Proper
7: Jeremiah 20: 7–13; Psalm 86: 1–10, 16–17;
Romans 6: 1b–11; 24–39
This is the homily given
at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker on Sunday, June 25,
2017.
“WATER
CROSSINGS”
(Homily text: Romans 6: 1b-11)
Normally,
the homily for a given Sunday tends to concentrate on the Gospel text which is
appointed for the day. In fact, preaching on the Gospel text is the preferred
route for the preacher to take. But it’s not beyond the preacher’s ability to
focus in on another of the appointed texts for the day. So, in that vein, let’s
look at St. Paul’s wonderful description of the meaning of baptism as we have
it before us in our epistle reading this morning.
As we
begin, let’s remind ourselves that – at its very most basic level – baptism is
a water crossing. St. Paul seems to underscore this understanding of the rite.
In
this homily, we will look at a number of water crossings as they are found in
Holy Scripture, both in the Old and the New Testaments. We will end our
consideration at St. Paul’s text on baptism. At each traversing of water, we
find two realities emerging:
- · Once the water has been crossed, there is no going back to the state of affairs as they existed before,
- · Water crossings bring with them the promise of a new and better life.
Our
journey must begin with the understanding of the relationship between water and
the ability to cross water. In order to traverse water, some firm surface must
exist, or some ability must be present in order for us to emerge from the
waters. Otherwise, we will sink into the water, into death itself.
So
the first reality which confronts us is water’s power to destroy. (Of course,
it is also important to recognize that water is necessary for life on earth to
exist. But, for the purposes of this homily, we will concentrate on the ways in
which water’s power to destroy life is overcome.)
Recognizing
the destructive power of water, the creation account found in Genesis, chapter
one, underscores God’s provision of dry land, which emerges out of the chaos of
the waters In Genesis 1: 2, we read that
the Spirit of God “hovered over the waters”. Then, in verses six through eight
of chapter one, we read that God separated the waters that are above the earth
from the waters that were underneath the earth. Finally, in verses nine and
ten, we read that God gathered the waters into one place, while the dry land
appeared.
This
last point is important, for the appearance of dry land makes it possible for
all non-water-dwelling creatures to survive. So in one sense, what God has done
is to provide a platform for animals and we human beings to live.[1] (I hope this is a helpful way to regard the
appearance of dry land!) In so doing, God not only creates the animals and the
human beings, but God also provides the means to preserve them, allowing them
to replenish the earth.
Now,
let’s look at our first water crossing, the account of Noah and the Great
Flood.
The
account is found in Genesis 6: 1 through 9: 17.
The
account tells us that God told Noah to build this big boat. What a test of
faith Noah faced….the building of the ark took quite awhile, and, all the
while, no doubt Noah’s neighbors came by to watch Noah’s folly as it progressed.
The Genesis account seems to suggest that – prior to the flood – it had never
rained. Genesis seems to suggest that the earth was watered by a mist. So
perhaps Noah’s neighbors didn’t see the need for this enormous building
project.
But
when all was ready, when the ark was finished, and when all the animals were
gathered together into the ark, along with Noah, Noah’s wife, their three sons
and their wives (eight[2] persons
in all)[3], the
rain began to fall.
But,
if we read the account closely, we also see that God allowed the waters of the
deep to burst forth (see Genesis 7: 11). Thus, the orderly manner of God’s
creating process was reversed at God’s command, for the waters that were
underneath the earth engulfed the dry land.
But
Noah and the seven others, along with the animals in the ark with them,
survived because they had a platform which allowed them to traverse the waters
of the flood, and to emerge on the other side of the flood.
The
two principles we articulated earlier about the meaning of water crossings are
in evidence here:
1. Noah and his family could never
return to the pre-flood world they knew,
2. The world that these eight persons
emerged into was a better world (in some ways at least), for God had dealt with
the abject wickedness of the pre-flood world, and had entered into a new
covenant with Noah and with humankind, covenanting never to destroy the world
again by flood, and sealing this unconditional covenant with the sign of the
rainbow. God signaled to Noah (and to all of us, his descendants) that He had
not given up on humankind.
The
next water crossing we will consider is the crossing of the Red Sea. The
account can be found at Exodus 14: 19 – 31.
Before
this water crossing, God’s people had been living in slavery in Egypt. As God
made it possible for them to leave Egypt, they found themselves at the edge of
the sea, with Pharaoh and his army closing in on them from behind.
Then,
the Exodus text tells us, Moses lifted up his staff at God’s direction, and the
waters of the sea were parted to one side and to the other. The text tells us
that God’s people crossed through the waters “on dry ground” (the text repeats
this phrase twice, in verse 22 and again in verse 29).
Once
the people had completed their passage, the waters closed in on Pharaoh and on
his army. No longer would God’s people be subject to slavery in Egypt. A new,
brighter and more promising destination awaited them in the Promised Land. (However,
there is no doubt that some of those same people longed to return to their
former state in Egypt, given the hardships of the desert in which they found
themselves.) The waters prevented their return, for God’s power, made known in
the parting of the waters, could not be summoned to allow them to pass through
the waters on dry ground again in order to return.
Once
the desert wanderings were complete, the people of God passed through the
waters of the Jordan River, crossing into the land that God had promised to
them. The account of this water crossing can be found in Joshua 3: 1 – 4: 24.
It’s
worthy of note to see the same phrase is used to describe the conditions of the
passage of the Jordan River that was used to describe the crossing of the Red
Sea. The text tells us that they passed through the river (which had been
running at flood stage) “on dry ground.” It is also important to notice that
the text recalls the passage through the Red Sea (verse 23) and ascribes that
passage and the passage of the Jordan to God’s power.
Once
again, God’s power is made known, this time by the sign of the priest’s feet
stepping into the waters, which caused them to part, creating the platform (dry
ground) for God’s people to emerge into a new and better life in the Promised
Land, a land flowing with “milk and honey”[4]. There
was no desire to return to life in the wilderness (through some doubted that
the people of God could actually take possession of the land from the
Canaanites who were dwelling there), and no ability or desire to return to life
in Egypt, either.
Now,
let’s turn to Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist as we find the account of the
Lord’s baptism in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
The
Lord’s emergence from the waters of the Jordan is made possible by the
Baptist’s presence.
From
His baptism, the Lord will enter the wilderness to be tempted. But then, His
public ministry will begin, leading to His death and resurrection. The fullness
of His life which lay before Him after His baptism is contrasted with His
pre-baptism life with his family in Nazareth.
Finally,
we arrive at our own baptisms, as we follow the Lord into the waters.
St.
Paul makes clear that there is no return to our former lives once we have
entered the waters of baptism. His language makes use of the word “death”. In
death, there is no return to a life that existed beforehand. But, Paul also
lays before us the promise of a new and glorious life, using the word
“resurrection”. In Jesus’ resurrection, a new and glorious future unfolds. So,
Paul tells us, that – in baptism – “we are buried with Christ in a death like
his, and we are raised to a new life in a resurrection like his.”
The
early Church knew how to dramatically underscore the significance of baptism.
(Unfortunately, our contemporary practice of this Sacrament tends to obscure
the drama that is involved somewhat.) Here is the sequence that the newly
baptized underwent:
·
They
entered a body of water (a river, stream, pond or lake) from one side of the
water.
·
They
faced west and renounce the powers of evil and of Satan.
·
They
turned to face east and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.[5]
·
Then,
they were fully immersed three times (in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit).
·
Emerging
from the waters at the hands of the ministers who had administered the Sacrament,
they were then clothed with a white garment[6]
(signifying purity in Christ), and they leave the water by another route than
they had taken to enter them.
Our
own baptisms carry the same meaning as did Noah’s passage through the waters of
the Great Flood: The power of water to destroy us is overcome through the power
of Jesus’ own victory over death. We follow the Lord into the waters of
baptism, to emerge through His ability to save into a new, more promising and
brighter life, a life which carries with it the promise of a fullness of life
that cannot be ours by any other means.
The
symbolism of baptism isn’t lost on St. Peter, whose likening of this water
passage to Noah’s passage, along with the mention of those eight persons who
made the crossing into a new life, is worth our remembering. No wonder that
many of our baptismal fonts (when properly constructed) have eight sides, for
eight is the number of new beginnings in Holy Scripture. Indeed, in baptism, we
are given a new beginning in Christ.
Thanks
be to God!
AMEN.
[1] What we are considering is, in part, the
Ancient Near East’s cosmology, that is, the world view of these ancient
peoples. In their cosmology, these early peoples also regarded the presence of
water springs as a sign of God’s goodness, for these springs brought forth
water in an orderly fashion from the depths of the earth.
[2] I can’t resist pointing out the importance
of the number eight in the Bible: God’s
creation began to operate on the first day of the first week of creation, on
day eight. Likewise, the number of persons in the ark was eight. The rite of
circumcision was performed on the eighth day of a baby’s life. King David was
the eighth son of his father, Jesse. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day
of the week following Holy Week. Perhaps there are other examples in Holy
Scripture, as well.
[3] Peter will link the importance of the
passage of these eight persons (the number eight in the Bible is indicative of
“new beginnings”) to the rite of baptism. See I Peter 3: 20b – 22.
[4] See Numbers 13: 27 and Deuteronomy 31: 20.
[5] Elements of this aspect of the early
Church’s practice survive in our own rite. See the Book of Common Prayer, 1979,
pages 302 – 303.
[6] This
early garment survives in the alb today.
