Beginnings

Waters of Creation

The mystery of life first began on earth long ago in what scientists call "deep time." Nearly three billion years ago, cellular life began in shallow oceans. Two billion years later life had progressed into multicelled animals visible to the naked eye. Eventually life forms developed that could survive on land. Life originated from the water; all life continues to need water to survive.

People have long recognized the necessity of water in their stories of the beginnings of life. As Christians we share the creation story told by the Hebrews, in which God breathed over the face of the waters to call forth creation. God gathered the waters and dry land appeared. From the waters, God called swarms of living creatures into being.

Water continued to play a central part in new beginnings. God led the Hebrews to liberation through the waters of the Red Sea, out of Egypt and slavery into a new life as God's chosen people. God provided water for their journey in the desert wilderness toward the land God had promised. Through the River Jordan, God's people crossed into that Promised Land of Canaan. We read these stories in the Jewish scriptures (also called the Old Testament).

Waters of Jesus's Baptism

The Gospels of the Christian scriptures (also called the New Testament) tell the watery beginning of Jesus's ministry in Palestine. In the Gospel of Luke, at Jesus's baptism in the Jordan River, the heavens parted, the Spirit came down on Jesus, and God said, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased" (3:23). Standing in the ripples on the river, Jesus heard God calling him, "my Son." After his baptism, Jesus was led into the desert and tempted to deny God's call to him. But Jesus rejected temptation and returned to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, where he claimed his calling: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor ... to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free ..." (Luke 4:18). Jesus said, "Yes, I am your Son." Consider the waters of your own baptism, or baptisms you have witnessed, where God claims you as God's own ("You are. ..."). Consider the ripples on the water that speak of joy and wonder, struggle, transformation. Hear baptism as a "Yes, I am." This is the heart of Christian moral theology that Bill speaks about in the interlude that precedes this chapter — Be.

Waters of Birth and Rebirth

Each of us was conceived in a place rich in water. For nine months we floated in a sea of water inside our mother's womb — first as one cell, then two, then four, then eight. Soon we developed organs and limbs. Finally, one day, we broke through those waters and into the world.

On the day of baptism, the newly baptized are born yet again, this time into the Body of Christ, the Church. Again the baptized burst forth from water as a new person. Even if you have not been baptized or do not remember your own baptism, you've likely seen other people being baptized.

On the day of baptism, a priest pours water over the head of the one to be baptized, or completely plunges her into a pool of water. Now, she doesn't reenter her mother's womb, as a man named Nicodemus wondered when he heard Jesus talking about being born again (John 3:1–10). But the newly baptized are born again. You can think of the baptismal font, the basin that holds the waters of baptism, as a womb from which a person is born again. The Holy Spirit moves in those baptismal waters, making the person new and bestowing spiritual gifts for life and ministry in the world.

The waters of baptism are powerful. They are the same waters of creation over which God breathed and called forth life. They are the same waters of freedom through which God led the Hebrews out of a life of slavery in Egypt, and the waters of promise through which they walked into new life. They are the same waters in which Jesus was baptized and the same living water that Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well. In these powerful and living waters the baptized are reborn. By those waters they share in the waters of creation, liberation, promise, and new life in Christ. In the waters of baptism they are bathed in the living water where they will never thirst again.

Today's baptisms, unlike the baptisms in the muddy Jordan River, can be overly sentimental — babies dressed in white, receptions with cake and ice cream. Baptisms truly are a cause for celebration, but in the festivities we may not notice the profound conversion happening before our very eyes. Looking at early Christian baptismal rituals might help us better recognize baptism as the dramatic death to an old self and turn to a new life it truly is.

Baptism in the Early Church

For early Christians, being baptized demanded radical changes in life, changes that could jeopardize your very life. Becoming a Christian meant breaking Roman laws that required sacrifices to the Roman gods, an infraction that could result in being arrested, jailed, tortured, and even put to death. You'd lose friends and maybe your family. Some newly baptized Christians, such as those in the army, had to give up their jobs. Becoming a Christian in the early centuries after Jesus died literally meant turning toward a new way of living.

While baptismal practices varied among early Christian communities, one pattern described in fourth century documents is that catechumens, people who are studying about the Christian faith with the intention of becoming candidates for baptism, began the ritual of baptism facing west, the direction of the setting sun and the symbolic direction of darkness and evil. Standing barefooted on a rough garment woven from goat's hair (called a "hair shirt") to indicate that they desired to die to their life of sin, they renounced Satan and the works of evil three times, professing their desire to give up — virtually die to — their old way of life.

The catechumens then turned to the east, the direction of the rising of the sun and the symbolic place of new life, as they professed their faith in Christ three times. Then they stepped into a pool of water, submersing their entire bodies. This pool of water symbolized a tomb in which their old selves died and their sins were washed away. It also represented a mother's womb, out of which a new person was born. Finally, stepping out of the water, they were clothed in a white garment that symbolized their new life in Christ.

While we live in a country that does not persecute Christians for their profession of faith, following Christ is still a radical choice. Christians are called to a life of discipleship, turning away from consumerism, hatred, and greed, toward life-giving relationships marked by wholeness, welcome, and justice. Like early Christians we are choosing to see the world differently than others might. We choose to see a world in which God is actively present, loving all of creation and yearning for a world in which people act in ways that show that they love God, one another, and all creation. As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we are called to participate in God's loving purpose by loving our neighbors (especially the unlovable), striving for justice, and respecting the dignity of every human being. Every time we witness a baptism, we promise to follow Christ with a particular and demanding pattern of life. Just as it was for early Christians, your baptism was, or will be, the beginning of a new life.

Baptism

Many Christians today are baptized as infants, long before they are able to speak for themselves or understand what is going on. Infant baptism isn't a new practice. In early Christianity, entire households were sometimes baptized at one time. If you have been baptized, you might want to take some time to search for your baptismal record or photographs of the day of your baptism. Your baptismal certificate will tell you the date of your baptism, the name of the priest who baptized you, and the names of your parents and godparents. If you can't find your certificate, call the church where you were baptized. They will have a record of your baptism.

At infant baptism, the parents and godparents present the candidate for baptism to God and the world and make the promises in the Baptismal Covenant to believe in God and follow Christ on behalf of their children. They promise to bring them up in the Christian faith. (Chapter 9 on sacraments explores the Baptismal Covenant in greater detail.) Adult candidates speak for themselves in the rite of baptism; they, too, have sponsors who present them for baptism.

Baptism is a gift from God. Faith changes how we see the world. The lens of faith in Jesus Christ lets us see the world differently. Instead of a world of random events, we see a world that is part of God's purpose. Instead of a world of unrelated individuals, we see a world of individuals called to be in relationship with God and one another whose focus of life is God and God's son, Jesus Christ. Instead of a world with an indifferent creator, we see a Creator in love with and intimately concerned with creation. Reading this book and engaging your knowledge and experience of God within the framework of the five imperatives — be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, be responsible, and be in Love — will help you live into a life in Christ.

Covenant

We've used the word "covenant" a few times in this chapter. It's a word we don't hear much today. A covenant is a relationship freely entered into by two or more parties, each of whom makes promises to be faithful to the others. A covenant creates new relationships. God initiates the covenant relationship and promises to transform those who respond in faith.

A covenant is different from a contract. Although people make promises in a contract and do so freely, contracts are meant to align the interests of the parties involved, not to transform anyone. Contracts are utilitarian. Covenants are transformational. An example of a contract is signing an agreement to buy a home. The sellers want to get as much for the house as possible. The buyers want to pay as little as possible. A contract arrives at a price where the buyer's and seller's interests are aligned. The contract facilitates a transaction that fulfills the interests of both parties.

Entering into a covenant is different. It transforms those who have entered into the covenant. God offers us a covenant that we might be God's people and promises to be faithful. Accepting God's promises necessarily means we are changed into something new. We see the world through new eyes, through the lens of the covenant. Instead of seeing the world as indifferent, random, hostile, and threatening, we see life as purposeful, relational, and inviting. God's covenant shapes our every action and cannot be dissolved.

Covenant and the Jewish Scriptures

God enters into a relationship with people in the form of a covenant. We learn from the Jewish scriptures that God established a number of covenants — one with Noah, another with Abraham, and another with Moses. In God's covenant with the Israelites, God promised them that they would be his people and he would be their God. God required them to be faithful, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God (Micah 6:8).

As Christians we share in God's covenant and in God's saving acts told in the Jewish scriptures. The God of Israel is the same God we worship as Christians. The Israelites were real people. The God of Israel, our God, freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land of Canaan. The map below shows one route they may have taken from northern Egypt through the Sinai Peninsula and into present-day Israel/Palestine and Jordan. God remained with them as they wandered in the wilderness and provided for their needs and beyond, just as God remains with us today and gives us what we need. God is faithful to the covenant and is with us always.

Covenant and the Christian Scriptures

Our God is also the One who sent God's only son, Jesus, to live and die as one of us. Through Jesus, God renewed the covenant and offered it to all people. In the Christian scriptures (New Testament) at Jesus's last Passover meal, Jesus gave us a New Covenant. During the Eucharist every Sunday we remember Jesus's words at the Last Supper as an imperative and promise for us now: "Drink this, all of you: This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Book of Common Prayer [BCP], 363). In this New Covenant Jesus promises to bring us into the kingdom of God. We respond to the New Covenant by loving one another as Jesus loves us.

The Baptismal Covenant

The covenants given by God in the Jewish scriptures and in the Christian scriptures — and our Baptismal Covenant — all share the same basic characteristics: we freely enter, we make promises, and God transforms us. If you were baptized as an infant, you might say that you did not freely choose to be baptized. You would be right. For you, baptism was a gift, just as being born was a gift. Your parents wanted you to be part of the Christian community, the Body of Christ. So they chose for you to be baptized. They spoke on your behalf and promised to teach you about Jesus Christ and what it means to live a Christian life. They stood up in front of family and friends and made it clear that they wanted you to be Christ's own forever.

Reaffirming the Baptismal Covenant

A person who is confirmed, received, or reaffirms their Baptismal Covenant is choosing to renew the covenant with God — to confirm the baptismal promises made at baptism and seek God's strength to live into that covenant. During every baptism, confirmation, or reaffirmation, the gathered members of the congregation also renew the Baptismal Covenant as a community.

The text for the service of confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation of baptismal vows, makes these commitments clear. Let's look at the service.

Presentation and Examination

After the candidates are presented, the bishop asks two questions:

• Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil?

• Do you renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?

These two questions represent the three renunciations and three adhesions found in the liturgy for baptism. Responding with "I do" expresses a desire and commitment to turn away from sin and darkness and toward life in Christ. You are saying that you are turning from the values of sin and death to the values of God and life. Instead of acting in ways that deny God and break relationships with others, you are saying your actions will honor God and nurture relationships with others.

Renewing the Promises

Once the candidates have expressed a commitment to follow Christ, the bishop (or priest) continues by asking:

• Do you believe in God the Father?

• Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

• Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

Those questions refer to the Apostles' Creed. In chapter 4 of this book we explore the Apostles' Creed carefully.

The word "creed" comes from the Latin word credere, which has the same root as the word "heart." Saying "I believe" isn't an abstract statement about whether we believe God exists. It's a statement about where our heart is and who will guide our very particular everyday choices. When we proclaim "I believe" we are saying we are setting our hearts on God, and to set our hearts on God changes how we choose to live.

One way to think about the Apostles' Creed is as a recitation of what God has done for us — creating heaven and earth, living among us, dying and breaking the bonds of death, and dwelling among and with us today. In the Baptismal Covenant, the questions that follow the recitation of the Apostles' Creed prompt a response to what God has done for us in the form of baptismal promises:

• Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

• Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

• Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?

• Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

• Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

Answering, "I will, with God's help," to each of these questions is promising to take very specific actions throughout life. The candidates are promising to worship regularly, to resist evil, and to ask for forgiveness when they do not live up to their promises. They are promising to talk to others about God's love and promising to love their neighbor as themselves and to strive for justice and peace. Fulfilling these promises is what it means to live into the Baptismal Covenant.