Baptisms are a beautiful thing. As a Pastor, you get to hold a small child close, look deeply into the baby’s eyes, and give a warm bath on the head as you say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." On top of it all, you get to share in the warmth of the child as you carry the child around, presenting the child to the congregation. It is one of the most glorious moments that the church has to offer the world. It is not big and flashy, but it is worth a million bucks. Not only is a new member being brought into the congregation, but God’s grace is literally washing over the head of another person.
Now that I have set you at peace with those images of water, grace, love, and babies, I almost hate to continue with this sermon. Where the gospel text is leading me this morning is just not fair to either you or to me. This morning’s gospel text offers anything but a peaceful image of what Jesus has to offer in baptism. It is not water and love that Jesus offers, rather, it is fire and judgment.
But, let us not be too hasty right now. Why don't we just forget the word of God for now, OK? It is not pretty. Let's talk about gently falling snow on roses. Let’s talk about cold, refreshing streams of water from springs. Let’s talk about good times with friends. Let’s talk about a glass of wine in one hand and the hand of your loved one in another. Let’s talk about anything that is beautiful, and refreshing, and full of love, and full of liquid…full of lots of fire squelching liquid. Let’s not talk about fire today.
Let’s not talk about farmers bringing in their grain from the harvest and throwing it on the floor. Let’s not talk about the chaff that is scattered throughout the grain. Let’s not imagine that we see our own face on both the heads of the wheat and the on the top of the long strands of chaff. And we certainly should not imagine a farmer coming along and stabbing our chaffy faces with a pitchfork and throwing part of our very souls into a hot fire. We do not want to think about that. We do not want to think about God’s judgment right now. We do not want to think about our purification. We like John’s nice cool, gentle baptism of water. We do not want to imagine Jesus’ baptism of fire. We do not want to imagine lifting our child above a metal baptismal font filled with red, hot fire, ready to burn away part of our child. Let us just stop talking about judgment already!
But, if we stop talking about Jesus’ judgment on us, then the chaff never gets burned up. It continues to grow and clutter up our lives until it takes over our soul. I have met people who refuse to let the fire of the Holy Spirit burn away their unrighteousness. These people often appear stubborn, accusing of others, and always needing to be right. Do you know someone like this? Are you someone like this? When the Holy Spirit leads a friend to start a fire by kindly pointing out a person's faults, the person blows out the fire and seeks to destroy the former friend. I have met people who refuse to let the fire of the Holy Spirit burn away their unrighteousness, and it is sad to see.
I led the funeral of a woman who would fit the description of someone who claimed to love Jesus, but would never allow Jesus’ Holy Spirit to burn away the chaff. It was sad. A friend paid all of the costs of the funeral out of pocket, but could not find a single good word to say during the service. A son-in-law paid the entire cost of the funeral luncheon, but had no positive stories to tell while we ate. A handful of people showed up to the funeral, but not to pay respect to the woman, rather to be with the friend and the son-in-law in a time of grief. It was sad.
Jesus’ baptism with fire is a good thing. It may hurt; the truth always hurts. But, it burns away what is ugly and leaves behind the beautiful child of God whom God formed and molded with God’s own hands. Jesus’ judgment, Jesus’ baptism by fire is not an eternal punishing end to your life; rather it is the beginning of a new life. It is the beginning of a life that is anything but self-centered. It is a life that does not need to be right, but rather seeks what is good. It is a life that seeks to live in Christ’s love.
The Rev. Martin Luther King once reflected,
Every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" ...Tell them not to mention [my]...awards—that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school.
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.
I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody...that I did try to feed the hungry...that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked...that I tried to love and serve humanity.... I just want to leave a committed life behind.
Baptisms by fire are beautiful in their own way. They are not clean and pure like baptism by water. But, they are Holy. And, Jesus’ baptism by fire permanently marks us as a child of God, preparing us not to live for ourselves and our own desires, but to live as grace-filled and loving children of God. It will prepare us to be someone of whom it will be said, “He/She tried to love somebody...did try to feed the hungry...did try in his/her life to clothe those who were naked...did try to love and serve humanity.”
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