Introduction:

My Ordination Day- June 10, 1979? (Power Point) No, March 27, 1953.

I) The Baptism of Our Lord-Again?

We call today "The Festival of the Baptism of our Lord." Every year this day comes around, the first Sunday after the Epiphany. Epiphany is January 6, the earliest date the Church used to celebrate Christmas on. Later they moved earlier, but they kept this day to mark the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Every year, the celebration of the Epiphany season celebrates the 'coming of the light'- as the days get longer, we are reminded to celebrate the coming of Jesus and re-tell the stories of his early ministry. The very first Sunday of this proclamation season is always the story of Jesus' baptism, which marked the beginning of his public ministry.

Every year we remember Jesus' baptism, and every year I have talked about it from a different angle. We've looked at why did Jesus have to be baptized, if he was sinless? We've looked at what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire a couple different ways. We've looked at the question of whose baptism is it, anyway; we've looked at the faithfulness of God to his covenant; we've looked at what the coming of the light really means; and last year we asked whether Jesus' baptism was a call or an unveiling.

So, I guess I've covered these texts; please rise for the Benediction. Just kidding.

II) Baptism, a Means not an end!

As we look at Jesus' Baptism, we see that for Jesus, his baptism is really his ordination to ministry. And it's yours too.

The Bible teaches that baptism is something God does. He baptizes us into his body, the church. He baptizes us into the death and resurrection of Christ. He baptizes us into sonship. As many of you who were baptized have 'put on Christ' - literally, 'covered yourself with Christ.' The Bible calls it the 'washing of regeneration.' And Peter even says, 'Baptism now saves you.' (There are copies of a teaching on Baptism from an evangelical Lutheran perspective available in the Narthex.)

But the key thing is that Baptism is not an 'end' in itself. You aren't baptized into baptism. We call it a 'means of grace'- it's a means, not an end. You are baptized into life. You are baptized into faith. You are baptized into a covenant, brought into a covenant with God, completely by his action, just like everybody else in a covenant in the whole Bible. You were claimed. But you were claimed and grasped not to be baptized, but to live a life of faith. To live a life of trusting in Jesus Christ. You were baptized to be brought, as Jesus was, to the beginning of ministry. You were baptized towards an end- the end is Christ; the end is faith; the end is trusting him; the end is serving him. You were baptized into ministry.

III) Baptized Into Ministry

The Lutheran teaching on ministry has been very clear for 500 years- ordination does not give a person any special grace to do anything. There is no change of the person. There is no magic booga-booga that happens in ordination. Pastors are exactly the same as lay people. Lay people are all called by God to service; all are called to ministry. I know a church that advertises "We have 600 ministers and two pastors." That's it. We are all called into a life of faithfulness. All who trust in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and empowered to serve. The body of Christ is not a spectator sport. The church exists to 'equip the saints (that's you) for the work of ministry.'

When I was ordained, we spent hours down at the old Augsburg Publishing bookstore, finding just the right bulletin cover. A couple covers I really wanted I had to reject, because of a comma. There was a mistake in the early versions of the RSV. Of course in the original Greek of the New Testament there is no punctuation, but in reading the text, we put commas and periods in to help it make sense. Here's the problem. The text is Ephesians 4: 11-13:

And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

As a long shot, did anybody catch the sneaky comma? The one extra comma changes the whole works. (It's right after 'saints.') If you add that comma, it says that all those gifts are given to leaders to do ministry to lay people. If you take out the comma that doesn't belong there, it says that the gifts are given 'to equip the saints for the work of ministry.' In New Testament talk, 'saints' means 'believers.' That's you. You're a saint or you ain't- The Bible teaches here that God equips all his faithful people, all his 'saints', his 'holy ones' to do the work of ministry.

Pastors are one kind of ministry- that of Word and Sacrament- to make sure that at all times and all places, when people are hungry, and when people have grown cold- there is still someone set apart to make sure Scripture is read and the Sacraments rightly administered. It's the same Word that you have. You too are called to ministry, and you were ordained, set apart at baptism, the same as the pastor. You have the same Holy Spirit, you have the same power, you have the same access to God's gifts- and you are called to ministry. You were called to ministry when you were baptized; you were called, claimed and sent out.

And that means your life is not yours. That means your life is an investment for you to make toward God and neighbor. It means your life is a response to God, not something you do for yourself. You have been baptized, claimed, chosen, equipped, empowered and sent forth. And maybe you were a week old when that happened. God starts young.

A few years ago, our St. Paul's kids did a musical Brenda & I wrote, called 'The Discipleship.' The title song said it right: "God signs us on at baptism, and teaches us to serve; we grow in Jesus' lordship; we won't reject his Word! Christ calls us his chosen ones, called out to be saints, called to be disciples, so come and don't be late!"

So what difference does that make? It's the same, whether you're four, forty or ninety four. God has called you and chosen you for a purpose. Jesus says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide." (John 15:16) Your life was given to you, claimed by God in baptism, that you should bear fruit. Think about that. Your life was created for a purpose- to accomplish something- to make a difference- and not just now, but fruit that will abide- last- for eternity! Your life was created to make a difference, and God promises that you will. What grace! What a promise! You can change the world!

The people that study change say that five percent of the people in an organization, or a company, or a neighborhood or even in a country can change everything. Five percent of any group, if they're dedicated, can change everything. Think what God can do through us together. If five percent of committed people, all by their own power can change a nation, think what five percent, empowered by God's Spirit can do! God has a purpose for your life, at every age of life. That what he promised. You have been ordained and claimed.

When Jesus spread out his arms wide in love to all of humanity, we nailed his hands to a cross. He died so that we don't have to. And he was raised from the dead so that we can receive his life. As we hear his word, he claims us. As we are brought to him in baptism, he claims us. The natural end of being baptized or hearing God's word is to trust him with your whole heart. That's what he's aiming at. He wants you, he's claimed you, and he wants to send you forth in life in adventure. Nothing less can do!

You were claimed and called to ministry- in your job and through your job; in your family, to your family and with your family. All that you are; all that you do. Maybe it's as an elder here. Maybe it's over the fence with your neighbor.

We're going to be looking at God's call to each of us as we go into Lent. That's what our '40 Days of Purpose' will be about-equipping you for the work of ministry, saints of God! Invitation, Amen.