The Promises of God
- accnowworship
- Feb 21, 2021
- 3 min read
The promises of God (for ACC NOW 21/2/2021)
(Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3 18-22)
Dr Katherine Abetz
I will begin with three pictures. The first is the rainbow that God set in the cloud after Noah and his family and the animals came out of the ark. The second is the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River. The third is our own baptism. All three have something to do with a sign from the heavens. The rainbow is put there by God in the clouds. In Jesus’ baptism the heavens are opened as he comes out of the water and the Spirit descends on him like a dove. Our own baptism, says Peter, is ‘an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him’(1 Peter 3:21-22). Three pictures with a connection between the three: baptism, says Peter, corresponds to what happened to Noah and his family who were saved through the waters of the flood. These pictures offer a glimpse of the continuing purposes of God. ‘For all the promises of God find their Yes in him’ (2 Cor 1:20).
This is the first Sunday in Lent, a period in which the Church remembers the life and ministry of Jesus and renews her commitment to him in discipleship. We seem to be making a lot of the baptism of Jesus in our series of devotions. I remember including it in my last reflection, which was about a month ago. Baptism is particularly relevant to discipleship. The Basis of Union paragraph 7 puts it this way: ‘The Uniting Church acknowledges that Christ incorporates [people] into his own body by Baptism. In this way he enables them to participate in his own baptism, which was accomplished once on behalf of all in his death and burial, and which was made available to all when, risen and ascended, he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost’. And here comes the point about discipleship: ‘Baptism initiates [people] into his life and mission in the world, so that they are united in one fellowship of love, service, suffering and joy, in one family of the Father of all in heaven and earth, and in the power of the one Spirit’. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him!
In a sense baptism is a one-off event. The baptism of Jesus was a one-off event. It happened symbolically with John the Baptist in the River Jordan and was fulfilled with the cross and resurrection. Our own baptism is a one-off event. But the meaning of our baptism lives on. The Basis of Union paragraph 12 says: ‘The Uniting Church will seek ways in which the baptized may have confirmed to them the promises of God and be led to deeper commitment to the faith and service into which they have been baptized’. The paragraph goes on to talk about exploring the relationship between baptism, confirmation and Holy Communion. This is something that we could perhaps consider as the Assembly of Confessing Congregations. What does it mean to confirm our baptism or, as the Basis puts it, have the promises of God confirmed to us? I will add that in theological discussion with the wider Uniting Church, if such is possible, the sacraments are a good place to start. Why, given our differences as a church, do we continue with these visible acts? Can these acts mean different things to different theologies? What does the Basis of Union say about the sacraments? At the same time we always come back to ourselves. This is not just a theoretical question. What are the practical implications of baptism for our own discipleship?
Psalm 25 has this to say about discipleship: ‘Make me know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all day long’. Amen.
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