world as a fantasy, an illusion created to give a higher purpose to life.
Modern materialists believe that life was created by the big bang and the universe
evolved from the there and is the product of biological or chemical reactions.
Materialists range from Epicurus in antiquity, to Karl Marx, to modern scientists.
2. Others hold the opposite view: what really matters is the life of the Spirit. They view
mind, spirit, reason, soul as good and real; while the material world that is all around
us is unimportant, evil or an illusion. The Greek philosopher Plato viewed the material
world as the prison of the spirit. In Christianity some view material things as evil,
something to be rejected or shunned: hermits would leave society and the comforts of
civilization to retreat in the desert, away from material things that imprisoned the
spirit.
3. I see both of these extreme positions as wrong. A a Christian I believe that God
created both the material and the spiritual world. Reality includes both, and
everything created by God is good.
Those who focus only on material things, live shallow and materialistic lives. But
those who have faith, see the presence of God even in the material world. God is
spirit, but God is present in nature, in the world around us.
Reality includes both the material and the spiritual world: we are embodied spirits.
Our spiritual side expresses itself through the material world. Therefore the
material things can become a door or a conduit to the sacred and allow us to
come in touch with God. This is the Sacramental view of reality.

Baptism of Baby Quinn
4. We are about to celebrate the Baptism of little Quinn. Baptism is a sacrament, an encounter
with God. In Baptism, a physical action (water on the head of the person) and the spoken
words become a door to the sacred. In the Sacraments we touch God and God touches us
personally
The classical definition of sacraments: is that they are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual
grace. Outward and visible means that we use material things such as water and words to celebrate the
Sacraments. Inward means that these physical activities affect our souls, our spirits. Spiritual grace is
the name for Gods favor towards us: his love for each one of us individually
5. The Symbolism of water. Why do we use water in Baptism? The Middle East is an arid land
surrounded by deserts. Water is very important for the people who live there. In the Bible, there are
3 recurring images connected with water:
1. The first is that water is essential to life. Exodus is the story of God intervening in history to free his
people from slavery in Egypt. The reason they had to go to Egypt in the first place was that a drought
had cause crop failures. Egypt is less affected by seasonal rain fall because it is irrigated by the Nile, fed
by tropical rains. The Israelites were freed from Egypt by passing through the water of the Red sea.
2. In the Bible, water has also a darker connotation: remember the flood in Genesis that nearly wiped out
life on earth. Palestine was prone to flash floods. The Jews were not navigators and were terrified of
drowning. So water in the Bible is the essential element for life but it can also bring death.
3. The third image of water in the Bible is as the cleansing element. The Jews had stringent ritual purity
laws that require them to wash themselves to purify themselves before they could approach anything
Holy, having to do with God.
So these 3 views of water: life giving, life threatening and purifying element are often bundled together in
the Bible narratives. Crossing the waters of the Red sea and of the river Jordan conveyed the concepts of
ending a previous way of life, being cleansed from all impurities and starting a new life
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, by plunging into the water he ended his previous way of life
as a carpenter and emerged to a new life: he quit his job, started preaching and performing miracles,
selected 12 disciples and preached his message of love and inclusion

Baptism of Baby Quinn
6. The symbolism of water in the Bible is re-enacted In the ceremony of Baptism
1. We plunge the candidates into the water (in most churches we dont submerge the candidate, but
merely pour water over their head), by symbolizing the end of a previous way of life
2. The sins of the newly baptized Christians are cleansed, forgiven
3. The baptized person are reborn to a new way of life, receive Gods Spirit. When Jesus was baptized a
voice from heaven proclaimed that he was Gods beloved son. In our Baptism we became Gods
children, loved by God and and welcomed into the Christian community
Baptism makes us not only Children of God, but also children of the church the people of God.
6. Why do we baptize children? Originally, adults were baptized after an intensive period of
study and examination. During the Middle Ages, Europe was devastated by plagues.
Fearing sudden death, the church started baptizing infants.
Parents make all the decision for their children about food, medical care, environment, education.
We dont wait to feed the children or to immunize them till they are old enough to make their own
decisions and ask for food or medical care.
Kate and Dan have made the decision to bring Quinn up as a Christian in this community and so we
are going to baptize him today. When he grows up, Quinn will have the opportunity to make his
own decisions and reaffirm his commitment by being confirmed, or reject it if he so choses.
7. By baptizing Quinn, Kate and Dan have opted to transform his life. They are making a public
statement that they are not materialistic, but that they identify with God and with Gods plan
for their lives and the life of their son
Baptizing Quinn and raising him as a Christian will give a direction to his life, and help him discover his
mission in the world
8. Finally, a reminder to each of us: the ceremony of Baptism includes a covenant with God,
like the covenant on Mt. Sinai that made the Jews the people of God. Every time we
celebrate a Baptism, we renew our own covenant with God
Each one of us will again swear an oath before God that we will help Kate and Dan raise their son
according to Jesus commandment to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as
ourselves. Remember what you promise!