A
Baptismal sermon preached by Ray Anglesea at St Andrew’s Dawson Street, Crook, 10 June 2012
 The morning after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, The Sun newspaper headlines read Drip Drip Hurrah! Long to reign (rain) over us took on a new meaning and Handel’s water music seemed very appropriate as orchestra’s played on barges gliding under Tower Bridge. The poet laureate, Carol Anne Duffy, entitled her Diamond Jubilee Poem, The Thames, London 2012 – “A Queen sails now into the sun, flotilla a thousand proud; my dazzled surface gargling the crown,” she forgot to mention the rain! Alas, too much rain, too much water! Like the Olympic gold medallists Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsett, water runs in our blood – it is after all water, wind and wet weather that make us British!
The Thames hit the
news earlier in the year, the interruption of the Boat Race on the River Thames
at Easter weekend reminded us that water is deep, powerful, and holds things
that stop even trained athletes in their tracks. Last year, global images and terrifying
footage showed tsunami waves rolling inland in Japan, and this April, Fiji has suffered
severe floods. Last night difficult and relentless flooding in West Wales. Ultimately,
we are at the mercy of water, not in control of it.
A baptismal service
as we have seen involves water. During the Easter Sunday readings we heard of the
Red Sea parting so that slaves can flee captivity; in our school days we heard
of the story of Noah-the-good and his animals that went into a boat - yet another
one - that held multiple pairs of all living creatures. Noah and the animals
got into the ark just in time, before, touchingly, God shut the door on them so
that they would be safe. Like the Royal Thames pageant it then rained.
In the biblical and
natural world, water is seen as destructive, harmful and devastating. But in
the spiritual world water has a sacramental role. The story of Noah and his family
were saved through water, foreshadowing later the Exodus deliverance, the day
the captive Israelites with their leader Moses made it through the Red Sea. And
Noah’s flood story ended with a promise: when they were back on terra firma,
God’s generous love was extended to humans through a covenant, a promise. Never
again would humankind be destroyed by water. Out of the destruction, the chaos
and the harmful devastation of water came a new beginning, and a new promise to
last for all time. It was to be a sign — a bow in the clouds — a rainbow.
God’s judgement on
human kind was tempered with mercy. God’s purpose was to enable, not destroy
with water, his relationship with humans. God’s purpose is to enable human
beings to flourish. That same care that locked Noah into the ark in safety
would later be made visible in Jesus Christ, who did not run away in the face
of threat, but stayed put, and we say in religious language – to save his
people from destruction.
Jesus was raised from death by the same God who saved Noah from the
chaos, disorder and turmoil of the madness of water. Jesus too, you may
remember from this morning’s bible reading was submerged by John in water as a
sign of his identification with sinners.
And we who, with water, are baptised into Jesus’ death have been raised
from the death of sin to the life of goodness. Water, which can bring death,
can also bring life. Like the once in a lifetime diamond drenching of water at
a London River Pageant, baptism too is a once in a lifetime event, a drenching into
the flourishing love and precious beyond price diamond promises of God. Today
Zoe Anne through baptism,
the sprinkling of water has been made a child of God’s grace, a member of the Church; Zoe Ann has
been baptised as a Christian.
This ceremony has obligations foremost of which is to live the Christian life.
The sign at Jesus baptism in the River Jordan was a dove descending out of the
sky and a voice from heaven which said: This is my beloved son in whom I am
well pleased, listen to him.
Zoe Anne and Neil, listen - your infant
daughter’s baptism this morning is a sign of God’s promise to Brooke Lillie as
a Christian that he will be with her forever. But more than that, like Noah’s
rainbow, that promise, God will love Zoe Ann forever.
Neil
and Zoe Anne – God is committed
to the flourishing, well being and happiness of your family, you have
embarked on this great journey of love, not only of loving each other but of
loving Brooke Lillie. As parents you are going to be a rainbow sign, to Brooke of
what human love is like, you are going to be the role models of what God’s love
is like. You are going to be signs of love for Brooke.
Neil and
Zoe, you are surrounded by loving families with offers of help and support. Use
them. We as a church are here to help you too, our doors are open, you have our
telephone numbers, we too can provide help and support, education and teenage
training. Alas human beings live in a world of good and bad and that makes our
lives and relationships painful and complicated but not so
with God. God will never give up on you, even if you
run away from him. Neil and Zoe never stop loving each other - you are for Brooke what human love and
family life is like and can be for the rest of his life – she will learn from
you, you will be her example. And, like any great relationship, it just
gets better and better as the years roll on.
And so it is with our relationship with God.
And in all this we, as we are able, together,
will do everything possible to keep our promises to love, help and support you.
In this
Jubilee year we should remember today that we have cause for thanksgiving the
Queen of course, but equally and more significantly – God has committed himself
yet again to one more human family, the family here from Hazel Terrace, Crook.
And in the lives of this lovely family with whom today we join in celebration,
we see the sign of God’s embracing, renewing vision of God’s faithful
love.
Neil and Zoe Anne - may God bless you
on your journey, and may Jacob’s baptism be a sign to live the faith more
fully.
Amen
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