Sermon 05-15-11 "Reflections on Baptismal Remembrance"

In a special service, we mark the significance of baptism today. In doing so, we dedicate a new baptismal font in memory of two members we have lost in recent months – Jamaine Hamlin and Ruth Kempff. Their lives give us pause to consider what we are doing with our own time and resources. Life is short. Death is still an evil tyrant. Our resurrection hope compels us to things present, while eyeing things future. Our faith drives us to a deep love for our neighbor, dedication to our vocations, excellence in all we do, and clear witness to what we believe. Jamaine and Ruth help us to do this. Today, we remember these two baptized saints of God. And we remember our own baptism. And we set our hearts on those yet to be baptized.

"Baptism is not magic, a conjuring trick with water. But neither is it simply a visual aid. It is one of the points, established by Jesus himself, where heaven and earth interlock, where new creation, resurrection life, appears within the midst of the old." - N.T. Wright

New sermon posted at reliantchurch.org