PUTTING ON CHRIST

Matthew 3:13-17
Galatians 3:26-28
You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (CEB

In the Christian calendar, Sunday, January 12, commemorates the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In our church, we will celebrate by re-affirming our baptismal vows.  At one point in the liturgy, I will say to the people, “Remember your baptism and be thankful.”

In our faith tradition, we believe in the validity of all types of baptisms but as a rule, practice infant baptism.  So, imagine my confusion the first time I heard “remember your baptism.”

I remember the story I have been told by my parents about my baptism, but not the actual event.  I am thankful I was baptized and am grateful for Christ’s sacrifice.  As an adult what am I called to remember?

For me, Galatians 3:26-28 holds the answer.  We remember and are glad, that through our baptism in Christ, we are washed clean of our sins, ready for a fresh start.

Through baptism, we are initiated into the family of God and into the community of the church.  The water of baptism is the sign of God’s claim on us as his beloved children, just as God claimed Jesus at his baptism at the Jordan.  We are joint-heirs with Jesus and recipients of God’s unconditional love that ignores race, status and gender.  

More than that, in baptism, we put on Christ in our life.  So what does that look like?  Is it crowns and ermine trimmed robes or maybe shining white tunics accessorized with a halo?  Or does putting on Christ in our life mean something else?

A careful reading of the Gospels shows us that Christ does not begin his ministry until he was baptized.  Christ was anointed by God to go out to call his disciples to him and to cure, heal, teach and proclaim the good news.

To put on Christ is to put on the life and ministry of Christ.  Think about the Last Supper when Christ removed his coat, wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the feet of his disciples.  To put on Christ is not to clothe ourselves in royal robes or angelic garb.  It is to wear a life of humility and service.

God has chosen us not for a life of elitism but for a life of abundant joy and of servitude with the promise of the resurrection and eternal life.

On the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord, we remember that we are loved unconditionally, regardless of whom we are; that we are marked as God’s very own.  We remember also we have been baptized to be servants in God’s grand plan of salvation for the world.

And all of this, we can be exceedingly thankful!

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