I Will Be With You

So, if last week was about community, this week ought to be about the individual. Right? Well, no, not really. Again, yes, there is an individual component whenever we talk about baptism. A choice has been made, sometimes by an individual or a sponsor, that the ritual is desired. Just like those who waded into the river when John the Baptist was holding forth, a decision was made. An acceptance of the offer. Individuals matter; that has always been true and will always be true. But praise be to God, no individual is left to struggle on their own. No one needs to endure, to grow, to be transformed on their own.

Baptism is a partnership. At its core, there is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the person being baptized. Baptism is a promise, a promise of presence. Today would be a great opportunity to remember the baptism of those who gather week by week. If there are those to be baptized, saving it for this week would be a powerful reminder. And if there are not candidates for baptism, then we can remember together. We have a ritual to let everyone hear the promises made and the blessings conferred, “A Service of Reaffirmation,” (a reaffirmation of the covenant, we call it). It’s a way of saying again what we said or was said in our name at our baptism.

What becomes clear as we hear these words is that this isn’t an individual act. It is a corporate ritual, a communal covenant, a mutual promise to God and to one another. We celebrate here the community being made, the support being offered, the lives bound together in discipleship. On this day, we look to Christ, but then we see Christ at work in us. The power and the presence of the Christ in his baptism is given fresh testimony in every baptism we remember today. Let there be water where the gathered can remember with all their senses what it means to be immersed in God’s presence and surrounded by the love and care of the congregation. Today is a grand celebration of the community of faith. It is a day of worship of the one who went into the water for us, with us, and promised to be present among us always.