Sermon: Baptism and the Good Shepherd (April 17, 2016)

Easter 4C

April 17, 2016

Psalm 23

Grace to you and peace from our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

            Psalm 23 is perhaps the most loved and most well-known passage in all of scripture. If I asked you to recite it for me right now, I suspect at least half of you could at least fumble your way through most of it from memory. It is recited at weddings, funerals, and is cross-stitched on wall hangings and couch pillows. If there is one passage you know by heart, this is it.

            We always hear it on this fourth Sunday of Easter because this Sunday is always deemed Good Shepherd Sunday. After hearing the excitement of Easter morning, the fear and doubt of the next Sunday, and about several of the stunning post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, today we dwell on this image of comfort: the idea of Christ as our shepherd, our guide, our provider, our

protector, our caregiver. All are very familiar, very comforting images. (There’s a reason we read this Psalm in times when we seek comfort!)

But today I’m thinking about Psalm 23 in a different light. I’m thinking about it in terms of our baptism. Today at Bethlehem, we have the joy of celebrating the baptism of Charlotte Jane, so that is of course the main reason. But we have been remembering and giving thanks for the gift of baptism throughout Easter, through a rite at the beginning of worship where we give thanks for the gift of water and all the ways God has used it to save us, God’s people. Easter, the season of new life and celebration, is a time for remembering this gift of new life that God gives to all the baptized.

But if I’m being honest, I don’t think we spend enough time, energy, thought, and prayer, remembering and giving thanks for baptism. I think most people kind of have a vague notion that they were baptized at some point, probably as an infant, but don’t spend much time thinking about that or what it means for their lives today. I asked in a sermon a few years ago how many people even remembered the date of the baptism, and precious few people did. Well, even if you don’t remember the precise date or the event, it is well worth remembering. And since Psalm 23 is something many of you do remember, today we are going to remember our baptism through the lens of Psalm 23.

Before we begin, I have an assignment for you. Turn to the Psalm in your bulletin, and look at those words once again. There is so much rich imagery in this Psalm, and so many comforting words, but I want you to pick one phrase or image that you are particularly drawn to. Do it right now (don’t worry, you can change your mind later if you want!). What phrase speaks to you the most? … Okay, now, throughout Easter, we will continue giving thanks for baptism each Sunday, and at Bethlehem we have the added benefit that in two weeks, we have another baptism, and another one a month after that, so you will have ample time to use this verse to remember your baptism. Each time we participate in this rite, I want you to view it through the lens of your verse or phrase. Do you understand the assignment? Okay, good. J

Now, today is your lucky day: I’m going to help you with the assignment. For the rest of this sermon, we will work through some of those images, and talk about what they mean for baptized people of God. Maybe you will even want to make a few notes to help you in your assignment (you didn’t know you were coming to class today, did you?).

The first image I want to lift up in this Psalm is that of abundance. We see that in several places, especially at the beginning. “I shall not want,” reminds us that with God, we have all we need,

and more. We want for nothing. God provides us food, water, shelter, protection – all we need – and in addition to those basics, the forgiveness of sins. And this is the promise we find in our baptism: that even though we do not deserve it, God assures us the forgiveness of sins, not only at the moment that water is poured on our heads, but every day thereafter, every time we ask, every time we come to this table and receive Christ’s body and blood. With this gift, the forgiveness of sins, we truly can be grateful and trust that with God as our shepherd, we do have all we could possibly need, and more. Our cup runneth over.

A second theme that presents itself is the theme of safety and protection. That is the primary purpose of a shepherd, right? To protect the sheep. Jesus tells us that the shepherd would even leave the 99 other sheep just to ensure the safety of the one sheep who has wandered away and may be in danger. The shepherd is dedicated to his sheep. And so the Psalmist tells us that with God as our Good Shepherd, we need not fear the valley of the shadow of death. The shepherd’s rod and staff – the tools used to fend off danger and pull the wayward sheep back to safety – bring comfort. Indeed, instead of evil and darkness, the Psalmist writes, goodness and mercy shall follow or “pursue” us all the days of our lives – pursue us far more ardently even than our enemies. God’s mercy and goodness will always win.

And so it is also in baptism. One of the images of baptism is that we “die to sin and rise again with Christ.” Just as Christ defeated death on that Easter morning, showing us that fear and death do not have the final word, so we, in our baptism, are brought into that promise: that death does not have the final word in our lives either. Just as the shepherd relentlessly seeks the safety and protection of his sheep, God will continually bring the baptized from death into new life – not just on the day of

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baptism, but on every single day thereafter.

I would be remiss not to finish with the promise offered in that last verse: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That, of course, is the greatest gift of all that we receive in baptism. It is the assurance that we are members of Christ’s family, claimed as daughters and sons of the living Christ, and God will never, ever let us go – not in this life, as we face the dark valleys of life, or the various beasts that would threaten our lives, and not when we prepare to enter eternal life. This promise of baptism, that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ and forever, is a promise that we belong to God, and can be assured of God’s presence with us from now until eternity. That is quite a gift!

My prayer for Charlotte this day is that she always knows these things, that her baptism will not be over today, but that she will continue to see it as a sustaining part of her life. In fact, this is my prayer for all of us: that we would be grateful every day for the gifts and promises of baptism, for God’s abundance in our lives, for the forgiveness of sins, for God’s relentless protection, and for the great gift of belonging to Christ, today, tomorrow, and for all of eternity. Thanks be to God!

Let us pray… God our Good Shepherd, guide and protect us through our lives of faith as a shepherd does his sheep, reminding us at every turn in the path and in every dark valley that you love us, forgive us, protect us, sustain us, and embrace us. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.