Spiritual Amnesia

The Rev. Whitworth Ferguson III
Manassas Presbyterian Church
Manassas, Virginia
March 25, 2007
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant

Spiritual Amnesia
Exodus 24:1-8
Ephesians 4:1-6

Who remembers his or her baptism?
I certainly do not.
Mine was a half-century ago, on a December morning
at the marble font in the front of the Sanctuary of
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, New York.
I was all of four months old at the time.

The pastor who baptized me was Dr. Albert Butzer.
I am guessing that he did as most pastors do:
took me from my parents arms,
cradled me in his left arm,
and with his right hand, poured a bit of water
on my head three times,
saying the words, “I baptize you
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen”

He probably said a little prayer over me,
and then introduced me to the congregation,
all my new brothers and sisters in Christ.
My mother has confirmed that I did not embarrass her
or my father, or the rest of the Ferguson clan
watching from pew 148.
Apparently at age 4 months, I understood Paul’s
directive to us to do all things “decently and in order.”

Over the years I have watched baptism after baptism,
but I never paid much attention to the liturgy,
to the words that were being said
in the course of the service.
Before going to seminary, I was like most of us,
my focus firmly on the baby:
how adorable the child was,
or how much noise could come from someone so small!

Once I got to Seminary, my focus did change,
but not to the liturgy itself as much as I watched the
various pastors: how they handled baptisms --
How much water did they use?
How did they handle a wailing child?
How quickly did they hand the child back the parents?
And did they remember not to dry
their hands on their robes?

It was only when I began doing baptisms
that I began to pay attention to the liturgy,
to the words,
to the promises made to us in baptism:
“In baptism, God claims us
and seals us to show that we belong to God.
God frees us from sin and death,
uniting us with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection.
By water and the Holy Spirit,
we are made members of the church,
the Body of Christ,
and joined to Christ’s ministry of love, peace, and justice.”

These are the words you hear me say
with each baptism,
these are the promises made to each of us
in our own baptisms.
We are claimed by God,
sealed by the covenantal act of baptism
to show to all the world that we belong to God,
that we belong to Christ.

We are united with Christ in his death and his resurrection.
The symbolic act that’s happening in baptism
is our going under the water and dying to the old ways,
and coming up out of the water,
born to new life in Jesus Christ.

We are washed clean: that’s the very meaning of the word.
Clean of sin,
as we are promised forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

And we become part of the holy catholic church of Jesus Christ,
holy catholic, with a small “c”,
the church universal.
All those who profess faith in Jesus Christ,
regardless of denomination,
are our brothers and sisters in faith.
It is why we baptize only once,
and recognize baptism from virtually any other church.

Our Book of Order captures Baptism this way:
“Baptism signifies the beginning of life in Christ,
not its completion…” (W-2.3007)
Professor Laurence Stookey, has written that in Baptism
we are reminded that “we are between the river of Eden
and the river of the heavenly city at the end of time”;
That we are headed somewhere,
guided by God through the Holy Spirit.
(Stookey, 18)

Baptism is the first sign of God’s faithfulness.
God’s faithfulness, of course, never needs renewing,
but because we struggle with a sort of “spiritual amnesia”,
(Stookey)
it is very appropriate for us to have a service like this:
a service that does not rebaptize,
but simply reaffirms for us the covenant of baptism.
An opportunity for us to remember the promises
made in our own baptism.

As we go through the litany,
pay attention to the words;
listen to the them,
think about what you are saying and why.
Baptism is something we do in community
but the litany is quite personal;
you will have the opportunity you probably did not have
when you were baptized: to speak for yourself.

When you come up in a few minutes,
feel the water: the water that gives life
the water that washes you clean,
the water from which you have been given new life
in Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed:
We’ve been putting water in the font each Sunday
and we will continue to do so every Sunday
at the beginning of worship
to help us remember this covenant.

Thank God for the water.
Thank God for your life.
Thank God for calling you to faith.
Thank God for filling you with the Holy Spirit,
Ask God’s forgiveness for your spiritual amnesia,
for not remembering the promises made in your baptism,
for not working harder to live up to your end of the covenant,
God’s sure and faithful covenant made to you
in your baptism.

And then keep that stone as a symbol
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
“the foundation stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:7)
for through him,
we have been given new life.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Amen.