Welcome Home to the Family of God

Galatians 3:26-27 In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.

You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. (Ephesians 2:19). Amen.

Several years ago, I baptized a baby boy in our church. Later, at the baptism party at the parents’ home, I was introduced to the baby’s grandfather, who is a Lutheran pastor and missed his grandson’s baptism because he was preaching that morning. He shook my hand and asked me one question.

“Did you get the boy wet?”

I replied, “Yes, sir. I got the boy wet.”

A smile came over his face and he said, “That’s all I wanted to know.” Then he walked away.

I guess that’s all he did want to know.

This morning, as we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, we have the privilege of witnessing the baptism of Ernest and his two daughters. It isn’t an accident that today was chosen to be their baptism. Their baptism is a year and a day from Ernest’s sister, Allicia and her four children’s baptisms at this same font. Last year, Allicia and her children were brought into the family of God through baptism. Today, Ernest and his daughters are brought into the family of God through baptism. Lord willing, Ernest and Allicia’s sister, Connie, will be confirmed as an adult and her daughter, Anayiz will be confirmed in May as an 8^th grader. All brought into God’s family here at Epiphany.

The Bible never speaks about how much water was in the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing. But the portion of the river where John was preaching and baptizing was at the edge of the desert, so it is likely that the river was shallow. The Bible doesn’t speak about whether John baptized by immersion, pouring or sprinkling. However, Christian art often portrays John holding a seashell to cup the water for baptism. That’s why our painting of John baptizing Jesus has him using a shell for baptism. The shell is an ancient symbol of baptism. Three drops of water for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are often included with the shell.

This is why I use a shell for baptism. When I baptize Ernest, Mariyah and Arianna, they are taller than the average infant. The shell holds a lot of water for baptism. There is water streaming down their heads into the baptismal font below.

I get them wet.

Last January, just before our early Sunday worship service, I learned that one of the families at WLS had their baby three months early. Cordale Jr. was born at 25 weeks and weighed only a single pound! I silently prayed all through both worship services that God would keep the baby alive until I was able to visit him in the hospital.

I went into the NICU of the hospital with Cordale Jr.’s mother, father, grandmothers and nurse. The nurse gave me a bottle of sterilized water to use for the baptism. I put three drops onto his head – one drop for each person of the Trinity.

Three drops – but I got him wet.

It was a waterfall of God’s grace!

Cordale Jr.’s inborn sin that he had inherited from his parents were washed away in this baptismal flood (Acts 22:16).

He was taken out of the hands of the devil and placed into the nail-pierced hands of his Savior and divine Brother, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:14,15).

He was kept warm in the incubator and covered only with the tiniest of diapers. In his baptism, he was warmed with the glory of the Lord and covered with the white robe of Christ’s righteousness (Galatians 3:27).

Though he had been born to his parents three months early, he was born again – right on time – as a child of God through his baptism (John 3:3,5).

He was named after his father. In his baptism, Cordale Jr. was named after his Triune God, as he was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

His scared parents were given the comfort knowing that if anything should happen to their little boy, they would see him again in heaven. The three drops of water connected with the divine power of God’s Word had saved their son (Mark 16:16).

Mom, Dad, both Grandmas, the nurse … and the pastor, all had tears running down their cheeks. Peace in their hearts. And smiles on their faces.

All because I had gotten the boy wet.

Today, Cordale Jr. is over 20 lbs. and 30 inches long. He has some major health issues he’s facing, but he is facing them together with a family of Christians who will help him, mom, dad, siblings, etc. with whatever they need. That’s what it means to get wet and be brought into the family of God.

Even though we live in a time and culture where we can connect with others in a moment using social media or our cell phones, we feel more lonely than ever.

Even though we pretend that we have it all together, we are overwhelmed with work, children’s activities and family responsibilities.

Even though there are more opportunities to be fed with God’s Word through online devotions, podcasts and YouTube videos of sermons, and more worship services at various times throughout the week, we separate ourselves from God’s Word and God’s people.

Even though we say we’re fine, we are anything but fine. We hide our brokenness from those around us. Our marriage broken by divorce. Our family broken by anger and harsh words. Our friendships broken by gossip and mistrust.

We allow ourselves to be lonely, lost, broken and overwhelmed because we forget the tremendous blessings God gave us when he got us wet with baptismal waters. It took only a few moments for the baptismal water to evaporate from your skin, but the gift it left behind is eternal. Though no one else can see it, God can see his handwriting upon your forehead and your heart, where he marked you with a cross. He marked you with spiritual ink as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

When God the Father spoke at his Son’s baptism, he said, “This is my Son whom I love. With him I am well pleased.” God the Father says the same thing at our baptism. You became his son or daughter through the waters of baptism. You are adopted into God’s family through baptism.

I have baptized preemie babies in the hospital with a few drops of water. I’ve baptized a young man in backyard pool through immersion. It doesn’t matter how much water is used in baptism. What matters is that we get wet with water and God’s Word.

St. Paul writes about baptism: “In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.” We are brought into the family of God through baptism.

A lot of our visitors will say Epiphany is a friendly church. And that’s great! We want to be more than a friendly church, though. We want to be a church of friends. A family of baptized believers. Where we can reach out to others who may know how to fix a car or a furnace or want to set up a carpool or want to go on a 100-mile bike ride together. Where a guy who is depressed about having to put his old, faithful dog to sleep, can go have beer with a friend from church and shed a tear together. Where a lady whose grandmother has just died can get together with a few ladies from church to cry and comfort together. Where a couple who have lost a child through miscarriage can reach out to other couples at church who have also lost a child, so they can grieve together. Where we have a family to laugh with, cry with, pray with and pray for.

There is a story about a man who came to his pastor’s home office feeling very troubled. The man told his pastor, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I struggle with my sins. I find it hard to believe that God’s family would ever include someone like me.”

The pastor pointed to his dog and responded, “Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained. He never makes a mess. He is perfectly obedient, and he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes. At this point in his life, he is almost entirely disobedient.” “However,” the pastor went on, “it’s not the dog who will one day receive my inheritance. My son will receive the inheritance.”

His point was to illustrate how it is that someone becomes a member of God’s family who will inherit heaven. The Bible says, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God - children of God -
through faith.” Notice that it doesn’t say, “You are all children of God when your life looks good enough,” “when you keep God’s laws well enough,” “when you’ve been a Christian for long enough,” or “when you no longer sin too much.”

It’s easy to look at our lives and evaluate whether or not they look good enough to be worthy of God’s love. Have you worshipped God with your whole heart? Have you been kind enough to your neighbors? Have you given enough love to your family? Have you been patient enough with your children? Have you given a sufficient offering to God at church? Honestly answering those questions will only lead us to one conclusion: We don’t belong in God’s holy family.

And yet, God assures us in baptism that he covers a dirty, foul, sinful life with something new. “You who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” In other words, when someone is baptized, God looks at them and sees exactly what he would if he were looking at the life of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t see a disobedient life of filth. He sees a perfect life of obedience. He sees his Son in the Jordan River fulfilling all righteousness. He sees someone without sin because Jesus started to become dirty with our sin in the dirty waters of the Jordan River. Through Jesus, God sees someone who belongs in his holy family.

Your baptism is a promise that, today, you are God’s child. You will be tomorrow too.

The Bible says that your baptism actually represents a moment in which God the Father publicly claimed you and accepted a lifelong obligation to do for you what good fathers do for children they love. That makes your baptismal certificate your adoption papers.

This is great news, especially for people whose own earthly families are missing some pieces. If your biological father was missing in your life or is deceased, you are not fatherless anymore. If you are an only child, guess what? Your adopted family is huge, and you're connected to them all. If you are single and longing for a feeling of belonging and connection, Christ your Savior loves to compare himself to a bridegroom. You're engaged! The wedding feast is coming soon.

Welcome home to the family of God – all because you got wet with baptismal waters. Amen.

 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. (Revelation 22:21). Amen.