1 | Water of life

08 January 2014

Just when you thought that the media had lost interest in Christianity other than for scandal, they suddenly spotlight a genuine theological debate. t has all come about o!er the Church of "ngland#s e$perimentation with a more modern baptismal liturgy. %owe!er, one bishop has declared it be no more than a dumbing down of an essential sacrament by remo!ing the need to re&ect of e!il.

'll !ery interesting ( am sure)

*ut we may ha!e other +uestions about baptism today,

-ince we could rightly as. ( why did Christ see. out his cousin and as. for baptism, Certainly, he did not re+uire to renounce e!il for our theology holds that he was without blemish.

Well, one answer might be for him to show submission to his father#s will. %is baptism then was a !isible act of ac+uiescing to /od plan. 'nd, indeed, can you imagine a better metaphor for surrender than allowing someone else to submerge you into danger and then pull you up to safety,

Certainly for 0atthew, the story of Jesus# adult ministry started that day with the baptism. -ince, from then on,

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08 January 2014

the gospel writer portrays Christ#s &ourney to the cross as an assumption of his role as foreseen by saiah. *ecause after baptism, he gi!es into the responsibility of being the obedient and sacrificing ser!ant 1 the bringer of uni!ersal &ustice through peace and the model of the sufferer for the good of all humanity.

%owe!er, Christ#s baptism may ha!e indicated more. 2ow, at this moment in flood(blighted *ritain, we can see water as more of a curse than a blessing. %owe!er, for John and Jesus, water was indeed a precious commodity 1 it was the pro!erbial li+uid gold in the semi(desert of the %oly 3and. 4his point is made clearly by 5rofessor 6aryn Wiseman who comments that water is one of the most crucial elements on the face of the planet. 2ot least, our body weight is made up of about si$ty percent water. 7ur health and sur!i!al is determined by water and hydration. n fact, science has shown that a person can sur!i!e without food for about three torturous wee.s. *ut humans can only sur!i!e three days without water.1 We therefore need it for life. %ere then might be a deeper point buried in Christ#s *aptism. %ere in truth might the pointer to how Jesus not &ust submitted that day but too. the gospel on into a !ery dry land. -ince our reading from 0atthew e+uates water to something as precious 1 something as essential and something e+ually life gi!ing. 4hat was, of course, the -pirit. 8or in those few moments of submersion, Jesus was surrounded by the essence of life. %e would not remain there. 9et for the rest of his

: | Water of life

08 January 2014

ministry he would remain surrounded, supported and submerged in the spirit. ndeed, it was this ready supply#s refreshment that is summarised by saiah. 8or his prophecy goes to predict 1 the 3ord ha!e called you to righteousness will hold your hand 1 will .eep you and will ma.e you a co!enant for the people and the light of the gentiles, to open eyes that are blind to free capti!es from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in dar.ness. Well, of course, this is not the day of our baptism. ndeed, many of us that ;mile <ero moment# is far bac. in our rear !iew mirror. 9et it is ne!er too late to remember again that rite and its meaning for us here and now. -ince, it does remind us of the need for submission. *y this mean a return to adopting that function which saiah could ha!e also drafted for us all. n other words, being true to our baptism means willingly pic.up of the burden of being a suffering ser!ant, an undemonstrati!e if persistent con!eyor of inner peace and the +uiet ad!ocate for hope through &ustice. 9et each of our baptisms also promised something else and that was help 1 the help of the copious support of the spirit, the help of the wise counsel of the spirit and the help of the safe surrounding of the spirit. Joe 0a<<ella tells this story. When was a boy growing up we had se!eral gardens around our old house. 4he largest one of all was used &ust for growing potatoes.

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08 January 2014

can still remember those potato planting days. 4he whole family helped. 'fter my =ad had tilled the soil, my 0other, brothers, and went to wor.. t was my &ob to drop the little seed potatoes in the rows while my 0um dropped handfuls of fertili<er beside them. 0y brothers then co!ered them all with the freshly turned earth. 8or months afterward, would glance o!er at the garden while played outside and wonder what was going on underneath the ground. When the har!est time came was ama<ed at the huge si<e of the potatoes my =ad pulled out of the soil. 4hose little seedlings had grown into bushels and bushels of sweet sustenance. 4hey would be turned into meal after meal of ba.ed potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, and my personal fa!ourite> potatoes slowed coo.ed in spaghetti sauce. 4hey would .eep the entire family well fed throughout the whole year. t truly was a miracle to behold. Joe goes on to say ( thin.ing bac. on those special times ma.es me wonder how many other seeds ha!e planted in this life that ha!e grown unseen in the hearts and minds of others. %ow many times has /od used some little thing that said or did to grow something beautiful, %ow many times has %ea!en used these little seedlings to pro!ide another#s soul with sweet sustenance, 3et us then go out to sow seeds as baptised Christians. 4his does mean there will be time of toil, times of waiting and e!en times of sacrifice and suffering. 9et let us do so li.e Christ as acts of submission. 3et us do so with courage for we too are surrounded e!en floating high on the soft waters of the %oly -pirit. 3et us

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08 January 2014

do with determination since we, day by day, hear the creator of all saying 1 call you righteous. 'bo!e all, let us do so with e$pectation 1 the unbrea.able hope that as we emerge from gloomy waters to the brightest of new days we will also indeed hear 1 you are my child and in you am well pleased. 'men