主の洗礼日 ルカによる福音書３章１５－１７、２１－２２節
「洗礼を受けるとはどういう事ですか？」
私たちの父なる神と主イエス・キリストからの恵みと平安があなた方の上にありますように。アーメン。
これは今から２５年ほど前、テキサス州のGrand Prairie という所で新しいルーテル教会の伝道牧師として働いていた時、毎週 色々な宗派の牧師さんたちとBible study をしていた時の話です。そこに集まった牧師さんは、バプテスト、メソジスト、エピスコパル、カトリック、そして、聖霊派の牧師さんたちでした。
その日のトピックスは洗礼についてで、お互いの教会がどのように洗礼式をあげるかが話されました。最初にバプテストの牧師さんは、カトリック、ルーテル、聖公会、メソジスト教会でどうして子供が洗礼を受けることができるのかと質問したのです。彼の理解では洗礼を受けるのは物事をわきまえることのできる１５歳以上でなければいけないというのです。洗礼は自分の意志で受けることを決めるのであって、赤ちゃん、小さい子供はそれができないから、teenagerになるまで洗礼を受けさせてはいけないというのです。又聖霊派の牧師さんもそれに合わせ、赤ちゃんはまだ神様のことがわからないので、洗礼は聖書を読めるようになるまで待たなければならないと言いはじめたのです。
皆さんの中にもBaptist 教会、或いは聖霊派、Holiness church で洗礼を受けた人があると思います。自分で神様のことがわからないのは赤ちゃんだけですか？赤ちゃんだってお父さん、お母さんの愛を感じているはずです。神様の愛はどの様なものであるか、はっきり私たちがわからなくても、神様、イエス様に愛されている、また、お母さん、お父さんに愛されているという思いは小さい時から感じていたはずです。洗礼式の主人公は神様であるイエス様です。私たちは幼子も含め神様の子供であるがゆえに洗礼式によりそれを確かめるのです。
ところで、皆さんがどの様に洗礼を受けられたか憶えていますか？私は生まれて３か月後の４月１２日に小児洗礼を受けました。勿論そのことは何も覚えていませんが、旧約聖書の「コへレト言葉」と言うところに「あなたの造り主を覚えよ。年が寄って、私には何の楽しみがないと、言うようにならない前に」と語っています。
人を創造された方に出会わない限り、人に生きる意味も目的も、全く理解ができないのです。洗礼を受け、私は神様の子供である確信ができるものは幸福です。又神様が、私たちの信仰の父であることを認める時、私たちの短い人生も神様によって生かされている、それは私たちの信仰の仲間と共に、私たちの送る人生に大きな喜びが生まれてくるのです。
さて私は洗礼は神様のギフトであるということができますが、洗礼を受けたことがないとは神様の恵みにあずかれないという意味ではありません。この世に生まれてきた全ての私たちは、神様に愛されるために生まれてきたのです。神様に愛されるとは神様の子供となることです。神様の子供である私たちが人生の中で実行しなければならないことはお互いを愛することです。お互いを大切にすることです。
さて皆さんの中「たまりの」という双子の姉妹が歌った「君は愛されるために生まれた」という歌をおぼえている方がいると思います。皆さんから「岸野先生又歌いだすのですか」と言われてしまうかもしれませんが、そのとおりです。しかし今回は皆さんとアカペラで歌ってみたいのです。歌の歌詞は週報の中に織り込んであります。
君は愛されるために生まれた。君の生涯は愛で満ちている。
君は愛されるために生まれた。君の生涯は愛に満ちている。
永遠の神の愛、我らの出会いの中で実を結ぶ。
君の存在が私には、どれほど大きな喜びでしょう。
君は愛されるために生まれた。今もその愛、受けている。
新約聖書の使徒書の多くを書いた聖パウロは私たちは罪の奴隷で足枷をはめられているものですが、洗礼により私たちの罪が取り除かれたと教えています。又洗礼により私たちは神様の子供となるのです子供のいないカップルが４歳になる女の子を養子として受け入れました。この子の母親はこの父親がいったい誰だかわかりません。其れにもう一人の娘を抱えて精一杯の生活です。４歳の娘は誰からも愛された記憶がありませんでしたが、養子として受け入れてくれたお父さんとお母さんは最善を尽くしてこの子を自分たちの娘として育てたのです。同じように、どんな状況の中に生まれた私たちも洗礼により神様の大切な子供となったのです。この洗礼により、神様の息子、娘となるのです。
ルーテル教会を起こしたMartin Luther は私たちが悲しみに駆られる時、心が重い時、「私はイエス様に愛されている、洗礼を受けている息子、娘と呼ばれる者であると自分に言い聞かせなさい」と教えたと聞いています。
同じイエス様とイエス様の聖霊が私たちの生涯を愛で満ちているものと見守ってくださっているのです。
アーメン。
The Baptism of Our Lord” Communion Sunday January 13th 2013
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Tell me what does it mean to be baptized?”
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you Grace and Peace. Amen.
At the local ecumenical pastor’s meeting they were talking what it means to be baptized and how to baptize people. A Methodist pastor and a Baptist pastor got into some heated discussion. The Methodist pastor asked if a parson was baptized in the pool, how deep the person should go down to the water. “Up to his chin?” The Baptist pastor said, “No!”
The Methodist pastor then asked if one was considered baptized if immersed up to his nose. Again the Baptist pastor’s answer was “NO!”
“Well, if you immerse him up to his eye brows, do you consider him baptized?” asked the Methodist pastor once again. For that Baptist pastor said, “You don’t seem to understand. He must be immersed completely in water until his head is covered.”
The Methodist pastor replied, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. It’s only a little water on the top of the head that counts.”
Jesus did not tell us how much water to use or how it must be applied. If you did not know, the hundreds of pastors has been writing dissertations on how to baptize people, but Jesus did not instruct us in what fashion we should baptized people.
The Lutherans like Methodist and reformed protestant churches baptized people at the water font of Baptism where the recipients of baptism is adult or infant.
By the way you probably know infant and small children can be baptized in Catholic and traditional Protestant churches, because baptism is the action of God who gave life to us and his grace to every human beings who are born in this world.
My parents became Christians when they were young adults out of their will. They however, wanted me and my younger brother to receive baptism, so we will live the follower of Christ for the rest of our lives.
And if I may say, it is God who first showed his mercy to everyone who were born on this earth.
By the way, by his own baptism, Jesus showed us the importance of this sacrament to everyone. In fact his final words were to go preach, teach and baptize.
Baptism in our church is not just a nice ceremony. It is one of the two sacraments of the church—one of the two sacraments of the church—one of the holy acts which brings healing to the sinful and broken life.
Some question what a few drops of water can do help a person. Parents do not feel the need to have their children baptized. They can decide for themselves when they are older.
Let me share a story about Mary, the Queen of Scots (Scotland). You may remember this story since I have shared this either the bible study time or on Sunday service.
Queen Mary gave birth to Prince James on June 19th, 1566, in her Edinburgh Castle. Although she was involved in the political plots and scandals of life, she valued baptism so much that she went to considerable risk to have her son baptized.
The story says she lowered him in a basket from her window to servants waiting to carry him to the priest for the baptism. She did not hesitate, argue, debate, or procrastinate. Who do you think that baby was? That baby was the same James who, as king, authorized the King James Version of the Bible!
Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Our Lutheran teaching says, “Our churches teach that Baptism is necessary for salvation, that the grace of God is offered through baptism and that children should be baptized.”
Baptism is very important to the Christian life, because receiving baptism means to become follower of our Master Jesus Christ. It is more than ceremony. It means the cleaning from the stain of sin, and the adaption of the human being into the family of God.
The water is a sign of spiritual cleaning from sin. You may ask: what needs does a baby have for its sins to be washed away? Does 6-week-old need forgiveness? Can a child of that age guilty of sin?
A Baby has not sinned in thought, word, or deed, but we are all born with original sin. We are born as sinners, and our nature is sinful and unclean.
St Paul teaches that we are in bondage to sin and we need to be freed from this slavery. In baptism, a child is forgiven this original sin and cleansed of it.
But in baptism we are also adopted by God and received as His children.
A couple adopted a 4 year old girl. It was a child nobody else wanted. The mother did not want her because she already had another child and financially couldn’t make it. The father did not want the child because when he learned that his girlfriend was pregnant, he took off and was not seen again.
The child was not wanted because she was a half-breed. Half Italian, half American, half white and half black.
But the couple didn’t care. They wanted a child to love.
God adopts us at baptism into His family so that He may be our God and we may be His people.
One note that is very important because it makes us different from some other churches—we believe that baptism is God’s act, not ours. Baptism is not a contract made between us and God. It is not a bargain struck between God and us. It is strictly and solely God’s act. This is why we baptize little children.
It symbolizes the utter helplessness with which we each come to baptize. As infants, we cannot speak for ourselves – we cannot believe for ourselves – we are totally dependent.
In total dependency, God comes to us, touches us, lifts us from sin, and praises us to life as his adapted children…as His new sons and daughters.
When Martin Luther was in trouble, he used to write out these words, “But I was baptized.” We should say that every day. “I was baptized.”
Our lives should be filled with excitement and enthusiasm, a burning conviction for God. Every day we can say to ourselves, “In my baptism, God has promised to make me His child and enfold me in His redeeming grace.
Remember, we have been made the sons and daughters of God. We should feel the power every day of this great and most gracious gift. Amen.
