Baptism: Psalm 51: 1-12; II Peter 3: 1-7
“Wade in the water, children, wade in the water…God’s gonna trouble the water.” This hymn was chosen with a purpose. For many of us, it was an old hymn used at baptism time, particularly in the days when a baptism might have been done in a river or small lake by a country church. But historically, this African-American Spiritual was a song about freedom from slavery with words designed to help those on the Underground Railroad find their way to freedom just past the Ohio River.
The Spiritual is powerful in that it testifies both to a real sense of freedom from a literal and brutal slavery, but it also testifies to the freedom that comes when we wade into the spiritual waters of baptism as well. Based on the book Searching for Sunday by Christian author Rachel Held Evans, the sermons for the next few weeks will be look at and maybe even re-define the fundamentals of our faith including confession, purpose, Communion, and healing and anointing, but today we start with a remembrance of our baptism, where we wade in the water that washes us clean and leads us to freedom from sin.
We start out with the very beginning of what calls us to baptism to faith and to our journey with God—this idea of mercy and cleansing. We hear it in the old hymns such as, “are you washed in the blood of the lamb; now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow; see if there be some wicked way in me—cleanse me from every sin and…set me free.” They pick up on the words of Psalm 51, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sin.”
Water is fundamental to our Old and New Testament Bible lessons: Water carried Moses to his destiny down the Nile…water carried another baby [Christ] from a woman’s body into an expectant world; God’s spirit hovered over the face of the waters; Jesus was plunged beneath the baptismal waters himself in the wilderness by John the Baptist. After the government washed their hands of Jesus, he was hung on a cross and pierced where blood and water poured out.
And just as water is fundamental to our Biblical lessons, so too, is water fundamental to our faith. “When Jesus emerged from the waters of the Jordan [River], a voice from heaven declared, ‘This is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased.” But God’s love wasn’t effective only at baptism, “Baptism simply named the reality of his existing and unending belovedness” says Evans.
Just as those words echoed for Jesus in the wilderness, they echo for us too—this is my beloved child, with whom I am well-pleased. We wade in the water to be free from that displeasure, that sin, that separation from God that can only be fixed by faith. As Psalm 51 says, “For I recognize my rebellion, and it haunts me day and night.”
Our faith, our baptism is a public declaration that we are beloved of God and that our trust is in the Lord Almighty. “The Christian life begins,” says Evans, “with the public acknowledgement of two uncomfortable realities—evil and death—and in baptism, the Christian makes the audacious claim that neither one gets the final word.” The Psalm tells us the words of healing—“Create in me a clean heart, O God,…restore me to the joy of your salvation.” Baptism is a public announcement that we have a new heart that we have been restored to a good relationship with God, the creator, sustainer, healer, and yes, even the great cleaner of humanity.
But we get a warning in II Peter, “More importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.” Listen to Peter who wishes to stimulate wholesome thinking and refresh the memory.
One of the more uncomfortable stories in the book is that of Andrew. His story of faith was one of pain and bullying from a place of faith and worship that should have been safe and nurturing for him. He says, “I was always denied baptism and communion growing up. My [pastor] told me I wasn’t manifesting enough fruits of the Spirit in my life. He told me to wait until I was good enough, and holy enough.” What makes the story all the more heartbreaking is that the pastor of the church was Andrew’s dad. He has since severed ties with his family and childhood place of worship.
It is tempting when we face rejection by our church family, by our faith leaders, and by our own personal family to set our faith down as something too hurtful in life. Many of you have told stories of churches that turned their back on you, robbed you of activities and programs you held dear, declared you heretical, cast you out, and bruised the precious gift of faith and belief. A church is somewhere where we should feel safe, not a place where we fear getting “churched” as we called it back home.
But in every harsh treatment, we have to remember that once we wade into the water, we find freedom and sometimes that is even freedom from the evil lurking in our places of faith masquerading as good policy or church rules. Andrew went on to say, “I put off baptism because I felt like I was in a state of sin, like I wasn’t good enough, fit enough to be baptized. But then I realized…you don’t have to have everything together to be baptized…you just have to grasp God’s grace. God’s grace is enough.”
“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;” says the Psalm, “wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” The words of the Spiritual “Wade in the Water” warned the escaping slaves to avoid the main roads where they could be tracked and caught. It is not so easy for the wickedness pursuing to track a scent or a trail through the water. By wading in the water, those seeking freedom could avoid the perils that followed them and find safe passage into the free states.
We, too, seek freedom. Perhaps we have dealt with old sins and haunts. Perhaps we’ve dealt with the idea that we are not good enough for God’s family, that there’s something too inherently wrong for a good relationship with God. Perhaps we’ve been bruised and battered in our past faith communities and are afraid of what God’s own supposed people can do and the cruelty they can bring.Listen again to Andrew’s words, “You just have to grasp God’s grace. God’s grace is enough.”
If you want to find freedom, then you must first accept that God’s grace is enough, not just for the beginning of your faith, but throughout your entire faith journey. The Spiritual finishes with these words, “look over yonder, what do you see…the Holy Ghost a-coming on me; if you don’t believe I’ve been redeemed, just follow me down to the Jordan’s stream.” The Holy Ghost coming down on them…that sense of freedom from the past. And now, redeemed, from slavery and bondage, and into freedom both physical and spiritual. Wade in the water, children, wade in the water, where God’s grace is enough for you and for me. Amen.