| New Book now Available Here is an anthology of over 1100 brief prayers and thought-starters, for each day of the year, with almost 400 original prayers by Bruce Prewer. Included is both a subject index and an index of authors-- an ecumenical collection of about 300 different sources. |
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| Title: Brief Prayers for Busy People. Author: Bruce D Prewer ISBN 978-1-62880-090-6 Available from Australian Church Resources, web site www.acresources.com.au email service@acresources.com.au or by order from your local book shop or online on amazon. |
Year C, BAPTISM OF
JESUS
(Sunday 1, Between January 7-13)
Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22. (Sermon 1: “Jesus Had
Himself Done”)
(Sermon
2: “Baptism Today”)
Acts 4: 14-17.
Isaiah 43: 1-17.
Psalm 29
OUR FOCUS
Today millions of Christians around the world choose to celebrate the baptism of Jesus. We
have gathered here today in his name praying that we who have been baptised
with water may daily be baptised with his Spirit..
Amen!
Give God the glory, all you children of light,
Give God the glory for such radiant strength.
Give all the
glory God’s name deserves.
Worship God in
the courts of holiness
OR—
When Jesus had been baptised and was praying, the
heavens opened and the Holy Spirit alighted on him like a dove, and a voice
came from heaven:
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well
pleased.”
Now says the living God, the Creator:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name, and you are mine.
When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you,
and through
the rivers, for they shall not drown you.
Offer to the Lord, O children of God,
offer to the Lord all glory and power.
Offer to the
Lord the glory of his name,
worship the
Lord who is arrayed in holiness.
PRAYER OF APPROACH
Most wonderful God, we have come from many separate
directions to gather here as one community of faith. Please assist us to be one
in peace and joy, that we may praise you with one voice and adore you with as
with one heart, and be equipped to serve you in the world as the one
compassionate body of Christ. For your name’s sake.
Amen!
WE CONFRONT OUR SIN AND TRUST GOD’S GRACE
For
2 voices
Let us, as the baptised community of Christ, confess
to God our sin. Let us pray.
God most holy,
God most discerning, God most merciful, you know the complete, uncensored story
of this church and each of these people.
You know our tangled motives and our times of open
disobedience.
You understand
our weaknesses and our strengths much better than we do.
Please open our eyes to the truth, no matter how
unpalatable it may seem to us.
Give us a moment of spiritual clarity and honestly.
Forgive us for
all our failings as a church community, and for all our private sins of
commission and omission; bless us with your freeing, healing grace.
Revive our stodgy spirits and bring under control
our unruly wants and anxieties.
Let us make a
new beginning, rid of the sludge of guilt and self-pitying regret.
In the name of
Christ our Redeemer.
Amen!
ASSURANCE
Now the One who created you, the God who shaped your
life, says this:
“Fear
not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.”
People of God, trust the plentiful love of this
Saviour, and know for sure that you are forgiven and restored.
Thanks be to
God!
PRAYER FOR CHILDREN
God
Loves Us First
Thank you, kind God,
for loving us long before
we
knew anything about you,
and
before we started loving you.
Thank you for our baptism which gave us a place
in
your big church family
with
their smiling faces and kind hands.
Please bless us and every person
who
is baptised into your church
and
keep Jesus’ Spirit in our hearts.
Amen!
PSALM 29
Give yourselves to Christ Jesus, children of God!
Give
to Christ all honour and glory!
Offer him the praise his name deserves!
Worship
him with wholeness of life!
The voice of Christ is stronger than rushing
streams;
above
the thundering surf of the oceans he speaks.
Listen to the mighty word of the Lord;
filled
with majesty is his message.
His voice could splinter Tasmanian blue gums;
the
cedars of New England would shatter into pieces.
At his word mountains would leap like the wallaby;
Kosciusko
and the Cradle like the red kangaroo.
If the Lord commanded it, Uluru would split;
torn
asunder as from volcanic fire.
The voice of the Lord whips up the Gibson desert;
he
whirls the Simpson in red dust storms.
When he speaks, forest giants are uprooted,
and
the mulga scrub is stripped bare.
Those who live close to him are in awe,
while
everything shouts “Glory!”
From the very beginning, Christ alone is King;
his
government is established forever.
Lovingly he gives strength to his people;
in
his blessings is our joy and peace.
© B D Prewer & Open Book Publishers.
AT THE JORDAN
Out of the crowd
the
young man came
filled with love,
bearing
no shame.
Into the water
the
young man went,
numbered with sinners
he
was content.
Out of the water
the
young man rose,
ready to go
where
Wild Wind blows.
*
From
“Beyond Words” Ó B D Prewer
& Uniting Education
COLLECT
Most wonderful God, friend of the foolish and the
fallen, in your generosity you sent your Holy Child, Jesus, to stand with
sinners in the baptismal waters of the river Jordan. With your continuing
generosity you place him in our midst.
Encourage us
to delight in his presence, to adore his glory, and to receive his grace which
washes away our sins and draws us together as one body. For your name’s sake.
Amen!
SERMON 1: JESUS HAD HIMSELF “DONE”
Luke 3:
21-22 When all the people had been
baptised, and Jesus followed, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit
descended on him in bodily form, like a dove. A voice came from heaven “You are
my much loved son, I am most pleased with you.
Galatians 3:
26-27 Through faith, in Christ Jesus you
are all children of God. For as many of you who were baptised into Christ have,
like a garment, put on Christ.
My theme today
will be baptism; baptism and the church.
Over the years there have been many parents who have
approached me saying they wanted their baby “done.” Well, borrowing their
terminology, we celebrate today that Jesus had himself “done” by John the Baptist
in the waters of the Jordan river.
But first I want to start with one person’s
definition (maybe tongue in the cheek)
of purgatory. I no longer recall where I heard it, but here it is.
Purgatory for
me would to be one of twelve human clones sitting round a table and sharing the
bread and the wine.
A horrible thought, isn’t it? Twelve copies. No
diversity.
THE MIRACLE OF COMMUNITY
My friends, I reckon there is no fear of that kind
of purgatory for the people of this church, eh? We are certainly not a
saccharine fellowship of clones. We are not look alikes, think alikes,
worship alikes, pray alikes, serve alikes.
Which means, that being members of the church runs
contrary to our natural inclinations. It
is some sort of miracle that we are together.
The church
does not select members like Rotary, Lions, or the Melbourne Club. We do not select members
because they fit in well together, or because we think they have something to
offer us. We are not people of like worldly status, interests, priorities or
financial clout..
Think how
much easier it would be to accept and work with, fellowship with, and
worship with people of like mind. It
would take little effort, leave feathers unruffled, make for short committee
meetings (wow! for a moment I am tempted!)
How much
harder it is, and at times it feels almost impossible, to accept, worship
and work with a hotch-potch of divergent
personalities and convictions.
Have you noticed how we tend to respond to the image of ourselves in others; a bit like
seeing our own reflection in another’s eyes and saying: Yes! The people we readily like to have around are
quite literally our kind of people. It would like having sweet communion
with...... ourselves? Yuk!
Sadly, there are some people who split off from the
church because they cannot find this likeness in other church members They hive off and try to form a fellowship of
pseudo clones. A sweet communion of people with similar convictions and
prejudices.
That it not what God in Christ Jesus asks of us. It
is not how the church is formed. God in
Christ asks us to seek and accept the differences, to embrace the otherness of
others--- especially the bits that prickle, bruise or frighten us. God
chooses us, we do not choose God. In Christ we are called from separateness and
cosy relationships into sweet-sour
communion. The one thing that links us together is Christ.
CHRIST’S BAPTISM AND OURS
Which brings me back
to baptism.
I’m not concerned with the outward signs, like how
much water, dipping or pouring, child or adult. I want rather to look at some
questions surrounding Messiah’s baptism
and ours.
Why did he do
it?
Why did Jesus have himself “done?” Whatever possible repentance did this unique
Child of God need to make? None, presumably.
Why then? Because
God was calling him to identify with others; to stand with them; to be numbered
with taxgatherers and sinners. Jesus
was called to throw in his lot with those who shared his human nature, yet in
the ways of sin were so unlike him. It was an act of sweet-sour communion
When St Paul
talks about baptism, he says that it is an incorporation into the body of Christ. Galatians
3: 26-27: Through faith, in Christ Jesus
you are all children of God. For as many of you who were baptised into Christ
have put on Christ like a garment.
In our baptism, we
who are unworthy of God, are placed in the new community of Christ Jesus which
is counted as worthy (holy) because of his holy Presence. All distinctions are annulled. So Paul
excitedly tells us that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free
person, male or female.
Race, gender
and class, are dismantled by God, declared illegitimate by Christ’s baptism and ours.
We are placed together in the one body in spite of our perceived differences. A
part of the meaning of baptism is that in Christ we seek the “other”, care for
the “other”, respect the “other”, serve the “other,” even though we may
strongly disagree on creation issues or find the other person not to our
natural liking.
by this world’s reckoning. It is a supra-natural
fellowship. No wonder the early
Christians were sometimes called a “second race” or a “ new tribe. We could
rightly add to Paul’s words by saying that when we are baptised in Christ, there is no longer---
married or single, Australian or Asian, clergy or laity, evangelical or high church, Liberal or Labour, theological conservative or theological
radical, young people or the
elderly, the clever or the
ignorant, doctor or labourer, the clean or the unclean, social justice people or spiritual retreat
people, life-long Christians or new
converts, straight or gay people, orthodox or heretical, millionaire or pensioner, Pope or choir boy.
DIFFERENCES
That is not
to say that we all must become alike, or sweetly agree on every topic.. God
forbid!
We retain many
of our differences. And these
differences can of course lead us into stringent debate on awkward issues, and
may cause considerable stress and pain.
Witness the travail presently endured in the church over the issue of
homosexuality. At times we might feel confused and threatened by our
differences. But these differences are all subservient to the Spirit of Christ.
The baptismal community of Messiah Jesus is not to allow the world’s fears and prejudice
(and its penchant for ostracising discomforting minorities) to shape us.
The secular society does not dictate how we value certain types and groups of
people.. In Christ the noisy infant is as valuable as a bishop, and a prostitute
as precious as a Sunday School Teacher.
For this reason I
prefer Christian names to be used in the informal life of the church. This
is not because we should all gush around, pretending to be good mates in a
religious club, but because our baptismal names signify the only essential
status we have in the community of Christ.
I rejoice when 4 year old Thomas calls me Bruce, and I hope 95 year old
Daphne rejoices when I use the precious name she was given at her baptism.
IN SUMMARY
Today then, we remember a
young man from Nazareth, having himself “done” in the Jordan River. We treasure his readiness
to be numbered with us. We rejoice that the Spirit alighted on him like a dove,
affirming the decision of the beloved Son of God to stand among taxgatherers
and sinners in those baptismal waters.
We rejoice also that we
here are indeed a baptised people; Not clones, but a diverse motley mob who are
(unnaturally) one in Christ Jesus; An odd people, rejecting the world’s
classism, racism, sexism, elitism; and sectarianism; An uncomfortable people,
faithfully wrestling with issues we would have much preferred to avoid. A new
race, drawn from the highways and byways of life to find ourselves face to
face. A surprising community, treasuring one another in a fellowship that no
social engineer could ever devise.
Right?
For as many of you who were baptised into
Christ have put on Christ like a garment.
SERMON 2:
BAPTISM TODAY
Luke 3: 15-17,
21-22
Not a text but an event. Jesus was baptised. Not
much doubt about that.
What is more, he was baptised by dipping in the
Jordan River by the prophet we know as John the Baptist. Not much doubt about
that, either.
“Now when all the people were baptized, and
when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened and
the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven:
“You are my beloved Son, with you I am very pleased.”
It is a shame (no, more like a disgrace!) that the
sacrament Of baptism, like that of Holy Communion, has over the centuries
become a contest between sparing opinions and interpretations among the
separated denominations of the church of Jesus Christ on earth.
The sharpest points of difference have hinged on
whether adult baptism or infant baptism is the valid practice, and whether
sprinkling or immersion is the valid way to enact the sacrament. In this
context words like “valid” disturb me. When some believers claim to hold the
only “valid” doctrine and practice, it nearly always leads to a demotion of love
from its position as the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit.
DESCENT INTO SILLINESS
When Christians start arguing with each other (not
open discussion but verbal violence where one wants to bully the other in to
submission!) about what is the true practice of baptism, matters often descend
into silliness.
Take two examples of such silliness;
1/ Argument
from silence.
Proponents of adult baptism say: “Show us some
incontrovertible evidence in the New Testament that they practised infant
baptism. When it is written that whole households were baptised there is no
mention that any of them were children.”
Proponents of infant baptism say: “Show us any
incontrovertible evidence that the people of the New Testament did not practice
infant baptism. Is there any situation where new adult converts were told: “You
can be baptised but your children will have to wait until they are of age.”
As I see it, with both of these arguments base don
silence, we are not taken us any closer to understanding.
2/ Arguments over the meaning of the Greek word
for baptism. What does the Greek word baptise
mean?
Proponents of adult baptism by total immersion
assert that the word baptizoI meant to immerse under the water.
That does indeed appear to be a primary
meaning of that word.
But the proponents of infant baptism argue that
there are many references in Greek literature where baptizo is used for washing dishes, bathing, the washing of a baby,
and the ritual washing of hands before performing sacred rites. Others point ou
that those pre-Christian desret monks that practised many baptisms (like the
people of the Dead Sea Scrolls) used only a small amounts of water for their
ritual ablutions.
What do I think? I doubt whether such a harrying of
semantics will not take us any closer to understanding, but it will indeed take
us further away from communion together.
SUPPORT FOR BOTH VIEWS
One can conscientiously argue either way.
As I see it, both those who support adult baptism by
immersion, and those who practice baptism of infants by pouring water over the
head, have some sound grounds to support their position. Neither camp can be
written off or be patronised as unreasonable.
Total immersion?
From my perspective,
when baptism by total immersion is practised it can be a dramatic
“outward and visible sign” of that saving grace by which one dies with Christ
and rises into the new creation. I find many young people are drawn to this
symbolism. It is the kind of holy drama which still speaks powerfully to them
in this twenty first century.
By pouring?
Also, from my perspective, when baptism of an infant
by pouring water is practised, it can be the most wonderful “outward and
visible sign” of that saving grace which precedes all our vows or righteous
deeds. The infant has nothing to offer God except its vulnerability. God is
there for her/him before the child can know it or respond to it. Grace is
proclaimed in all its glory in Infant Baptism..
SOME RESERVATIONS
Yet there are
perceived difficulties with both forms of baptism.
It must be said that many Christians have some
reservations about customs that may at times taint the practice of both forms
of baptism. As follows:
In the case of adult baptism I become wary when the
key emphasis is placed on human repentance and vows. The grace of Christ which
seeks us, calls us, heals us, should always be the primary focus. Sacraments
celebrate God’s free, generous grace, not “correct” human doctrine or even a
“worthy” repentance. By grace you are
saved, through faith. It is not your doing but the gift of God.
In the case of infant baptism, I become wary when
the key emphasis is placed on the vows of parents and/or godparents. It is the
prior saving grace of Christ at work for this child which should be the primary
focus.
“Little child,
for you Jesus Christ has come, has lived and has suffered; for you he endured
the agony of Gethsemene and the darkness of Calvary. For you he has triumphed
over death; for you he prays at God’s right hand All for you, little child, even
though you do not know it.” Says
my denomination when baptisms infants.
As long as the sacrament is a celebration of the
grace of God in Christ Jesus our Saviour, I for one will be delighted.
SOME DISCOMFORT RE INFANT BAPTISM?
However,
there are other reservations.
Like many ministers in my denomination, and in
others where infant baptism is practised, I at times experience discomfort when
(from my limited observations) the parents appear to be perfunctorily meeting a
social expectation to “have the child done” rather than displaying any
spiritual discernment on the matter. I may sometimes wince when they make vows
about the upbringing of their children, or when certain godparents or sponsors
make vows.
Listening to other members of congregations, I also
hear some of them expressing unease about what appears to them to be the
degrading of the sacrament by some parents who seem to display no intention of
being active members of the church. such unease has led some wonderful church
members to dedicate their children instead of having them baptised, delaying
the sacrament until the child has reached the age of discernment.
How can we deal with this unease?
In earlier years I was briefly attracted to a
proposal that, in this post-Christendom society, it might be a good thing to
place a moratorium on infant baptism for a generation, in order to be liberated
from the element of social expectation. I thought I could go down that path, if
it gave an opportunity for the sacrament to be rescued from apparent misuse.
However, I
turned away from that proposal because it seemed to fall (once again!) into the
trap of self righteousness. It places too much emphasis on the human
imperfections of parents rather on the glorious adequacy of Christ’s grace
celebrated in the sacrament. I came to
terms which the flawed human performance surrounding the practice of infant
baptism, and decided I could live with parental shortcomings (just as my
congregations had to live with mine!) just as long as in each baptism the
initiative of God’s redeeming grace of God in Jesus is the primary emphasis.
SUMMARY
Theme: Jesus was certainly baptised.
Following in his footsteps, we are baptised.
It is a sad thing when the way baptism is practised
becomes a source of contention between Christian denominations.
There are reasonable arguments derived from
Scripture, and from early Church practice, to support either immersion or
pouring, child or adult baptism.
We move into dangerous territory when any doctrine
or practice re the sacraments takes precedence over the dramatic setting-forth
of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is the key: God’s unearned and
unearnable, generous and regenerating, love for sinners!
As today we remember Christ’s baptism, I call on you
to think about your own,
and give thanks for the amazing grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit.
A CREED
I believe in the God of Jesus of Nazareth, who
blesses the meek, the poor and the persecuted, exalts the least and saves the
lost..
I believe in the Holy One whose dearest Child, Jesus
the Christ, pleased God far more than tongue or pen can ever tell.
I believe in the baptised Christ, and the community
of love and hope which grew around his word and witness.
I believe that he is the first citizen of a new
race, where the entry fee is Divine grace, and the ground rules are shaped by
love.
I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by whom
old things find new birth, and new things grow on to maturity, and the dead
receive regeneration.
I believe in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and
in the limitless life which flows for the healing of the nations.
Amen!
THANKSGIVING
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
for all who ask, seek,
knock, find and enter
into your new world.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
wherever two or three
are gathered together
in your name.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
when your followers
seek not to be served
but to serve.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
when enemies are loved,
t the persecuted prayed for
and wrongs are forgiven.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
wherever great love
proves that many sins
are indeed forgiven.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
from those who are taught
by the free birds of the air
and flowers in the wild.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
for the unpretentious folk
who give parties for the poor,
crippled, lame and blind.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
from those who find joy
in one lost sinner
who turns to God.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
wherever eyes are opened
in the breaking of bread
with a pilgrim Stranger.
Receive thanks, lovely Lord,
from all who are immersed
in your remarkable news
and soaked in your love.
INTERCESSIONS
First of all, let us pray for the world-wide church:
By the inflowing of the Holy Spirit may we become in practice more truly what
we already are in faith and hope: the body of Christ and new family God.
Let there be
truth, healing, compassion and joy, God of our salvation.
Now let us pray for our country; that the values of
the kingdom of God may become less unusual in the way we care for the weak and
the neglected, the foolish and the disgraced.
Let there be
truth, healing, compassion and joy, God of our salvation.
Let us pray for the strong and the wealthy, the
powerful and the ruthless; the famous and the idolised; that they may realise
how easy it is to gain the whole world yet lose the soul.
Let there be
truth, healing, compassion and joy, God of our salvation.
And let us pray for all suffering, broken, and
forlorn people around us in church and community; that the healing of Christ
may reach into the soul’s depths where no human hand can touch or human word
console.
Let there be
truth, healing, compassion and joy, God of our salvation.
And now unto the loving God who is always doing far better
than we can think or pray or do,
be glory in
the church through Christ Jesus, now and beyond the end of time. Amen!
SENDING OUT
You are a baptised people, a community of hope, the
new race dedicated to doing the unlikely deeds of grace, and sometimes even
taking on the impossible.
Thanks be to
Christ, whose power is made perfect in human weakness.
The blessing of the Creator, Redeemer and Inspirer
will always be with you.
Amen!
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