Park Avenue Presbyterian Church; Des Moines, Iowa
Texts: Isaiah 43: 1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8: 14-17
Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 *
“Commissioning By Faith, in Hope, For Love”
--} It’s a short walk from “baptism” to “commissioning.” Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism is perhaps the briefest of an already “extremely concise” story—two verses, barely three3 lines of text: “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
There are no details about “how” this particular baptism happens—just that it does happen. And while Luke is not alone in this regard—neither Matthew nor Mark has much more to add, other than Jesus coming up out of the water—according to the gospels “this” becomes the pivotal moment and the “event,” that launches Jesus’ ministry.
These two things are readily apparent for us in this morning’s celebration: first, Jesus is baptized—becoming our model for baptism marking the beginning of our spiritual journey; and second, that it’s Jesus’ baptism that becomes the launch-point for his ministry. So that as we come today to remember our baptisms and reaffirm them, we too, may be reminded that our spiritual journey’s have already begun and we, too, have been sent forth to do ministry.
Since often we Presbyterians are noted for practicing “infant baptism” and it may not seem to us that an infant a few days or a few weeks old can be literally “launched immediately into ministry,” perhaps we would do well to declare that “remembering” and “reaffirming” our baptismal vows is significantly-essential for us as adults. Baptism is no “rite of passage,” no “one and done,” kind of celebration. Instead, it is the celebration of God’s claim upon our lives that always and forever marks God’s people. And every chance we have to remember and reaffirm our baptisms opens new possibilities of being renewed in God’s call. Remember our baptisms declare again and again the fundamental reality that “we belong to God.”
“Commissioning” is a different but related moment. We often “commission” to specific acts of ministry; for example, we “commission” Sunday School teachers, missionaries, and most recently, our congregation “commissioned me” for a trip to the Holy Land. “Commissioning” is an act of celebration recognizing a person’s call to an act or acts of ministry. Commissioning, like Jesus’ ministry, follows one’s baptism. And while baptism is God’s claim upon our lives; “commissioning” is our recognition of that claim and God’s call to us in particular forms of serving. Ordination, too, follows baptism. All of us are baptized as church members; we may not all be particularly “commissioned;” just like all of us may be church members, but only some of us are called and ordained as officers. But today, I’d like us to celebrate not only God’s claim but our “call” to service as God’s faithful people. And I want to return a blessing.
Several people have asked me about “commissioning.” “Why do I want to ‘commission’ everyone? Aren’t we already commissioned?” [That might even be a good ordination exam question!] And the truth is, there may not be much in the way of a “special” reason for commissioning the whole congregation to Christian duty or Christian service. One could argue, we don’t have a specific form of service like Sunday School teacher or traveling preacher.
But the touch-point I want to offer you and I this morning is that as we are remembering our baptisms and ordaining and installing new officers, we are still called to Christian service and we ought to be thinking about that and considering it—all of us. Maybe that ministry takes place in the form of helping others—like buying food for the food pantry or giving away last year’s coat for people who can’t afford one, or dropping a donation in the red kettle. Maybe that ministry takes place in volunteering to prepare a meal, or funding a meal at places like Door of Faith, or making sure that CROSS ministries has enough funds with rent or utilities assistance. Or maybe, that ministry takes place in reaching out to friends and neighbors and discovering the “needs” present in our own neighborhoods, and reminding fellow church-members about how we can help.
Commissioning—for this day—is a way to remind us that we are all “set apart” for special service. God has claimed us, we have professed that faith, and what needs to happen next is not just “membership” in our congregation, or “ordination” as an officer, but a genuine serving of one another—within and outside our church walls.
So today we let our “light” shine—celebrating not only Jesus’ baptism, but our own; remembering that we are claimed by God and called by God to particular forms of service. Church members and Church Officers? Yes. But also, that our form of believing means doing and sharing as we believe. Loving God, and loving one another. Commissioned by faith, in hope, for love.
--+ AMEN.
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