"Bath of Rebirth" - Baptism of the Lord Homily

I enjoyed talking with our children on Christmas Eve about time travel.

I don't think they enjoyed it as much as I did, but nonetheless as a Church, we traveled back in time to celebrate Christmas.

Going back 2,000 years to the Nativity scene.

And now just a few weeks later, we travel ahead 30 years.

to the baptism of the Lord.

I think the Church places these two events so closely together, liturgically, even though they span 30 years, to make the point that baptism should take place as soon as possible

after the date of birth, emphasizing the necessity of baptism for salvation.

Jesus didn't need to be baptized.

The waters of baptism didn't sanctify Him He sanctified the waters of baptism for us.

Everything about His baptism is for us.

He gives the example for us to follow.

And John indicates this moment here, because Christ's baptism started Christian baptism.

There was Jewish baptism and John was celebrating it.

But even he says, I'm baptizing you with water.

It's symbolic only.

A purification ritual.

To prepare you for the real baptism that's coming, the one after me, mightier than I.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

That internal cleansing.

that internal bath of rebirth, renewal by the Holy Spirit, that fire is a spiritual fire for Christ and for love.

That's the leap that is made in the baptism of the Lord.

And parents that follow the Lord's lead and present their children for baptism, first and foremost, they're saying they want their kid to be saved.

The number one goal of parenting is to get your children to heaven.

Amen?

And baptism is the first step.

So when I talk to parents about it, saying yes, is to have your child saved.

It's not just for the next life.

It's to bring heaven into your child in this life.

That life with the Holy Spirit, with the Trinity, handing your child over to

God that your son or daughter is placed in His arms.

Isaiah says, In His arms he gathers the lambs carrying them in His bosom.

And at baptism, your son or daughter becomes a child of God.

And it's really what's best for your child.

Parents are so diligent and vigilant from the start, getting their kids what is best.

You want what's best for their bodies, you give them the best food from the start.

The best clothing, the best this, the best that.

And baptizing when they are infants,

is recognized and this is what's best for their soul for the salvation but also for their

efforts for their works, their accomplishments, for their gifts.

Christ is what's best and this will bring to fulfillment all that He's created in them.

It'll help them to be the best version of themselves throughout their lives.

Now it's not just babies who are baptized in the Church.

Deacon Ted does a wonderful job leading our class for adults.

He teased it up for me and I have the power from bishop to baptize and confirm people as adults in the Church.

It's an awesome experience to pour water, the water's rebirth, over someone taller than me, which is not that hard to do.

But to see that choice as adults, that you want this new birth to be reborn, be born again, renewed.

Have your gifts, have your life fully enhanced by Christ.

Take you to new levels.

Levels you've only seen in other people, but now you're starting to experience it yourself.

That's what baptism and the kingdom within us, this life in Christ brings.

But it's rebirth, renewal, even with babies and adults in baptism.

Because every one of us is born in original sin.

So one of the qualities of baptism, it removes, washes clean all the stain of original sin.

St.

Paul talks about the person being baptized as a new creation.

We think of the refreshing quality of water.

How good it is stepping out of a shower most of these days.

And that's for the whole soul in baptism.

To be purified and refreshed and renewed.

That's what Christ intends when he gives us this incredible gift.

After one of my first baptisms, the dad came out and he said, that's the best gift I'll ever give my kid.

He's also received the gift of faith at baptism.

I often talk what Jesus mentions is the parable of the mustard seed.

And I'll say that's the size of our faith of baptism, the size of mustard seed, the smallest seed.

and in baptism of a farmer's child, he interrupted the homily saying, he picked a good parable to farmers.

That's a good one, the mustard seed.

And that's Christ gives us and then grows it himself, encouraging parents who baptize their kids to let God grow it.

That seed through no righteous deeds of our own, St.

Paul says, but by His grace.

with the Eucharist and the example and the witness of parents and godparents, that faith, the kingdom within can grow to be the largest bush and attract others to baptism.

This is what Christ intends giving us this gift, giving us the example to follow, to give us the kingdom and to grow it.

So we experience fully as coheirs with Him.

in hope of eternal life.