Baptism into Prayer
The Rev. George Yandell
January 7, 2007
The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Baptism of Our Lord
This sermon is also available in audio
Why was Jesus baptized? In Luke's reading today, on the day of his baptism, the stranger from Nazareth stood in line with others. No one knew him. Luke suggests he didn't know himself. When it came his turn, Jesus waded into the River Jordan and submitted to John. In the Matthew account of this event, John balked at baptizing Jesus. He couldn't understand why Jesus needed baptism. Despite later disputes over the mechanics of baptism, we have no idea how John actually did the action of baptism.
But we know what Jesus did. He prayed. Did he kneel, stand, sit, say a rosary, finger a prayer book, keep his eyes open or shut, speak in normal or exotic language? We don't know. And it does not matter. Our two millennia of arguments about prayer amount to nothing more than avoidance of prayer. It simply does not matter how Jesus prayed.
What matters is that his life was in turmoil. He was far from home and, it seems, alone. He was around 30 years old, a time of life when adults tend to have their lives in place. But whatever settledness he knew in Nazareth was behind him. Whatever responsibilities he had back home—craft, parents, wife, children, civic duties, who knows?—he was in a new and strange place, literally and figuratively. He was starting a public kingdom movement- with this and every action he was starting a movement of God’s coming that we continue today.
So he prayed. As would we in such a place. I suspect that's what a lot of us do when we’ve started off anew—pray that we’re on the right track, pray that we don’t mess it up & lose face.
So we pray. I have never thought myself a master of prayer. The first admonition about prayer I remember is my mother telling me never to pray for myself. I suspect she said that because I was praying for a new bike or something. But it created a small difficulty for me. Not praying for my own needs made me creative—“O God, please don’t let the school bully see me today.”
I have led prayer workshops and listened expectantly as others taught about prayer. I've gone on silent retreats in monasteries. I have tried full Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, abbreviated devotions, reading psalms and following various prayer guides. I sit in silent centering prayer regularly, feeling my breath, letting all my agendas fall away, seeking to be quiet in God’s presence.
Each method has its place. But looking back over an adulthood of daily prayer, my impression is that prayer was deepest when despair was highest. Prayer had power when I felt weak. Prayer was most heartfelt when my heart was breaking. Prayer has brought peace when I was most in turmoil. When need drives me to cry out to God, method doesn't matter. Posture doesn't matter. Wording doesn't matter. Only God matters, and God, I believe, is neutral on how, when and with what language we pray. We might fuss over rituals, as if words in certain combinations suddenly acquired power, like magical incantations. I imagine God sighs when I worry about form over substance, "Get on with it! Stop hiding!"
I don't know exactly what prayer accomplishes. I am sure God listens. I suspect that God's primary desire is for me to hear my own prayers, so that I know myself. I doubt that God derives new information from my prayer. I cannot believe that God's love for me rises or falls depending on what I pray. I do know that our prayers unite us. We enter a community of God’s Spirit when we pray. We enter the kingdom of God that Jesus opened to us. We join in an on-going chorus of voices and hearts turned toward God. In prayer is power. We are probably most like Jesus when we pray. We might yearn to be like him in power and glory—healers like him, preachers like him, stalwarts of courage like him, gentle shepherds like him. We might also crave power, respect, wealth and grandeur. But we are most like Jesus when we pray.
Why are we baptized? This might sound radical to you, but I believe it to be true. We are baptized for living in this world, turned toward God. We are baptized into the fellowship of Jesus, so that we concentrate our prayers in public worship as a people with one heart and one voice. In a moment, we will pre-empt the Nicene Creed with us saying the baptismal covenant. The baptismal covenant tells us why the water of baptism saves—it's not some magical transportation device into paradise. Nor is it a "get into heaven free" token. Jesus opened heaven to all people with his death and resurrection—nothing we do on earth changes that. We're baptized so we'll know how to live together, really live, before we die. We are baptized into the community of the kingdom come, now.
It's no coincidence—we're baptized into Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. We're baptized into the death of Jesus. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? It's so we can live resurrection life now. Death looms over us. It causes us to stop, look, fear, and listen. But because we enter a community of prayer, love and mutual support when we are baptized, death can't immobilize us forever. We may tremble with unutterable pain. We may retreat and curse God. But we live connected. And we have the potential to live fully, to live boldly, in the face of death. Caring for one another as God cares. Praying for peace when there is none. Going to those in pain when we're afraid of their pain. Asking for help in our personal hells even though pride would prevent us. Striving to rise above our limits so we can love others as God loves us.
Baptism never diminishes the power of death. It confirms life. Baptism leads us into the fullest life humans can live, together with all the others who have been baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So let us renew our Baptismal Covenant on page ____ of the Prayer Book. And if we can, why not say the covenant as prayer, prayer that we will be the people of God that Jesus lives for us to be.
Copyright ©2007 Calvary Episcopal Church
Gospel Reading:
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)