Baptism into death

It was the baptism of christ on Sunday, that was the Gospel reading at least.  And the baptism of Jesus signifies the start of his ministry, and the beginning of his work in the world.  And when Jesus is baptized, when he comes up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, and a voice from Heaven calls out 'this is my son, in whom I am well pleased.'

It's a beautiful story, and a wonderful scene, one that has been depicted in lots of wonderful liturgical artwork.  Do a quick Bing search for the baptism of Christ, and you'll find innumerable images of Jesus stepping up out of the water, hands folded in prayer, and face perfectly composed as the dove descends upon him.

But hold on there.  What is the next thing that happens.  You see, this is one of those moments where I find our structure of readings to be inadequate, because next week, we'll be talking about Jesus as the lamb of God, and we'll be missing the next part of the Gospel of Matthew.  You see, the Gospel of Matthew, the next thing that happens is that Jesus is led immediately out into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.  That is to say, that same spirit that descended on him like a dove, that same spirit that was part of that serene moment, that spirit is the one spurring him into the wilderness to do battle with the Devil in the desert.

Does that bother you?  Would it bother you more if I told you that you were given that same baptism too?  Nearly all the big issues facing the church, and the church in crisis, is what is it for?  We are living in an age in which the traditional roles that the church has occupied; feeding the poor, visiting the sick, teaching the children, all that stuff is handled by government organizations.  The institutional charity aspect of the church is all but gone, and so the question is, once again, what is it for?  And what is your baptism for?

What are you given in baptism?  Well, if you're a Lutheran (and really, why wouldn't you be), you'll

know your small Catechism, and you'll know the part in it that talks about baptism.  It talks about the washing of the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.  And this is key.  Why are you given that Holy Spirit unless it's for the same reason that Jesus was?  You see, we tend to think of the Holy Spirit, and baptism, too, as the comforter, as a sign of assurance for us, which it is.  Baptism is our great point of Christian certainty, where we get to look at one moment in our lives, and say with absolute assuredness that this is when and where God himself washed us clean of our sins, and therefore we are saved through his awesome power.

But the Holy Spirit, what's he doing with you?  Is it anything?  Or are you one of the talents that was buried, in order that you might not go to waste?  The thing is, the Spirit of God has not equipped you with a weak frail cooked pasta soul, designed to just be acceptable to go to and from church and that's it.

The Spirit of God has equipped you for battle.

Think about the spirit of God and how it gets discussed in the scriptures.  2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that, in the KJV, 'God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'  We were not given that Spirit to be timid, or to be fearful, or to cower in the church, and to wait for
other people to show up here so that they can be hastily converted as long as we don't have to talk to them aaaaaaagh!

But you were not given the Spirit of God to be a shy wallflower.  You were not given the Spirit of God to be serene, hands folded in prayer, for your entire life.  What would the purpose of that be?  You were given the same baptism that Jesus was given, that is, you were given the Holy Spirit, and then immediately, you are driven by that same Spirit to do battle in the wilderness with the Devil.

Which wilderness?  Gosh, pick a spot!  Where are you right now?  That's the wilderness that you need to be in.  If it's anything but inside the church (although honestly, sometimes inside the church makes

sense too), you need to be doing battle there.  Never forget that Jesus wasn't in a car at that point, he wasn't driving a moped, a bicycle, or even a skateboard.  The wilderness was walking distance from where he was baptized.  And your wilderness is walking distance away from where you were baptized too.  Usually right outside the door.

And yes, if you go out into that wilderness to do battle with the devil, if you go out there to resist temptation and to be pushed and tempted, you will get beaten up, you will get pushed around, and dirty and filthy, and browbeaten and messed up and starving.  Sad to tell you that.  But that's what the faith is all about, and that's why you were given that Spirit, to go and use it.

The baptism of Christ and his trip to the wilderness is a wonderful illustration of our week.  We have those times in church of quiet serenity, those times in which we are restored and revitalized, where we feel the presence of the spirit of God, where our spiritual reserves are replenished and we are reminded of the forgiveness of sins that have been given us through Christ.  And then it's back out into the wilderness to continue our struggle.

I know, I know, that's not great news.  It just happens to be the truth.  Why on earth do you think that Paul phrases things in the book of Ephesions as the full armor of God?  Why do you think it talks about the Sword of the Spirit unless you're supposed to, you know, actually use it?  The helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, all of that.  And why are we given that equipment?

'Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may stand against the schemes of the evil one. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, agaisnt the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places'
 (Ephesians 6:11-12)

Why would you be equipped for all of this unless God sincerely believe that you were to go out and do battle in the wilderness against the forces of temptation.  When?  Immediately.  As soon as church is done, you go out into the howling wilderness to do battle.  You will be hungry, you will be tired, you will be browbeaten, you will be tempted, and the Devil is smart enough to tempt you where you are weak.  But that is the reason behind your revitalization at church - you are equipped for the work you must do.  That spirit is not one of frailty, but of power, and of love.

As usual, ask yourself the question, about baptism, about the Lord's supper, about the church itself from the top down.  What is it for?  Is it to make you feel good only, or is to equip you and spur you to do what is good, what is right, what is necessary in the world?  Sins forgiven, renewed and strengthened for what can, what will, what must be done.

PJ.