Fr. J. D. Ousley

Today we have a baptism. And it is a happy coincidence that the First Lesson assigned to be read in our Episcopal churches on this day happens to include a sermon preached at a baptism.

Or perhaps we should say, a "mass baptism." For after Peter called on Jerusalem crowd to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" -- after this exhortation, the author of the Acts of the Apostles writes that "those who welcomed Peter's message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added" to the church.

Now maybe that number got inflated as this story was retold over the years. Maybe there weren't quite that many people baptized after Peter's sermon. (To a parish clergyman, it's a daunting thought to contemplate filling out 3,000 baptismal forms! Not to mention tracking down the first, middle and last names of all the godparents!)

But however many people were baptized in Jerusalem, there were a lot. The church was just beginning, and many were rushing to join.

But of equal interest to us, today, is the next sentence the author of Acts writes. He says that the newly baptized Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Now this text is an excellent summary of just what baptized people did. If you ever wondered why people get baptized in the first place, well, here's your answer!

So important is this text that it has become part of the Baptismal Covenant we will all say in a few minutes. We will follow the Jerusalem converts in committing ourselves to the way of the Apostles. We will remind ourselves of the things baptized people do.

Perhaps the most obvious and the most emphasized of these things is the first: "the apostles' teaching." This teaching included doctrines about God and about Jesus and about the Holy Spirit, as well as ethical principles that guided the behavior of the early church community.

But doctrine was only part of the apostolic faith. Commitment to the life of the community was also a included in the Baptismal Covenant: the apostles' "fellowship" was essential. Christians find the strength and wisdom to follow the way of Jesus with other people -- together within the life of the church.

And the life of the fellowship itself was nourished by "the breaking of bread" -- possibly a reference to early celebrations of the Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharist is also alluded to in the long story we heard in the Gospel, where the Risen Christ is revealed in a shared meal with two disciples: "they told how he was revealed to them in the breaking of the bread."

Finally, "the prayers" referred to in the Acts of the Apostles seem to mean the private prayers that every believer needs to find guidance from God.

A few words, then that sketch a whole way of life!

Unfortunately, for many years, the Episcopal Church didn't fully appreciate the meaning of baptism. These days, the rite is customarily performed on a Sunday morning as part of a regular service.

But for most of our church's history, baptisms didn't have this prominence. I remember, for example, one of the first baptisms I participated in after I was ordained in 1972.

The family and friends of the baby to be baptized gathered in church on a Saturday afternoon. There was no sermon or choir or communion; the whole service was over in a few minutes.

I also remember the casual attitude taken by the family. During the service, the baby wasn't held by the parents or the godparents -- but by a uniformed nanny! The congregation didn't seem to think of this ritual as the beginning of life in Christ, the first step in the Way of the Apostles. Instead, it was a necessary prelude to cocktails at the family's apartment!

These days, baptisms are part of a Sunday service, and members of the congregation even take a vow to "support this person in his life in Christ." Then, instead of going off to a private party, the couple and their child are congratulated by their parish family at the coffee hour.

And so, there was no vow by the congregation in the older liturgies of the church. Today, we want to include this vow because we know the impact of baptism on Christian life; we all strive together to live out our baptismal vows.

Another place we see the modern emphasis on the role of baptism is in frequent references in church documents to "the ministry of the baptized."

This is an interesting idea. In the past, clergy who were ordained to roles in the church as bishop or priest or deacon were said to be "in the ministry."

But the concept of the ministry of the baptized reminds us that all who follow in the footsteps of the apostles are committed to ministry. Everyone is "in the ministry;" everyone is a minister!

We first seek Christ, who said: "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Then, having found spiritual refreshment, we all join in the apostolic ministry of the baptized.

So, we come to church not only to receive spiritual blessings, but also to give. Yet. at the same time, we know that when we do something for others, we will be able to do something for ourselves. For everyone "in the ministry" -- ordained or not-receives a special kind of blessing.

As the Baptismal Covenant says, baptized people who share the apostles' teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers, learn to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving their neighbors as themselves." Ministry very definitely has its own rewards!

So, young Baird Johnson has a lot to look forward to! He has a lot to look forward to as he begins his own ministry of the baptized. As he begins his own life in Christ, Baird will first be the source of infinite joy to his parents and family and to all of us in his parish family -- and later, he will discover the Way of the Apostles, as he is given "an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and persevere, a spirit to know and love [God], and the gift of joy and wonder in all [God's] works."

Amen

And now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most justly due all might, majesty, power, dominion and praise, now and forever, Amen.