Sermon: "Whose We Are"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

In the great Northwest of this country, the lumber industry is big business. Pioneers in the magnificent forests there made their living cutting down trees, especially in days gone by. In those earlier times, a rather fascinating custom developed among the loggers there. After cutting down a tree, the logger - the owner of the tree - cleared the bark from a spot on the tree trunk. Then, he cut his initials into that spot before setting the log adrift on the river. And there it joined thousands of other logs on the way to some collection point downriver.

In that scenario, ownership of the logs is known. There is no dispute about it. No matter how far the logs go, no matter what happens along the way, no matter how confused the log jam of the journey becomes, ownership of each log is known, recognized, and certain. Whose log each one is can be easily identified.

Now, change settings with me. Move from a river in the Northwest to a small bit of water in this church building - from a logging camp to a place of Baptism.

A person is baptized in the water of Baptism, and then the sign of the cross is made on that person's forehead. The person is called by name and is addressed with these words: "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever"(BCP,p308). It is the sacrament of Baptism that we remember at the time of Confirmation. Notice that the candidates for Confirmation today will take on their Baptismal promises - promises they made earlier or that others made for them. And then, we will all renew our Baptismal Covenant. Indeed, any meaning in Confirmation must be attached to an understanding of one's prior Baptism.

A name is given at Baptism, and that event of naming is so very important. Baptism marks the time of rebirth - of being born again - and so, giving a name is a significant action indeed. However, Baptism is more than simply giving someone a name. More than who we are, Baptism tells whose we are.

No matter how far the Christian person goes, no matter what happens along the way, no matter how confused the log jam of the journey becomes, ownership of the Christian is known and certain. Whose person the Christian is always remains clear. "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever."

The One whose we become at Baptism is Jesus Christ. We are his possession - marked as his own. As the first citizen - the leader - of this community of Baptism, Jesus himself was baptized as well.

Christian Baptism finds its basic model and rationale in the fact that Jesus was baptized. That he was baptized explains why we are baptized. That he is our Lord tells why baptism is so important and so central to our Christian lives. That we are his - "marked as Christ's own for ever" - tells who we are and whose we are. And today we celebrate that event which is so basic to our Christian lives and to the life of the baptized community - the event of the Baptism of Jesus. Remember, further, that it is because of the significance of Baptism that Confirmation has any meaning at all.

There is historical importance to the place that this event happened - the Jordan River. The valley of the Jordan was formed in prehistoric times. It was a geological fault, a great rift in the earth, which remains a prominent feature of the landscape there. All through history, the Jordan valley has alternated between being a place of dense settlement and a location of sparse population. And these differing circumstances - even in today's world - depend simply on the ability of the people to utilize the water supply and on the existence of peace or war in this pivotal area.

In biblical times in particular, the Jordan River itself was quite significant. It divided the kingdoms of Abram and Lot, for instance. Also, in the wilderness wanderings of the people of God on their way to the Promised Land, the Jordan was the last obstacle to overcome. Possession of parts of the Jordan was crucial during the warring periods of the Judges and early Kings, as it is also today. The Jordan was the place that the miracles of Elijah and Elisha reportedly took place.

It was to this historically-significant location that John the Baptist came. He preached of repentance, of preparing the way for the Messiah to come, and of baptism as the visible indication of a change of direction in life. And he preached and taught and baptized at the Jordan River.

John was a cousin of Jesus - an older cousin. John apparently was the "religious" one of the cousins … or so it seemed. He was out there in the wilderness, talking about God and repentance all the time. On the other hand, Jesus was a carpenter, doing the honorable labor of his earthly father, taking part in the family business. At the time of the cousins' encounter by the Jordan River, there had been few previous indications of the big changes that were about to happen. As one writer put it, Jesus "was a thirty-year-old man launching a new career"(Francis Johnson).

A question for us today directly involves these two men. That is, what meaning does the most significant event in John's life have for us … the event, that is, which launched Jesus' new career … his own baptism? How is that important for us?

First of all, Jesus chose to be baptized. That is very important, as we have said. The One whose we are does not ask anything more of us than he was willing to do himself. And that surely is a quality of a great leader. He practices what he preaches. Jesus is baptized, and he expects the same of his followers.

We should add here that this same quality of leadership is consistent throughout Jesus' life. Later, he is willing to suffer abuse, torture, and death, for his knows that his followers will likewise suffer. We need to know that our Lord has had experiences like ours. That Jesus suffered, that he struggled in relationships with other people and, even, with God, that he lived a life like ours in many ways - these things are important in our lives. Jesus Christ, Lord of life, knows what we go through - and he knows it first hand.

Then, the last word is that Jesus is victorious over all the powers of death … even over death itself. Because of our association with him in baptism, in life, in suffering, and in death, we have hope for ourselves. Our ultimate hope is for association and union with Christ always … a union that endures death and reaches resurrection, the final victory.

Thus, you see, Baptism is the beginning of new life. By it we are "born again" - born into the family of God and the brotherhood of Jesus. We are "marked as Christ's own for ever" by a mark that endures - the mark of the cross of Christ on our foreheads - the mark of Baptism. It is the vows and the relationship of Baptism that we renew as we take part in the service of Confirmation this morning.

Thanks be to God!

Copyright © 2002 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee