The Baptism of James and William Warren at St John the Baptist, Stafford
On
the 17th November 2017 this took place here at St John’s - Tabitha
and Peter’s wedding day.
They
choose to set their wedding in the context of the Eucharist.
Although
I kept teasing them about having a Nuptial Mass, setting their wedding in the
context of the Eucharist is the perfect context for starting out on married
life together.
Marriage
between a Christian couple signifies and reminds us of the mystical union
between Christ as groom and his bride, the Church.
This
metaphor is frequently used by Jesus and one the great fulfillment's presented
in the Book of Revelation.
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great
multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder,
crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the
saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are
those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me,
“These are the true words of God.” Rev.19.6-9
Marriage
is itself a creation ordinance and we can read about that in the Book of
Genesis. In the opening chapters we read the story of Adam and Eve and their
complementary roles in partnering with God in the care and control of God’s good
creation.
In this complementary role
God blessed them and told them to multiply…
‘God
blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill
the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
It would seem that Peter
and Tabitha have taken this verse to heart and have been blessed and fruitful –
very fruitful.
Not just one bundle of joy but two!
Not just one bundle of joy but two!
And today they bring them here to be baptised.
And today, like at their
wedding day, they have chosen to set the baptism of James and William in the
context of the Eucharist.
So what’s happening here
today and why might the Eucharist be the most appropriate setting for Baptism?
Well, what is not happening is that James and William
are going to become Christians.
Christianity does not work
like magic where if you say the right words or incantations and do the right
things then you will get certain results.
This is not Harry Potter
world.
But we are sensing beings
as God created us. We feel, touch, see, hear and smell things.
Therefore we have outwards
signs and symbols that speak of a deeper inner reality.
As St Augustine put it, ‘a sacrament
is an outward and visible sign of an inward and
invisible grace.’
When Jesus wanted to leave something
for his disciples that would speak of his love, self-sacrifice and service to
others and of united fellowship he just didn’t give the disciples words – he
also gave them a special meal.
This meal is a sign and seal of a
new covenant God makes with people – should they choose to enter into that
covenant.
And Peter and
Tabitha have chosen to enter into that covenanted relationship with God, and
that is why having the Eucharist at their wedding was important.
And today they are
bringing William and James to sit under their own covenantal relationship with
God.
I said earlier that
being baptised does not make a person a Christian.
Logic will tell you
the truth of that – but sadly there have been times in Church history when that
was thought to be true and forced baptised occurred.
You can do all the
outwards actions you like but it is in the heart of a person that the real work
of transformation takes places.
Becoming a
Christian is always a choice made by the individual.
What is happening
here this morning is that James and William are being brought into the care of
the Church, the care of their parents and the care of Godparents and the care
of the whole people of God?
This care will
continue with hope and prayer that in time both William and James will come to
a place where they declare the faith for themselves.
Let me paint you a word
picture that might help.
Supposing a very
generous person as a baptism gift set aside £20,000 each for James and for
William. But that gift is locked into a fund that they alone can access when they reach a certain age.
Potentially they
have that money – but up until the time they claim it they will have to look
mostly to their parents for their well-being.
Once they reach a
certain age, then they can go and prove who they are and claim the money.
Today we are laying
down something far more valuable, far more precious, many more times glorious
than any financial sum.
Parents and God
parents, family and friends and people of God it is our task to remind James
and William of this rich treasure that is theirs to claim.
Let me now link
this in with the metaphor from the Book of Revelation – in particular “those who are invited to the
marriage supper of the Lamb.”
I was baptised in September
1951. In due course I went to St Anne’s Church of England Secondary Modern
School. This was more out of convenience that conviction. Sometime around Year
3 we were invited to be Confirmed. I mentioned this to my mum who at that time
had no strong religious convictions and she said if you want to, chose for
yourself with neither encouragement nor discouragement. I choose not to be
Confirmed.
On the 1st
January 1975 I made a New Year’s Resolution to become a Christian. About a year
later I chose to mark out my Baptismal promises in Confirmation.
And here is another
picture of what is happening here today.
Who are those who
are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb?
They are those with
their names on the guest list written in The Lambs Book of Life.
Jesus refers to
this, and again we find it prominent in the Book of Revelation.
So, think of it
like this.
Today in the Lambs
Book of Life, Peter and Tabitha’s names are already written. Today following
the Baptism of William and James their names will also be written – but written
in pencil.
There will come a
time, we hope and pray, when they will ask that their names are written in ink.
That’s how I
understand what happened for me when I accepted Christ on the 1st
January 1975. It was then sealed, signed and signified by my Confirmation – my
name written in ink.
So, let me ask this
question.
Is your name on
that guest list – written in the Lambs Book of Life?
Perhaps it is
written in pencil and you have never asked God to write it in ink.
Or perhaps you did
that some long years ago but have neglected to take hold of the rich legacy and
treasures that are uniquely yours in Christ Jesus.
Have another look
at our passage from Galatians and you will see what that treasure looks like…
It begins with
freedom…
1For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand
firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
And if
we stand firm and look to God then we will know the Spirit of God abiding in us
and the fruits of a life lived for God will be made known in our actions and
the way we live our lives.
A
person who is engaged to be married lives differently. They begin to consider
the other person as they look forward to their married life. As God’s People we
are engaged to Jesus and are called to live differently and look forward with
expectant hope to the ‘marriage supper of
the Lamb.’
How is
that difference manifest…?
Reading
again from Galatians…
By contrast, (to living for self and in the
way of the world) the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law against such things. 24And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by
the Spirit.
Jesus
said, ‘The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the
full.’ John 10.10
Not a
life without its problems, its challenges, its disappointments, it hurts,
sorrow and tears. But knowing through all of life, whatever we might encounter,
that underneath are the upholding arms of God.
That
when we reach rock bottom Jesus is the rock at the bottom!
That is
the Faith into which William and James are being baptised.
Can I
ask that if you know that you are on the guest list and that your name is
written in the Lambs Book of Life and if you feel comfortable helping someone
else take a step of faith, if you are able, can I invite you to stand up.
Look around and if
your name is not on the guest list, or you are not sure, these are your go to
people.
Please sit down.
Now I would like to
invite Jamie to come and play some quiet music, I would ask you to
close your eyes. I now invite those who do not know or who are unsure about
their names being on the guest list. Or whose names are written in pencil but want
to ask Father God to write it in ink today - if you are able, would you stand
please. Or if you are unable to stand, raise an arm.
In this moment, as
we remember Jesus in bread and wine, which speaks to us of all that he did and
continues to do for us, in us and through us.
On this day when
James and William have their names written in pencil in the Lambs Book of Life
– on this day you can leave here this morning assured your name is on the guest
list, assured of your salvation, assured of God’s love, assured that a new way
of life as a child of God is now being presented to you and that you can claim
all the rich treasures of God’s love and grace.
You might like to
echo this prayer after me…
Dear Father God, I
know you love me and that Jesus came to show us the way to the Father and to be
embraced in His love. My heart’s desire is to be invited to the Marriage Supper
of the Lamb. I would ask that you now write my name in the Lambs Book of Life.
I would ask for an infilling of your Holy Spirit that I might begin to walk in
freedom and show forth the fruits of a new life.
All that I have
been I offer to you for your cleansing and healing. All that I am I offer to
you for service in your name. For all of my future, my hopes and my dreams I now
look to you and to you alone.
Amen.
To God be the glory great things he has done....
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