I love all my children. It’s fascinating to me to see picture of them all as babies and compare them to pictures of my me and my wife when we were babies. Can you tell who is who? (left to right, top to bottom: Kelly, Grace, Chris, Gavin, Abigail)
We had another child
before Abigail was born—in between Grace and Abilgail. Kelly was about 7 or 8 weeks pregnant. We had already heard the heartbeat at a
doctor’s visit. We went for another
doctor’s visit and were excitedly anticipating hearing the heartbeat again; but
unfortunately, there was no heartbeat.
The baby had expired. We never
got to meet that child, but we do keep a picture ornament of the sonogram on
our Christmas tree. One day, when we go
Home to be with the Lord, I believe that child will be there and we will get to
meet it.
I don’t know why
things happen the way they do, but I trust God does. One thing I know is that we really love Abigail
(the last child we raised). And we probably
wouldn’t have had Abilgail if the little baby we lost had been born because we
were planning to stop after three kids.
God knows it all and
He has a plan and He even works tragedies out for our good when we love the
Lord. God knows us before we are even
born. And that’s what this message is
about to day. It’s about the prevenient grace
of God that helps us, even before we realize it.
4 The Lord gave me this message:
5 “I knew
you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
6 “O
Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go
wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t
be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I,
the Lord, have spoken!”
This passage is the call narrative of the prophet Jeremiah. God called him to speak God’s Word to the people of Jerusalem, even as the Babylonians were gathering around their city, poised to destroy it and carry them off to captivity. It was a tough appointment and Jeremiah didn’t feel qualified. He was young and had “imposter’s syndrome”. (Most people God calls for a special purpose don’t feel qualified.)
Jeremiah felt like God had chosen the wrong person. “I think you got the wrong guy! I’m not made for this!” That’s a funny thing, when a creature tells it’s
omniscient Creator they made a mistake.
God says, “It’s no mistake. I
made. I designed you specifically for
this task. I gave you your own unique
personality, your strengths and weaknesses, specifically for this purpose. I didn’t make a mistake and I’m calling you
to the task now.”
You have a purpose too.
God designed you for it. And if
you’re facing an identiy crisis, trying to remember who you are and why you are
here, the best place to look for answers is the Creator who made you.
God tells us in His Word that He made us all. And even though we turned away from Him and
stayed from our purpose, God didn’t give up on us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to atone for our sins
and brings us back into a right relationship with Him—not because we deserve
it, but because God is gracious and full of unconditional love.
I heard a joke this week.
A priest was talking to a group of kids about "being good" and
going to heaven. At the end of his talk,
he asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Heaven! Heaven!" Yelled Little Lisa. "And what do you have to be to get
there?" asked the priest.
"Dead!" Yelled Little Johnny.
That’s a funny joke, but it’s an example of a wrong way of
thinking. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God
saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have
done, so none of us can boast about it.”
All Christian denominations believe people are saved by
God’s grace alone. It’s not by being
good enough. We cannot earn our way to
salvation. You are only saved by God’s
grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is true Christianity.
Each Christian denomination emphasizes different facets of
the Christian faith. One of the
distinctive emphases of the Methodist tradition is our focus on God’s
grace. Not only does God’s grace save
you for Heaven, God’s grace helps you in this life. You see, it’s not just about heaven. God wants us to live for Him in this life
too. In the Methodist tradition, we see
that God grace encompasses ever part of life and we really focus on that.
God’s grace is His undeserved, unearned, Divine
help. Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us God’s
gracious help starts before we are even born.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the
nations.”
And this kind of grace is what Methodists call Prevenient Grace—grace that helps us before we even know it. Prevenient grace is the grace of God that Goes before. Prevenient grace forms us, nurtures us, and pulls us toward God. It seeks to reveal God to our developing consciousness and woos us to turn to God for a relationship of mutual love.
Infant Baptism is one of the signs of God’s Prevenient Grace for Methodists (and many other denominations). I didn’t grow up as a Methodist. I only ever attended Baptist churches as a child. My perspective was limited to that tradition. Baptists have a unique view of baptism. They are call “Baptist” for a reason, because when they formed their sect in the 1600s, they believed Christians should only be baptized after they were old enough to understand and believe in Jesus. Thus, Baptists practice “believers baptism”, and reject infant baptism.
When I was a Baptist, I thought every Christian practiced
believer’s baptism (except maybe some strange heretical cults). I didn’t understand how anyone could think
baptizing a baby made sense; I mean, a baby doesn’t understand and can’t
believe. What I didn’t understand, given
my limited perspective, is that the vast majority of Christians have practiced
infant baptism as opposed to believer’s baptism. In fact, it was mostly the very first
generation of Christians who were baptized as adults, because they were adults
when they starting following Jesus. However,
their children were baptized as infants because those early Christians wanted
their children to be part of the church from the very beginning of their little
lives. And from that second generation
onward, for 2,000 years in al parts of the world, Christians have baptized
their infants. Infant baptism is the
norm. Believer’s baptism is the innovation
that has only been a limited part of the Church’s experience for a few hundred
years.
Infant Baptism is a sign of God’s Prevenient Grace. Christians baptize in obedience to Christ’s
command to “…go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew
28:19)
Some Christian denominations consider baptism and ordinance
(something done primarily out of obedience).
Baptism is a sacrament to Methodists, because we believe it is a sacred
moment when God piurs out His grace upon the child, the family, and the Church. God gives us His divine help so the child may
grow up in the faith with everything they need to one day accept faith in Jesus
Christ for themselves. When they do,
they confirm their faith and the Baptism is complete.
Infant baptism is real baptism. It’ not a christening. I often hear people where I live in the
Bible Belt who are more familiar with believer’s baptism say, “I was only
christened as a child. Now I’m an adult
and I want to be baptized.” This is a
misunderstanding of what happened to you as a child. If water was placed on your head in a
Christian church, you were baptized, not just Christened. “Christening” is technically the part of the
Baptism where the child is given their Christian name. The pastor asks, “What is this child’s name?” The parents say the name and that is the christening. If water is placed on the child, the child was
fully baptized. There is no need to be baptized
again once the child grows into an adult.
Do you not think that God did it right the first time?
You see, through sacramental infant baptism, we trust that
God is acting. God’s actions are not
dependent on whether we are old enough or understand enough. It’s not even dependent on whether the pastor
does the ceremony correctly. God is not
limited by our mistakes orlack of understanding. This grace, prevenient grace. God does His sacred work in Baptism
regardless of our understanding or ability.
And this is a good thing, because no one ever has enough understanding
or ability to earn God’s grace. Infant
baptism is the perfect sign of this truth.
The goal should be that our children always grow up surrounded by and knowing the loving presence of God. I often hear people apologize, “You know, I never remember a time when I didn’t know God. I wish I had a more dramatic testimony to give.” Don’t apologize that’s good! And that’s what we want for our kids too, isn’t it? Who ever says, “I hope my kids grow up and spend frty years of their life living as an absolute scoundrel until the Holy Spirit gets ahold of them, shakes them, and they fall on their knees and turn to Jesus and become a Christian.” No one hopes that for their kids. We want our kids to start out in the loving embrace of God’s grace, surrounded by a family and a church that loves them unconditionally, and raises them with every possible advantage until the ay they accept faith in Christ for themselves.
From time to time in a Methodist Church, you may have
moments when we are asked to “Remember your Baptism.” For some, that’s a challenge because you were
infants when you were baptized; you can’t remember the ceremony. That only reenforces the whole point. Aren’t you thankful for your parents and the
people of your church community who surrounded you with God’s love since before
you could even remember it? So remember
them with loving fondness! Remember what
they promised on your behalf. Remember
that you are walking in their legacy and you have accepted their promises as
your own. We can remember them and be
thankful. We can remember God loved us before
we even knew Him—before we were even formed in our mother’s womb—and be
thankful.
We can be thankful for the love of God that drew us toward
Him throughout out our lives. Some may
not have had the benefit of a loving family or congregation. Some live a hard,
hard life with every reason to stray away from God. Yet these can be thankful for God’s prevenient
grace too. God has to work extra hard for
those who were wounded or traumatized as a child. But God never gives up, and His prevenient
grace is always working to overcome the brokenness that blinds people to His
love. And even those who had it all and
still turned their back on God, God does not abandon them either, even though
they took their blessings for granted.
For God’s grace is great, greater even than our selfish sin
Have you ever been baptized? If not, I encourage you to find a church where
you can be baptized. It is a beautiful
sacrament and sign of God’s grace to you that you are part of God’s family,
saved for eternal life with Him in glory.
If you have been baptized, I encourage you today to
remember your baptism and be thankful.
Here is a liturgy to help you remember:
THE
BAPTISMAL COVENANT IV
This service
is for use by a congregation when there are no candidates to be baptized,
confirmed, or received into baptized or professing membership, especially on
Easter, Pentecost, All Saints Day, and Baptism of the Lord.
Brothers and sisters in Christ:
Through the Sacrament of Baptism
we are initiated into Christ's holy Church.
We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation
and given new birth through water and the Spirit.
All this is God's gift, offered to us without price.
Through the reaffirmation of our faith
we renew the covenant declared at our baptism,
acknowledge what God is doing for us,
and affirm our commitment to Christ's holy Church.
RENUNCIATION OF SIN AND PROFESSION OF FAITH
On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness,
reject the evil powers of this world,
and repent of your sin?
I
do.
Do
you accept the freedom and power God gives you
to resist evil, injustice, and oppression
in whatever forms they present themselves?
I
do.
Do
you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,
put your whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as your Lord,
in union with the Church which Christ has opened
to people of all ages, nations, and races?
I
do.
According
to the grace given to you,
will you remain faithful members of Christ's holy Church
and serve as Christ's representatives in the world?
I
will.
Let us join together in professing the Christian faith
as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
Do
you believe in God the Father?
I
believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
Do
you believe in Jesus Christ?
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
[who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the Virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
is
seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
will come again to judge the living and the dead.]
Do
you believe in the Holy Spirit?
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
[the
holy catholic* church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting.]
[*catholic means universal]
THANKSGIVING
OVER THE WATER
The
Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Let us pray.
Eternal Father:
When nothing existed but chaos,
you swept across the dark waters
and brought forth light.
In the days of Noah
you saved those on the ark through water.
After the flood you set in the clouds a rainbow.
When you saw your people as slaves in Egypt,
you led them to freedom through the sea.
Their children you brought through the Jordan
to the land which you promised.
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Tell
of God's mercy each day.
In the fullness of time you sent Jesus,
nurtured in the water of a womb.
He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit.
He called his disciples
to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection
and to make disciples of all nations.
Declare Christ’s works to the nations,
his
glory among all the people.
Pour out your Holy Spirit,
and by this gift of water call to our remembrance
the grace declared to us in our baptism.
For you have washed away our sins,
and you clothe us with righteousness throughout our lives,
that dying and rising with Christ
we may share in his final victory.
All praise to you, Eternal Father,
through
your Son Jesus Christ,
who
with you and the Holy Spirit
lives
and reigns for ever. Amen.
REAFFIRMATION OF FAITH
When the congregation
reaffirms the Baptismal Covenant, a deacon or pastor may invite the people to
come to the water as the pastor says:
Remember
your baptism and be thankful. Amen.
The Holy Spirit work within you,
that having been born through water and the Spirit,
you may live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
THANKSGIVING
Let us rejoice in the faithfulness of our covenant God.
We
give thanks for all that God has already given us.
As
members of the body of Christ
and
in this congregation of The Methodist Church,
we
will faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church
by
our prayers, our presence, our gifts,
our
service and our witness
that
in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
The God of all grace,
who has called us to eternal glory in Christ,
establish and strengthen you
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
that you may live in grace and peace.
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