January 12-Baptism is the entry into the community of the Holy Spirit.Let’s put the reading from Isaiah into a baptismal context. Here the Spirit is given to the Lord’s special servant. What kind of spirit is given> the spirit of life, of the very breath that governs all creation’s life. Second, it is a non-violent spirit, as the servant would not harm a fly, would not deal with a bruised reed harshly. Third it is a spirit of new life, of fresh as the smell of the Christmas tree that may have finally been dragged from houses that celebrate the season through Epiphany. What a fine spirit to capture for the new year: new things I declare, do you not perceive it? that newness that spirit can touch not only individuals but the servant imagined as the people for God, Israel or the church, indeed first presbyterian of Alton, Illinois.The place where we talk about group spirit would be the sports team: remember old cheers? to what degree does the spirit of life link us, in common grace, as kuyper put it. What is different if anything of the spirit of life through polio shots or to a thrilling rendition of a song, or the green revolution.
When Greg and I did a tour group presentation for visit Alton, a lady accosted me that one must be immersed to receive the Holy spirit. She does raise an important point. Where do Presbyterians stand on the gifts of the spirit and baptism.Our window over here is graced by a powerful representation of baptism with the shell of St James and a large image of the spirit-descended dove. that spirit not only descends but pervades all of life. We get a rare picture of the Trinity in the baptism of Jesus with the Spirit appearing in the form of a dove, the dove of peace, the dove of Noah’s all clear sign, the dove of Jonah’s name so that it could prefigure the resurrection. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation is present in this new Adam’s entry into the mission field.
Since baptism is our citizenship papers into a new community, ti makes sense to me that the gifts of the spirit devolve also on the church itself. The church is given the gifts it needs to do the spirit-induced work to which God calls it. Baptism call us into becoming part of something that is bigger than us, will last longer than us. As As Nadia Bolz Weber says baptism makes Christianity a tema sport, not an individual Olympic event.
I continue to be troubled by older protestant church views of the sacraments. We tend to see baptism as a one time event alone, instead of seeing it as a sign of God’s continuing involvement in our lives. A female pastor recently wrote in god Pause of realizing that just a s child lived her her womb, so do do we live and move and have our being in the divine atmosphere of presence. In the movie jesus of Nazareth they show Jesus being moved to baptism after the death of Joseph, so tha this baptism by john is an acceptance of his destiny.For Christians, that destiny included reading his life in the light of the servant hymns of Isaiah. Those images even now do not fit what we wish to seek in the Messiah.Baptism allows us, p.ushes us to walk hand in hand to help make this world look the way God intends it to be. It calls us to look through baptismal eyes of compassion, not judgment, to listen, to hear clearly, without waiting to correct or contradict, to “heal not harm, to create not destroy, to love and not to hate.”
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