From Death to Life

Let’s prepare our hearts in worship.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters, 
and in the temple, God’s people say– Glory! 
The heavens opened, the Spirit descended, 
and a voice sounded: This is my Beloved Son. 
Do not fear, for the Lord has spoken–
I have called you by name, you are mine. 

Let us pray as our Savior taught us to pray.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Let us open the scriptures and learn the story of Christ.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

– Romans 6:2–11 (ESV)

A short reflection on the role of baptism in the life of the believer.

Whether you are a longtime follower of Jesus or have recently encountered the Gospel story, water baptism is an essential rite of passage for followers of Christ, beginning with Jesus’ own ministry over two millennia ago. At the commissioning of his first disciples, Jesus gives these instructions; 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18–20, ESV

The commissioning to baptize and to be baptized includes the promises of newness; a new kingdom with a new identity and a new king. 

Jesus invites us into a new kingdom. From every nation, tribe, and tongue, all people are summoned to join Jesus’ new kingdom. A kingdom where the ways of greed, violence, manipulation, and exploitation are replaced by the law of Love; “Love the Lord your God, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” The salvation offered by Jesus takes the form of adoption into a new nation, new community, and new family. 

Jesus invites us into a new identity. “Anyone in Christ is a new creation!” declared the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (paraphrase). In baptism, the brokenness of our past is put to death, and like Christ, we are resurrected with a new identity and given a new direction to share in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus becomes our new King. Water baptism is a naturalization ceremony in which we transition our allegiance from the nations of our world to the Kingdom of God (Philippians 3:30-21). Because Jesus is our king, we have a different way of living. We commit to learning the culture, values, and teachings of Jesus and unlearning the ways of our previous world. 

In the waters of baptism, we experience the newness of life that Jesus has to offer.

Let us affirm our faith with the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the global Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. 

Amen.