Remembering our Baptism

This morning at Recovery Worship we heard St. Luke's narrative of the Baptism of Jesus. One thing I like about the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal is the "Remembrance of Baptism" liturgy that is used during worship. I am not sure why this has become important to me, but over the past couple of years it has. It also seems more than a coincidence that this text comes a week after the death of my father and last week's blog concerning Baptism.

My last act as pastor at my former parish was to do a funeral for a dear friend. Scott died after a short battle with cancer, leaving a wife and three wonderful kids. I could always count on Scott to be a Confirmation mentor, even if he didn't have a kid in confirmation. Scott loved kids, his church, his community and most of all he loved his family and his Lord. Scott lived out his Baptismal promise he made when he stood in Faith Lutheran Church in Hannaford, ND and, along with Darla his wife, had his children Baptized.

At his funeral a former pastor was invited to give the sermon, it was right after the new hymnals had arrived and I started the funeral with the "Remembrance of Baptism" liturgy. As the pastor started the sermon he said that Scott's last words to his kids were "keep the faith" not "remember your baptism" as if to say remembering our Baptism isn't important in our faith life. My initial reaction was, well…duh, who would say "remember your baptism" to your kids while you were dying. However looking back at it from where I sit today, "remembering your baptism" would have been a perfect thing for Scott to have said, because he remembered their baptism.

Scott was a dedicated Christian man who always ensured his children were in church. Scott, along with Darla, taught his children the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostle's Creed. When it came to church and kids Scott never said no. He lived out his Baptism in the way he served the elderly of the community when he drove the Senior Citizen's bus, visited the elderly in the nursing home, and laughed and joked with people in church. He helped parents who were not as good at keeping their Baptismal promise by helping us with the youth programming at church. When I think of someone living out their Baptismal promise I think of Scott.

While I believe the pastor at Scott's funeral used the opportunity for a little "church bashing," he is no longer in the ELCA. He was wrong in his criticism of remembering our baptism. When we remember our baptism we are keeping the faith; living out our baptism and living out our faith is, in my view, one in the same. I hope, when it comes time for me to mutter my final words to my children (and hopefully grandchildren and great-grandchildren) I will be able to look at them and say, "Remember your Baptism"!

See you next week!

Pastor Ray