Thoughts about Baptism...And Lent?

Considering Truths During Lent

You may want to skip down to my caveat before you continue.

Today's Devotional Thoughts

Baptism is on my mind, seeing as how the Leckband & Gustafson clans gathered in celebration last weekend when our new grandson Calvin was baptized into God's Kingdom. But connecting Baptism & Lent? Seems like a stretch . . . but is it? First, there's this:

Today's Scriptural Truths (& a few devotional thoughts)

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Therefore go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit."      Matt. 28:19  Christ commands us to baptize all nations. And that would include babies. But what about babies who die before they are baptized? I realize that this is a morbid subject, but it is a subject that deserves to be addressed.

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark:  "Whoever believes & is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:16  God binds us to Baptism. He doesn't bind Himself to baptism. This should provide some comfort to those who lose a child before he or she can be baptized.
      However, it strikes me that we dare not play games with God. I include that as answer to those whose response might be, "See, Baptism can wait." But I feel that I'm beginning to digress from the main focus of this devotional.

Back to Some Devotional Thoughts

Now back to that connection between Baptism & Lent . . . Baptism is all about new life, isn't it? Seeing little baby Calvin, so cute, so full of life, baptized in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit . . . It does an old man's heart good to know that through the miracle of water & Word, this precious child of my precious son & his precious wife is also now a precious child of our heavenly Father.
      Think about our typical Baptism "traditions." New Baptism outfits or gowns. [On Lois' side of the family many were baptized in the "dress" that Lois' father was baptized in.] Hymns like the one quoted below. White cloths. Special candles. Pictures. Banners or other keepsakes. And many, many smiling people. [Yes, and sometimes crying "victims."] *
      But there's still that pesky juxtaposition between images of Baptism & the celebration of life vs. Lent & the focus on sin, sacrifice, & death. 
* For the record, Calvin didn't cry.

Back to More Scriptural Truth

St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six, "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4  And back to a "few" more:

Devotional Thoughts

There you have it. Lent is our 40-day preparation for our observation & contemplation of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. That death was meant for us--a punishment for our sin. 
That's it! That's the link. That's the connection. And I don't think it's a forced connection.

• That cute little baby, all dressed up in his or her finery, surrounded  by proud parents. beaming sponsors, & a horde of other smiling admirers, is dead!
• Let me repeat that. The baby is dead! Just as all of us are dead in our sins until . . . 
• Jesus Christ reaches out to us--because we are incapable of reaching out for ourselves--and rescues us from our sins.
• Lutherans believe in original sin. (SEE Psalm 51:5.) We inherit our sinful condition from our parents, who inherited their sinful condition from their parents, etc.
• Therefore, a baby is sinful at birth. Therefore, a baby needs forgiveness at birth.
• And it is the cleansing of Baptism that forgives that baby's sin. It's a rebirth!

Am I able to visualize myself nailed to the cross with Jesus? No . . . or at least I don't want to. Yet that's the picture St. Paul paints for us. Even better is the picture he paints for us of rising from the dead with Christ that "we too may live a new life."

Best of all? I don't understand how this happens! Granted, this may be horribly frustrating to some, yet it is so truthful of the Gospel. Gospel is always what God does for us. Baptism may seem like an action we perform to earn God's favor, yet it's all about the miracle of water & Word that God uses to work the miracle of faith.

And it requires no understanding on our part! A baby doesn't have to lift a finger. A baby doesn't have to understand. A baby doesn't have to ask to be baptized. 

We may choose to believe that parents & sponsors are led by tradition to bring children to the baptismal font. Sadly, that may the case all too often. I would rather believe that it's God's grace that leads us to bring our children to be baptized. Then it's God's grace that works the miracle of His redeeming work--not ours--and we witness a real, true, born again moment.

Ever seen someone come to faith? Ever seen a conversion? Yes, you have, if you've witnessed a Baptism.

Today's Prayer Thoughts

I'll use stanza 1 of what's become my favorite Baptism hymn [& one of my favorite hymns in general], God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It, LSB #594.

God's own child, I gladly say it:  I am baptized into Christ!

He, because I could not pay it Gave my full redemption price.

Do I need earth's treasures many? I have one worth more than any

That brought me salvation free Lasting to eternity.

Caveat

Thoughts about Baptism in general & this devotional have been swirling around in my head even as I drove to Nathan & Laura's a week ago. One of my main sources of daily "quiet time" is Treasury of Daily Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, 2008. * Just by coincidence ** the writings that accompanied the daily psalms, OT & NT readings this past week have focused primarily on Baptism. These writings come from Lutheran confessions & other early Church "fathers." These writings have contributed to my thoughts.
      Now comes the caveat. I started this devotional several nights ago & have struggled to pull my thoughts together. I'm not sure how well I've succeeded for a variety of reasons. One reason for sure is this:  Baptism is a great mystery, but it is a wonderful mystery. Perhaps it is a mystery that we're not meant to fully fathom? A mystery that we're meant to accept by faith as one of God's Truths of Holy Scripture?
      Or maybe my ramblings are mostly just that . . . ramblings. I pray that you are able to glean at least a few useful insights from today's devotional.

Addendum

Unlike many other devotionals that I wrote for the Daily Announcements of Lutheran High Northeast during the 2014-15 school year, this is a devotional I wrote specifically for this date.

* My brother Mark gave me this resource. I love it. Thanks, Mark!
** Or was it?