Baptism

Acts 19:1-7 (KJV), 8 Jan 2012

Epiphany One, Baptism of the Lord

 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

 And all the men were about twelve.

Every Sunday is a day of celebration, and is meant to be a day of learning, the Sundays of the Epiphany Season especially so; it's a time of discernment and, again, “lightbulbs coming on.” Epiphany is a Season to be aware, alert, perceptive, a time for corporate and personal epiphanies. The lectionary readings through Epiphany give us that opportunity. Individually and as a thematic whole, the readings for the Season should be contemplated closely to see whether we can get something new, whether blatant or subtle, something we had not realized before. To do this, figuratively, one’s lightbulb must be at least screwed into the socket and the socket plugged in. Which is to say, “pay attention, your lightbulb may come on, you may have an epiphany.”

One of the most exciting books of the Bible is Luke’s story of the Acts of the Apostles. It’s a first century adventure, largely about Paul and his travels. In tomorrow’s episode, Paul arrives in Ephesus and finds disciples already there, Believers in the Way of the Lord. They had been led to Christ by Apollos, a Jew of Alexandria. 

This is Paul’s second visit to Ephesus, but his first visit was only a quick stopover, to catch a ship on his way from Corinth to Jerusalem. So, Paul did not found the church at Ephesus, Apollos did. Obviously, Paul is not satisfied with what Apollos taught them (they never even heard of the Holy Spirit), or with Apollos‘ baptism of them (they were not baptized in the Name of Jesus, but only with John’s baptism for the forgiveness of sins). So, Paul makes it right -- orthodox. 

Luke’s Adventures of Paul takes place after the Day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2). On that day, the Holy Spirit first came into the Church. On that day, three thousand people were baptized in the Name of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit. On that day, tradition was set, orthodoxy established:

Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?

Do you believe in God the Father?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

Will you continue ..., will you persevere ..., will you proclaim ..., will you seek and serve ..., will you strive ... ?

May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Tomorrow, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, is named by the Church (BCP 312) as a day when Holy Baptism is especially appropriate. And everyone should come prepared to renew their baptismal vows.

TW+