I thought about the Baptism a bit. You know, some Lutherans are troubled by all the ceremonies that cluster around Baptism as though they had an independent worth. The image that came to me was of a huge ROCK splashing down into a pool of water, and how the water splashes out in all directions. And so the Word of God that comes to the water at the very moment of Baptism is like that huge rock, and the splashes are both before and after. It’s not that the various ceremonies are independent of that Word, the rock (if you will), dropped into the pool of water; it’s that they are the result of it! So the signing with the cross, the little exorcism, the renunciations, the confession of the faith, the chrismation, the candle and so on: all confess the gifts that the Word splashing down into the water delivered most assuredly to little Jonas.
Then this morning, sans Baptism, a rinse and repeat THREE times. I did shorten the sermon a bit after last night, but then there were more people to commune at all the liturgies today, and today I was celebrant for the three Divine Services. Let me tell you, this old man’s voice was dead tired by the time the last liturgy wrapped up. Nothing makes me feel my age quite like the way the voice isn’t happy after the round of services. Part way through the second Sunday liturgy, it’s already like a kid in the backseat asking: “We done yet? Huh? Huh?” Grr.
Hurried home after late service to a wonderful lunch with the David Weedon family, Opa, Lois, and Cindi. Now I am thinking a nap is shortly in order.
2 comments:
Hi Father Will, I thoroughly enjoyed this post and agree that tradition has provided us with many rites to accompany and show us what God accomplishes in Baptism. That being said, do you think there could be come confusion with tying divine promises to any of these "supporting" rites? I'm thinking specifically of Chrismation, thinking of how the East declares it a sacrament and a means of "sealing" the Holy Spirit on the believer. They tie this basically to any OT verse where oil is used and NT references to conferring the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands (Act 8:16 for example). Now, my reaction is to resist on attaching the promise of the Holy Spirit to the act of chrismation/unction itself, rather I'd state that we are free to use oil after a Baptism to show that God confers that spiritual unction and seal to the believer by the Water and the Word. What do you think about this subject Pastor?
We’re on the same page!
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