Baptism of June Paul Harbaugh - Acts 2:38-39 - For You and Your Children – Easter 3

Baptism of June Paul Harbaugh

Acts 2:38-39 - "For You and Your Children" – Easter 3

Vicar Darren Harbaugh

What are you doing here? There’s lot of other places you could be and a lot of other things you could be doing. So, what are you doing here? Think about it. In the meantime, I’ll preach a sermon.

In our reading from Acts 2, Peter proclaims to the crowd in Jerusalem that Jesus, whom they had crucified, is the messiah and the God of Israel.

The Spirit worked though Peter’s words and all the men were cut or pierced to the heart, meaning they experienced the deepest emotional sorrow a human can feel. Their minds and souls and bodies were overwhelmed and agitated to the breaking point. That’s what the realization of sin and guilt can do to a person.

These men, had earlier shouted for Jesus’ crucifixion, spit on him, laughed at him, and rejoiced at Jesus’ death, which was confirmed when his side was pierced with a spear. But now, these men themselves were pierced, pierced to the heart by the Word of God, which is more powerful than any two-edged sword, or any Roman spear.

These men just realized what they had done; becoming the latest in a line of tragic characters - like Peter who wept bitterly at the rooster’s crow - feeling the weight of his denial; like Judas who was grieved at the fate of Jesus - recognizing the mistake of his betrayal.

These condemned men of Jerusalem cried out to Peter, a man well acquainted with sin but even more acquainted with absolution, granted by the Lord himself. They cry, “What shall we do?”

Peter says: “Repent and be baptized.”

You’ve heard that word “repent” before. What does it mean? Repentance is not just acknowledging sin and feeling sorry - Judas did that. Repentance is receiving God’s pardon, a complete change from a former life to a new and different life. It leads to recreation. Jesus wants to kill you. But just like He wasn’t left to rot in the grave, we too rise to new life with him. Those who are in Christ are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come.

This is what happens in baptism. You get wet, you get cleansed from the filth of your sins, you get a new spirit, you get God’s Spirit, and you get a new heart.
In Baptism, you are cleansed with water and you receive forgiveness. We hear the word “forgiveness” a lot, but what does it mean?

Forgiveness means that your sin, your debt, your punishment, your penalty has been dismissed - set free. It is as if none of your sins had been committed. You have entered God witness protection program. In baptism, your old life of sin has been wiped away, erased.

But in Christ, it’s not just that the bad has been taken away, but the good, the righteous and the holy is given to you. In baptism, you have received the free gift of the Holy Spirit. A present, no strings attached. All this is a promise from God.

But who is this promise of baptism, forgiveness of sins, and the Holy Spirit for? Only for Jews? Only for Men? Only for adults 18 and older? Only for people smart enough to understand?

The Bible says “This promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off - everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Everyone.

That’s why we’ve got a bunch of family and friends in town this weekend. Becca and I, along with the holy catholic and apostolic church, believe St. Peter’s words and God’s promise that baptism effects the forgiveness of sins, gives the gift of the Holy Spirit and is for us, and for our children. So we brought our daughter June to be baptized today.

You know, I have to admit that not too many years ago, when I started going to a Lutheran church, the hardest thing for me to accept was infant baptism. I could not understand how a baby could ask Jesus to come into their heart. I could not understand how a baby could make a decision and chose to follow Jesus.
It’s because I didn’t understand God’s grace.

My baby, June, is not even three weeks old. She is helpless. She hasn’t made a decision in her life. But when I saw the water poured on her head and heard the words: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I saw God’s grace.

This morning, June had to have her diaper changed, she had to be fed, she had to be dressed. She didn’t do any of that for herself. She didn’t even pick out her own outfit. We, her parents, do everything for her. She does nothing. Throughout my life, Baptism had been a symbol of people making decisions and doing something. Now, well, I have a living, breathing, crying, pooping, visual aid of God’s grace.

It is clear from Scripture that Baptism is the work of God. He brings us to faith in Him. He is not waiting for us to take the first step. Grace is not something we do. We are not saved by grace plus something else.

This, dear friends in Christ, is good news. It is THE gospel. We need this gospel now more than ever.

You may be a baptized, confirmed and faithful member of the church. You may confess along with St Paul that you are saved by grace through faith, not of yourself, but as a free gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

But, back to my question at the beginning, what are you doing here? Honestly. Do you have your answer?

At one point, I thought that the main reason to go to church was to praise God.
You know where this thinking got me? I concluded, “Well, you know, I think I can praise God just fine in my bed, thank you very much. I can praise God while eating Sunday morning brunch. I can praise God while watching the game on TV. Why go to church?” So I stopped going.

The problem in my thinking? I had the direction of communication wrong. You don’t go to church primarily to pray, praise and sing. You go to hear and learn and receive.

If the service is understood as God giving us the forgiveness of sins, then you’ve got to be there. You lame excuse for missing a Sunday won’t cut it. Perhaps the low attendance of members here and in so many churches across our country is a reflection of how we define the service. If I am acting, then I can do it another time. If God is acting, I better be there.

We call this time that we meet together the “Divine service.” That’s not us serving God; It’s God serving us.

And God loves to serve us. He served us to the point of death. Even death on a cross. He rose triumphantly from the grave and continues to serve us though his baptismal promises to us.

And we need God and his promises. Where do you find God? Not deep down in your heart. God is found hanging on a cross, dying for your sins. God’s true body and blood are found in the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper. God is found is the saving waters of Holy Baptism. God is found right here in church for you for the forgiveness of sins. You know what’s cool about that? It’s objective. It’s tangible. It’s not dependent on you. The way that God served you at your baptism is the same way he continues to serve you today

Your baptism is still valid right now. You daily die and rise with Christ. You still have the Holy Spirit and forgiveness, which was bestowed upon you at Baptism. And this promise isn’t just for you, but also for your children and all who are far off. God’s grace extends to those you think don’t deserve it. It extends to those who can’t choose it. It extends even to a little baby.

Today, that little heathen that we were living with for 3 weeks was born again in Christ. If she were to die tomorrow, I know that because of God’s baptismal promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, she will spend eternity with Christ.
That’s an amazing gift for her. For us her father and mother.

That’s why we are here. Everyone of us. That why we keep coming here: To be served by God and to receive his gracious gift of forgiveness. Amen.

*Some material adapted from "Fire and the Staff" by Klemet Preus