|
Bridgewater,
Massachusetts,
April
3,
2005
Audio
Sermon
Exodus
30:17-21
The
basin
for
washing
Then
the
Lord
said
to
Moses,
"Make
a
bronze
basin,
with
its
bronze
stand,
for
washing.
Place
it
between
the
Tent
of
Meeting
and
the
altar,
and
put
water
in
it.
Aaron
and
his
sons
are
to
wash
their
hands
and
feet
with
water
from
it.
Whenever
they
enter
the
Tent
of
Meeting,
they
shall
wash
with
water
so
that
they
will
not
die.
Also,
when
they
approach
the
altar
to
minister
by
presenting
an
offering
made
to
the
Lord
by
fire,
they
shall
wash
their
hands
and
feet
so
that
they
will
not
die.
This
is
to
be
a
lasting
ordinance
for
Aaron
and
his
descendants
for
the
generations
to
come."
Luke
3:1-18
The
baptism
of
John
In
the
fifteenth
year
of
the
reign
of
Tiberius
Caesar--when
Pontius
Pilate
was
governor
of
Judea,
Herod
tetrarch
of
Galilee,
his
brother
Philip
tetrarch
of
Iturea
and
Traconitis,
and
Lysanias
tetrarch
of
Abilene--during
the
high
priesthood
of
Annas
and
Caiaphas,
the
word
of
God
came
to
John
son
of
Zechariah
in
the
desert.
He
went
into
all
the
country
around
the
Jordan,
preaching
a
baptism
of
repentance
for
the
forgiveness
of
sins.
As
is
written
in
the
book
of
the
words
of
Isaiah
the
prophet:
"A
voice
of
one
calling
in
the
desert,
‘Prepare
the
way
for
the
Lord,
make
straight
paths
for
him.
Every
valley
shall
be
filled
in,
every
mountain
and
hill
made
low.
The
crooked
roads
shall
become
straight,
the
rough
ways
smooth.
And
all
humanity
will
see
God’s
salvation.’"
John
said
to
the
crowds
coming
out
to
be
baptized
by
him,
"You
brood
of
vipers!
Who
warned
you
to
flee
from
the
coming
wrath?
Produce
fruit
in
keeping
with
repentance!
And
do
not
begin
to
say
to
yourselves,
‘We
have
Abraham
as
our
father.’
For
I
tell
you
that
out
of
these
stones
God
can
raise
up
children
for
Abraham.
The
axe
is
already
at
the
root
of
the
trees,
and
every
tree
that
does
not
produce
good
fruit
will
be
cut
down
and
thrown
into
the
fire."
"What
should
we
do
then?"
the
crowd
asked.
John
answered,
"Anyone
who
has
two
shirts
should
share
with
someone
who
has
none,
and
anyone
who
has
food
should
do
the
same."
Tax
collectors
also
came
to
be
baptized.
"Teacher,"
they
asked,
"what
should
we
do?"
"Don’t
collect
any
more
than
you
are
required
to,"
he
told
them.
Then
some
soldiers
asked
him,
"And
what
should
we
do?"
He
replied,
"Don’t
extort
money,
and
don’t
accuse
people
falsely;
be
content
with
your
pay."
The
people
were
waiting
expectantly
and
were
all
wondering
in
their
hearts
if
John
might
possibly
be
the
Christ.
John
answered
them
all,
"I
baptize
you
with
water.
But
one
more
powerful
than
I
will
come,
the
thongs
of
whose
sandals
I
am
not
worthy
to
untie.
He
will
baptize
you
with
the
Holy
Spirit
and
with
fire.
His
winnowing
fork
is
in
his
hand
to
clear
his
threshing
floor
and
to
gather
the
wheat
into
his
barn,
but
he
will
burn
up
the
chaff
with
unquenchable
fire."
And
with
many
other
words
John
exhorted
the
people
and
preached
the
good
news
to
them.
True
Christian
Religion
#685
The
purpose
of
baptism
The
first
purpose
of
baptism
is
so
that
we
may
be
named
Christians.
The
second
follows
from
this:
so
that
we
may
come
to
know
and
accept
the
Lord,
the
Redeemer,
Regenerator,
and
Savior.
The
third
is
so
that
we
may
be
reborn
from
the
Lord;
and
when
this
happens,
we
are
redeemed
and
saved.
These
three
purposes
follow
one
after
the
other
and
combine
in
the
last,
so
that
angels
think
of
them
together
as
one.
When
baptism
is
performed,
read
about
in
the
Bible,
or
spoken
of,
the
angels
present
do
not
think
of
baptism,
but
of
spiritual
rebirth.
John
answered
them,
"I
baptize
you
with
water.
But
one
more
powerful
than
I
will
come,
the
thongs
of
whose
sandals
I
am
not
worthy
to
untie.
He
will
baptize
you
with
the
Holy
Spirit
and
with
fire."
(Luke
3:16)
The
Sacrament
of
Baptism
is
based
on
a
ritual
that
is
(I
hope!)
as
old
as
humanity
itself:
the
act
of
washing.
Most
of
us
wash
ourselves
in
one
way
or
another
every
day,
and
think
little
of
it.
Not
only
do
we
wash
our
entire
body
regularly
by
bathing
or
showering,
but
we
wash
our
hands,
face,
feet,
and
other
parts
of
our
body
whenever
they
get
dirty,
or
before
eating,
or
when
we
go
to
bed
at
night
or
get
up
in
the
morning.
We
also
wash
our
clothing,
the
dishes
we
use
to
eat,
our
cars,
and
sometimes
even
our
houses.
And
then
there
are
all
our
other
acts
of
grooming,
such
as
combing,
brushing,
and
cutting
our
hair,
trimming
our
nails,
shaving
(some
of
us,
anyway!),
and
so
on.
In
fact,
we
put
quite
a
lot
of
effort
into
cleaning
and
caring
for
our
bodies,
and
making
ourselves
presentable.
It
is
simply
a
part
of
life.
If
we
do
stop
to
think
about
it,
we
quickly
realize
that
life
without
washing
is
something
we
would
probably
prefer
not
to
think
about.
Lately
I’ve
been
watching
the
reruns
of
the
old
M.A.S.H.
series
that
ran
from
1972
to
1983.
In
one
episode,
the
two
leading
characters,
Captain
"Hawkeye"
Pierce
and
Captain
B.
J.
Hunnicutt
go
on
a
shower
strike
in
protest
against
the
French
Horn
playing
of
their
tentmate,
the
high-born
and
sanctimonious
Major
Charles
Emerson
Winchester
III--who,
I
must
say,
is
a
really
bad
French
Horn
player!
Hawkeye
and
B.
J.
get
progressively
smellier,
until
they
are
barred
from
entering
the
mess
tent,
being
forced
to
eat
at
a
table
outside
where
they
can’t
even
stand
the
smell
of
one
another.
Finally,
the
entire
camp
forms
a
mob
to
hose
them
down,
douse
them
with
soapy
water,
and
give
them
a
scrub.
(Charles’s
offending
French
Horn
is
then
promptly
dispatched
by
being
run
over
with
a
jeep!)
Fortunately,
most
of
us
don’t
allow
ourselves
to
go
without
bathing
so
long
that
we
become
the
target
of
a
spontaneous
mass
demonstration!
But
there
are
some
unfortunates
who
either
do
not
or
cannot
bathe.
They
generally
live
on
the
fringes
of
society,
outdoors,
eating
and
sleeping
separately
from
the
rest
of
society.
I’m
referring,
of
course,
to
the
homeless--not
all
of
whom
are
careless
of
their
personal
grooming,
but
many
of
whom
do
not
take
care
of
their
bodies
as
polite
society
believes
we
should
do.
And
their
unwashed
condition
is
an
emblem
of
their
position
outside
of
"acceptable"
society.
Yes,
we
take
washing
for
granted . . .
until
we
encounter
those
who
don’t
wash,
and
then
we
realize
not
only
what
a
regular
part
of
our
lives
it
is
to
keep
cleaning
ourselves,
but
what
a
critical
part
it
is.
Because
not
washing
has
not
only
social
consequences,
but
also
consequences
for
our
health.
The
dirtier
we
get,
the
more
likely
we
are
to
contract
various
sicknesses
that
come
with
the
growing
filth.
In
short,
dirtiness
is
a
hazard
both
to
our
social
relationships
and
to
our
health.
And
persistent
dirtiness
is
usually
a
sign
that
something
is
seriously
wrong
with
us.
Perhaps
this
sets
the
stage
for
an
understanding
of
both
the
necessity
and
the
power
of
the
Sacrament
of
Baptism.
Of
course,
as
a
physical
act,
Baptism
doesn’t
accomplish
much.
For
those
who
practice
full-immersion
baptism,
I’m
sure
the
people
being
baptized
do
come
out
just
a
little
cleaner
than
they
went
in.
But
I’ll
bet
they
take
a
shower
that
morning
anyway!
For
those
who
use
only
small,
symbolic
amounts
of
water,
as
we
do
in
our
church,
the
physical
effects
of
baptism
are
virtually
nil.
Well . . .
perhaps
it
produces
a
few
crying
babies . . .
but
that
is
soon
taken
care
of
when
the
little
one
is
handed
back
to
his
or
her
parents!
Clearly,
the
purpose
of
baptism
is
not
physical
washing.
And
in
fact,
John
the
Baptist
himself
pointed
to
a
deeper
meaning
of
baptism
when
he
told
the
people,
"I
baptize
you
with
water.
But
one
more
powerful
than
I
will
come,
the
thongs
of
whose
sandals
I
am
not
worthy
to
untie.
He
will
baptize
you
with
the
Holy
Spirit
and
with
fire."
John
introduced
people
into
the
Christian
Church
with
the
baptism
of
water;
but
he
understood
that
this
was
only
an
introduction;
the
real
baptism
was
a
matter
of
spirit
and
of
spiritual
fire.
What,
then,
does
baptism
do
for
us
spiritually?
By
itself,
if
we
take
it
as
a
mere
ritual,
it
does
very
little.
But
even
as
a
ritual,
it
does
accomplish
at
least
one
thing:
it
introduces
us
into
the
Christian
Church.
Baptism
is
universally
recognized
by
Christians
as
the
sign
that
a
person
is
a
Christian.
And
though
some
Christian
churches
require
re-baptism
into
their
own
church,
our
church,
and
many
others,
recognize
any
Christian
baptism
as
a
sign
that
the
person
is--or
is
to
become--a
Christian.
And
this
leads
to
the
second
power
that
baptism
carries
with
it.
Once
we
are
a
part
of
the
Christian
Church,
we
have
conscious
access
to
the
one
for
whom
the
church
is
named:
Jesus
Christ.
Of
course,
anyone,
of
any
religion,
can
read
the
Gospels
and
learn
from
the
wisdom
of
Christ.
But
only
Christians
will
approach
Jesus
Christ
as
"God
With
Us"--as
the
unique
human
presence
of
the
God
and
Creator
of
the
universe.
When
we
call
ourselves
Christians,
and
introduce
our
infants
and
children
into
the
Christian
Church
through
baptism,
we
bring
ourselves
and
our
children
into
the
church
where
we
can
know,
love,
and
follow
our
Lord,
God,
and
Savior,
Jesus
Christ.
And
notice
that
we
are
not
only
to
know
the
Lord,
but
also
to
love
and
follow
him.
This
leads
to
the
third
power
of
baptism:
our
spiritual
rebirth,
or
"regeneration."
It
is
not
enough
merely
to
be
called
a
Christian
and
to
believe
in
Jesus
Christ.
The
Lord
himself
says,
"Not
everyone
who
says
to
me,
‘Lord,
Lord,’
will
enter
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
but
only
those
who
do
the
will
of
my
Father
who
is
in
heaven"
(Matthew
7:21).
It
is
no
accident
that
the
Lord
chose
a
ritual
of
washing
to
symbolize
introduction
into
the
Christian
Church.
But
the
washing
that
he
wished
to
lead
us
to
was
not
physical
washing--as
important
as
that
is
for
our
life
here
on
earth--but
spiritual
washing,
which
is
essential
for
our
life
in
eternity.
You
see,
even
if,
as
we
believe,
there
is
no
such
thing
as
original
sin,
there
certainly
are
many
inborn
tendencies
to
evil
in
each
one
of
us.
And
I
think
we
all
realize
that
each
one
of
us
has
also
indulged
in
many
words
and
actions
that
are
not
right.
In
plain
terms,
we
have
all
said
and
done
things
that
are
evil.
These
things
are
like
internal
dirt
that
clings
to
us
and
causes
us
to
become
odious
to
the
people
around
us,
and
to
sink
into
spiritual
disease
and
death.
And
of
course,
as
long
as
we
are
spiritually
filthy,
we
can
never
enter
the
eternal
brightness
and
beauty
of
heaven.
To
do
that,
we
must
wash
ourselves
and
make
ourselves
clean
through
the
practice
of
inner
baptism--which
is,
with
the
Lord’s
help
and
in
the
Lord’s
power,
cleansing
our
lives
of
all
evil
thoughts,
feelings,
and
actions.
As
we
do
this,
we
become
Christians
not
only
in
name,
but
in
spirit
and
in
reality.
This
is
the
true,
spiritual
power
of
baptism:
the
power
to
make
us
new
creations
in
Christ.
Amen.
Audio
Sermon Home Image
of
John
the
Baptist
Arlington
Street
Church:
John
the
Baptist,
Boston,
MA
Tiffany
stained
glass
memorial
window,
designed
in
1898
Photo
©
of:
Cambridge
2000
Gallery
Music:
Amazing
Grace
Courtesy
of
Gospel
Midi
Webpage
Design
by
Judy
|