Baptism Devo

 May 15th, 2016 

Devotional

“Living out our Beliefs: The Sacrament of Baptism” - Luke 3: 21-22

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Monday: “Baptized by One Spirit” - 1 Cor 12:13

In today’s passage of scripture Paul is pleading with the people of Corinth – people he has spent well over a year with. Paul dwelt among them as a tent-maker, while telling people about the love of Christ. Eventually those people would come together and form a worshipping community. But after Paul left the people began to quarrel. The entire letter of 1 Corinthians is addressing the issues of the community as reported by someone on the inside. We don’t know if this person had the most truthful account, but we do know that they felt compelled to tell Paul, and that they were from the house of Chloe. 

And what were they arguing over. Baptism. It seems to be the discussion topic that never gets old. When to baptize a person. Should it be believer’s baptism? If so, at what age? If it’s an infant baptism, will we allow for a second baptism later? Should you be sprinkled or dunked? Should it be done inside of the church walls or out in nature? And that’s before we even get to the questions around what baptism means. While the topic is full of heated-debate topics, I don’t think I’ve ever heard one about who baptized someone.

What arguments have you heard about baptism? How do you respond? 

What does it mean to you to be baptized by one spirit?

Prayer: God of One Spirit, sometimes we forget that it is by your spirit alone that we are invited and accepted into the family of God - both with those we like and those we do not like. Keep us from fighting about those things that distract us from your unifying spirit. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Family” - 1 John 3: 1-7

By virtue of our baptism we are born into the church family. Our Christian brothers and sisters. Spiritual parents and siblings. Or in the words of the epistle, children of God. Just like our biological family, their may be things that we would like to change. There may be times that we wish we could be part of a different family, but at the end of the day, family is family. 

And what an unusual family it is. We are often mis-understood by non-family members. We may yearn to fit in with other people, but like Jesus, we will be misunderstood because we are the children of God. We don’t do things like everyone else around us. While everyone else seems to focus on the individual, and what is best for me, we preach community first. In a world that fights with one another in order to bring about security, we seek forgiveness and peace. And in a world where identity is marked by status and accomplishments, we find our identity in our baptism. We are surely an odd bunch.

What does the mark of your baptism look like in your life?

What does the family of God mean in your life?

Prayer:  Lord, we thank you for the family of God, untied not by familial resemblance but by the baptism of Christ. Let us love the family we have been welcomed into. Amen. 

Wednesday: “ Believe and Be Baptized” - Acts 16: 31-33

Kenneth Carder in his book Living Our Belief writes this powerful statement: “Without a memory of what the church is called to be, the church becomes what the people want it to be.” Let me repeat that: “Without a memory of what the church is called to be, the church becomes what the people want it to be.”

Every time we baptize people, welcoming them into the family of God we remember who we are, remember the scriptures around baptism, remember the legacy of Christ carried out through the church. 

Every year we also celebrate the baptism of the Lord Sunday, so we remember Jesus’s baptism and reaffirm the vows made at our baptism. While the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. believed you could only enter into the waters of baptism once, he also believed that we needed to remember. 

How do you remember that vows made at your baptism?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we are simple creatures. Sometimes we forget too quickly. We forget the vows that were made our baptism. We forget who we are as the Church. Help us to remember. Help us to live into the vows of our baptism once again. Amen. 

Thursday: “Life Worthy of Calling” - Eph 4:1-16

In today’s scripture lesson we hear that the Church is the body of Christ, knitted together under the leadership of the Lord. Kenneth Carder writes, “the Church is our very identify, not an organization we belong to in accordance with our preferences or connivence.” Sometimes the Church looses its way and losses it memory about who we are and whose we are. When we make it about petty things its evident that we have forgotten who we belong to.  Just whose Lordship we are under. Just who we exist for. 

But even when we remember whose we are, we may still forget what we are supposed to be doing. Paul tells the followers in Ephesus that they are to live a life worthy of their calling. Here’s the thing about calling - we all have one - we just sometimes choose to ignore it. While pastors may have a very specific calling to lead the church, everyone who calls them-self Christian are called to some time of servanthood and ministry by way of their baptism. Its just that the calling varies. But in this scripture passage we are told that we all have gifts - its just that the gifting and calls vary. 

How are baptism and call related in your life?

How do you live out the vows made at your baptism as part of the local church, the body of Christ?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our identity that can only be found in you. Help us embrace the calling and gifts that come with this identity so that your name can be proclaimed and glorified! Amen. 

Friday: “My Beloved”- Luke 3: 21-22

There is a good work that began in you. It began long before your baptism – the time when we publicly proclaim it as a church. It was known in the Heavens before you took your first breath on this earth. Because God created you. We live in a world that tempts us to forget that message, that we are God’s very own. That the creator of the universe called Jesus out of the waters with the Heavens proclaiming that he was God’s beloved, and the same claim is laid on each of our lives every day. We stand as witnesses in the tradition of the Saints and Jesus Christ saying that God has a purpose for our being, and we will surround all of those around us with love. We will let our lives be examples, like Jesus’ was for us, of the walk of faith – triumphs, joys, sorrows, struggles, and everything in between. We will nurture those around us to make disciples for the transformation of the world. And most importantly, we hold each others hand and proclaim that we are one family, united by one true Holy Spirit that has laid claim to each of our lives and calls us “Beloved”. 

What does the word beloved mean to you?

How do you claim your status as the beloved of God in your every day life?

Prayer: God, we are blessed to be counted among your beloved. Prevent us from forgetting this. Help us to claim the title of beloved. Amen!

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Living our Beliefs: The Sacraments Holy Communion” - 1 Cor 11: 24-28

Family Activity: Talk to your children about their baptism. Do you remember their baptism? What was the experience like for you as a parent? What do you remember most from that day? Why did you have them baptized?