CMLC 2026-09-27 Sermon

Today we're going to talk a little bit about

baptism now I realize we talked about it about

eight months ago But you all saw the pool that's

outside as we were coming in and there's a reason

I think we need to be talking about it again

today You see we've been baptizing more people

who are a little bit older and whether they're

children who can speak for themselves or or adults

that They finally learned what it is to to know

Christ Jesus and when we baptize someone who's

older, they come to faith, they stand there and

they say, yes, I trust Jesus, I want to follow

him. But that ends up raising some interesting

questions for us. What exactly are we doing when

we baptize somebody? Why do we ask adults whether

they really believe, but we baptize babies who

can't answer the question for themselves? Why

does baptizing even matter? And what happens

if somebody is baptized but then they walk away?

from faith. It's not just Lutherans that ask

these questions. It's for the whole church. I

think sometimes, though, we make baptism more

complicated than it needs to be. And our gospel

reading this morning gives us a good place to

start. Because Jesus tells the story of two sons.

The father tells the first son, go and work in

the vineyard. And the son says, I will not. Don't

you love sons like that? Just right to your face,

no. but later he changes his mind and goes. Then

the father tells the second son the same thing,

and the second son says, I go, sir. But guess

what? He doesn't actually do it. Yeesh. How's

that helpful? And Jesus asks, which of the two

did the will of his father? Now clearly, the

answer is the first one. But that's important

for today, because Jesus is showing us that what

we say at one moment doesn't always tell the

story. of where we are going. Someone can say

no, but they turn around and they go and follow.

Someone may say yes, but they fail to follow

through. We may wander one day. We may come back

the next. And that is going to matter because

we are talking about baptism. And we have to

ask this question because practically at Christ

Memorial, what happens when someone cannot fit

easily into the baptismal font? I mean, you've

got a little bowl inside of that font. And so

some adult comes along and I'm supposed to like

pick them up and shove their head inside of it.

I mean, I've been working out, but come on, give

me some credit. I gotta work on my core. What

happens though when someone says, I'd really

like to be immersed? That's perfectly valid.

You know, the Bible doesn't tell us that you

have to sprinkle or pour or immerse. The word

baptizo means just to wash with water. The important

thing is the water, the word, and the name of

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So sometimes...

We have to figure out what we're gonna actually

do. And a couple times we've had people go out

into the fountain that's out there. Unfortunately,

that fountain hasn't been working as much lately,

so one of them wanted to be immersed in it, and

when he did, there was almost no water in it,

so he'll have to take the water and splash it

on top of him, trying to get it done. And we're

asking these questions of, did we get enough

water on him? Do I need to dunk him again? Do

I need to make sure, hey, Father, Son, and Spirit,

and make sure that I got you under well enough?

It's not a question of if you're sufficiently

wet. It's a question of what is God doing. Baptism

is not primarily my statement about God. Baptism

is God's promise to us. Because God is acting.

God is calling us His own. God forgives sins.

God gives us the Spirit. God brings us to Christ.

And that last part is especially important because

baptism... is not ultimately about the water

as much as Christ. Paul says in Romans 6, we

have been baptized into Christ Jesus, into His

death, buried with Him and raised with Him. The

baptism did it. Galatians says that those who

have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

So what is God doing in baptism? He is giving

us Christ. He is giving us the forgiveness that

Christ won for us. His death on the cross. And

then as we are then coming forth that resurrection

that Christ won for us is ours. That's why the

two sons matter. Because baptism is not a declaration

to say, you know what, I have now for the rest

of my life permanently demonstrated that I will

always follow Jesus perfectly. The Christian

life is not that simple. We may say yes and stumble.

We may say no and turn back. but Christ keeps

calling us. Baptism gives us a place to hear

God's promise again because God gives and faith

receives. But I'm sure nobody here has ever struggled

in their faith or wandered away, right? And there's

another way we see this in the Christian life.

When we think about prayer, if I'm praying for

somebody who is sick and maybe I anoint them

with oil, pray over them, what is it that's making

God act? You see, This may be used in the midst

of prayer, but it's an anointing. This physical

reminder is that we're bringing this person to

God and asking God to work. Not because oil is

magical, but because God is the one acting. But

I'm going to take it even simpler. What if I

pray for you and you don't know it? What if...

I am praying for you and you've never found out

that I did. Does that mean it doesn't do anything

in your life because you never heard that I prayed

for you? Of course not. What if I pray for you

and you never know what happened as a result?

Or what if something happens in your life and

I never find out what my prayers did? Does that

mean God is not going to work? Absolutely not.

See, we trust that God hears prayer and that

God is at work even when we cannot see or immediately

know the results. See, God's action is not limited

by our understanding. We don't have to understand

exactly how God is working for God to be working.

We don't have to be conscious of everything God

is doing in order for Him to act. And that's

true in prayer, it's true with God's Word, and

it is true in baptism. Because if everything

God does depends on whether we understand everything

perfectly, then God's grace would still be waiting

on us to get our lives together. But that's not

the gospel. God comes to us, speaks, gives, acts.

And by the work of the Holy Spirit, we learn

to recognize and trust what He has done. So if

baptism is God's action, then why even ask the

adults? Why don't I just come along with a super

soaker, and I'll just go ahead and get all of

you at once. We'll make sure we get everybody

covered. Maybe I could go do it at the mall,

too. Are there still malls out there? I don't

know. But I'll just go ahead and get everybody.

I'll say, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we're

good, right? But you see, an adult standing here

says, yes, I trust Jesus. I want to follow Him.

That is beautiful. We confess Christ every chance

we get. We do not force baptism on someone who

understands and can speak up and says, no, I

don't want it. It's not about coercing people

into God's grace. But confession, that's not

what made the promise true. Faith is not what

it is that made the water work. Water is what's

creating the faith that's inside of us. That

confession though, it is appropriate to respond

that way to what God has done. But you know we

were sitting there we were talking getting ready

for some of the baptisms and I remember hearing

One lady talking to another and saying are you

sure you know what this is? Are you sure this

is something you want to do? Do you really understand

all the different parts? We've been talking about

and it was kind it was sweet. It was considerate

But the response was I know what it is and I

want to do it Isn't it wonderfully simple? How

often do we make baptism more complicated than

it ever needs to be? See, we start thinking that

the important thing is whether we've understood

it well enough, if we've explained it well enough,

if we've articulated every single thing, but

it's about what God is doing. But pastor, you

said we don't coerce people into faith. What

about those babies? You're making them go to

baptism. Isn't that coercing them? Well, first

off, Jesus welcomes the children. In that same

chapter, the children are crying out, Hosanna

to the son of David. And Jesus points us to the

words of Psalm 8 about praise coming from the

mouths of infants and nursing babies. Jesus does

not consider any children too young to belong

to him. And even more than that, I want to remind

you of something historical. You see, before

the time of Christ, circumcision was the mark

of the covenant. See, God gave circumcision to

Abraham as the sign of his covenant. Now, Abraham

was an adult when he went through circumcision.

But from there forward, for the covenant family,

they would circumcise the boys at eight days

old. Child doesn't understand what's happening.

Child didn't decide to be circumcised. The child

didn't say, mother and father, now that I am

eight days old, I would like you to go ahead

and circumcise me. That sounds like a wonderful

idea. the parents brought the child into the

covenant community and God gave the covenant

sign. The children who were circumcised, they

could actually grow up and reject God. They could

decide to become unfaithful. But their unfaithfulness

did not make the circumcision invalid. And that's

important for us to remember when we hear from

Ezekiel. Because the people of Israel were suffering.

And they're saying the fathers have eaten sour

grapes, And the children's teeth are on edge.

It's a poetic way of saying, we're dealing with

the consequences of what the parents did. But

God is looking at them and saying, no, each person

is accountable before me. And God calls the people

to repentance. Repent and turn from all your

transgressions. Make yourselves a new heart and

a new spirit. Turn and live. But I want you to

notice who God is actually talking to. God is

actually talking to the people marked by the

covenant. The people who are already marked as

His people are the ones He is saying, repent

and turn so that you can live. God is still having

to call them back. And we need to remember that

when we think about baptism. Because baptism,

it doesn't mean, well, now I just live however

I want and it doesn't matter anymore. Baptism

doesn't mean that it's okay just to reject Christ.

It means that God has made a promise. That's

also why Colossians 2 is important. Because Paul

connects the circumcision and the baptism when

he says that with Christ we have been circumcised

with the circumcision made without hands. And

he then connects that with being buried with

Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith

in the powerful working of God. You see, Paul

is not just saying baptism is the same thing,

but what he's doing is He's putting them together.

And we are reminded that even as the old covenant

was given to all the people, including the children,

the new covenant is meant for all people. And

it joins us to Christ's death and resurrection.

See, the sign is not just something about what

we've accomplished. It's about what God is giving.

So instead of asking, is the baby old enough

to make their decision, the bigger question is,

If we are all born into a world of sin, and we

are all under the punishment, then is God's grace

big enough to come to this child before they

understand it? And the answer of God's grace

is always yes. But we do have to be careful.

Are we saying that repentance doesn't matter?

Absolutely not. Repentance matters tremendously.

And Acts 2 says, repent and be baptized every

one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the

forgiveness of your sins. But we need to be clear,

Peter is not saying, okay first, make sure you've

done all of this repentance that you've got to

get done, make sure you've done it perfectly,

and then you'll be qualified enough and we'll

go ahead and let you be baptized. Repentance

is what goes with baptism. It is a part of the

life that God creates in us through His grace.

But what we need to remember is that repentance,

the turning back toward God as the Spirit moves

us, it doesn't happen at just one moment. Our

whole life needs to be marked with repentance.

The first son says, I will not do what you've

asked, Father. But he repents. He turns around.

said no, but He turned around. And that's the

Christian life. Sometimes we say yes and we stumble,

and other times we say no and we turn back. We

may be faithful for a season and then wander.

But Paul says in Philippians, for it is God who

works in you, both to will and to work for His

good pleasure. See, God is at work in the whole

thing, giving His grace, faith, and creating

in us repentance. Because repentance does not

happen because we wanted it hard enough. Repentance

happens because God is speaking into our hearts

and changing us. And that's what happens when

we are baptized, is receiving a new heart to

come from God. And it also helps us to understand

faith because sometimes we focus so much on our

decisions. We're Americans. We make all the decisions

for ourselves, don't we? I decided to believe.

I accepted Jesus. I made the choice. And yes,

there is a human response. I certainly hope that

you choose to follow Jesus. But scripture has

a deeper picture. Because faith is trust that

relies on Christ. Not about having enough information

in our minds that we somehow passed an exam.

And frankly, babies can trust before they can

explain. A baby trusts a parent to feed them.

Every time that they cry, they trust that someone

will be there. They trust the voice of the person

that they know will comfort them. They reach

out to be held to the one that they know. It's

not as if that baby is sitting there able to

explain, I'm sorry, I don't actually know you,

sir. I'm not ready for you to pick me up yet.

But instead, we realize that trust goes deeper

than what we can know. Our confidence is not

about the strength of our trust. It is about

the One that we trust. The One who died and rose

again to give Himself for us. And maybe we do

have to remember that we all must come to Christ

as little children, vulnerable and ready to be

taught. So we come back to those two sons again.

What happens when someone has said yes to Christ

and then walks away? What happens when somebody

has been baptized but decides that they're going

to reject their faith? Because that does happen.

We don't like to think about it. A baptized person

can reject Christ. They can wander. They can

become indifferent to their faith. And we need

to not pretend otherwise. But the person may

have wandered. God's promise did not. Because

there is nothing that can separate us from the

love of God. Think about that first son. He said

no, but then he changed his mind and went. Did

the father look at him and say, you know, you

said no earlier, so I'm going to need you to

go and find a different father now because I

said to do this, you walked away and now you're

trying to do it now? He returns to the father

who has been faithful the whole time. And this

is a picture of repentance. is to remember that

even though we have wandered, that does not mean

that now we have to start Christianity all over

again. An example, if you will. A lot of times

I'll be thinking about when there's a reset,

and I think about my sister and my brother -in

-law. See, they dated in college, and they were

together for quite a while, but they broke up.

And they were broken up for years. But years

later, they got back together, and eventually

they got married. The relationship was real,

but so was the separation. And then the reunion

was real too. And often times we may be saying,

wait a minute, wait a minute. Would we now think

that their whole dating life when they were kids

doesn't count because they broke up? Absolutely

not. That's still a part of their relationship

and their story. You see, that's the same thing

though with baptism. Is that when we come back,

We don't need a new baptism, because we are coming

back to the one who has marked us the whole time.

It says in Ephesians 4, one faith, one baptism.

One baptism. Not one when you were young, and

another for when you finally understood later

on. Not one baptism when you were following Christ,

and another so that after you wandered and came

back, you got it all right. We'd have to be baptized

every day, wouldn't we? because the foundation

is not about how well you performed. It's about

what Christ has done. And just in case you need

just a little bit more, even the earliest Christian

writings, they talk about baptism being in the

name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

They talk about using running water if possible.

But if not, you could just pour it over the head

three times. The Didache talks about this. See,

even early on, the Christians were not worried

about how much water was there, but it also talked

about what it was when children were baptized

and could not speak for themselves. Even Tertullian,

as much as people talked about how he wanted

baptism to be delayed for children, he even was

admitting that the children were being brought

to baptism, and no one was denying what baptism

was doing. Of all these things, The practice

that we do, it wasn't made up in the medieval

ages, and it wasn't just the Catholic Church

trying to do something after Constantine. This

is something we have held to throughout. And

Matthew brings us back to those children. Hosanna

to the son of David. Jesus receives the children

who praise His name. The weak ones. The little

ones. The sinners. But isn't that like all of

us? and He saves because He's merciful. So here's

what I want you to be taking away with you today.

Where is your confidence today? Is your confidence

in how well you've understood God and His salvation?

Did you make the right decision well enough?

Have you been a good enough Christian? Because

those change from day to day. Our emotions fail.

Our faith feels weak. We stumble. We fail. But

Christ does not change. So baptism is God's promise

in Christ to us, not our achievement for God.

So we can baptize a baby who says goo goo gaga.

We can baptize an adult who can say very clearly

what they believe. We don't need to worry about

how much water there is. I don't need to worry

whether I got you fully under that water in the

pool. But repentance, it belongs with baptism.

But it's also because every day thereafter. is

a day to repent. And that's why we don't rebaptize

people who just wandered. But that's also why

baptism matters so much. Because in baptism,

God is saying, you belong to me. Your sins are

forgiven. Christ has died and risen for you.

And you have my promise. So today, remember your

baptism. Remember Christ. And when you wander,

remember that He is the one calling you home.

Thanks be to God.