We Sing About Baptism!
Galatians 3:26-29
A guilty conscience is a powerful thing, isn’t it? Luther was blessed with a very tender conscience. We thank God for it because it’s one of the things that led him to kind of, well, not kind of, led him to despair of his own righteousness and to start looking around for something that would actually work. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that as Isaiah puts it, even our righteous acts are like filthy rags in God’s sight. I’ll use myself as an example. Notice it didn’t say all of our sins are filthy rags in God’s sight. It said all of our righteous actions are like filthy rags in God’s sight. Okay, I work hard at writing sermons, writing Bible studies, et cetera. Is it only because you are the people of God? And you deserve the word of God? Is it only because God’s word deserves to be proclaimed in a lively and engaging and hopefully winsome kind of a manner? Is it only because it’s God’s word? Or is there a part of me that’s saying, and man, I hope they say he’s a good preacher? Guilty. Guilty. And because of that selfish attitude that’s there, even this wonderful righteous act proclaiming the words of God to you in the eyes of God is still a filthy rag. Is there an answer? Thank God there is. And I’m wearing a picture of it. What did God say about your baptism? God said that as many as are baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. There we come before God on our own, cleaned clothes with all our filthy rags. God, I tried to be a good father. God, I tried to be a good husband. God, I tried to be a good citizen. God, I even served on the whisk-o-board for a while. And God says it’s a bunch of filthy rags in my sight. And then comes your baptism. And you get covered with Jesus. Jesus who only and always did everything with absolute perfect motivation and did all of it absolutely perfectly. And can you imagine in your baptism, I should be over by the baptismal font, should I not be in your baptism? God gives you credit for Jesus’ life. Said in the eyes of God, you now are covered with Jesus. And that is one of the pictures of the pastor’s robe. Who really should be wearing the robes? Every one of us. That would be a little bit of a logistical nightmare. And so what you do is you ask us preacher types to do it in your place as a reminder that you are covered with Jesus’ righteousness because you are covered, or because you were baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And now you show up at heaven’s door. And how do you look? You look perfect. And what is God the Father going to say? Welcome home, my child, because you are clothed perfectly for this event. Baptism, I’d suggest it’s worth singing about. Amen?
