Grace and Peace Episode 37

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 37
Presbyterian Church of Easton
May 29, 2021

Watch Episode 37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism
72Q.  Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?

A. No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins.

73Q.  Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the water of rebirth and the washing away of sins?
A. God has good reason for these words. To begin with, God wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ take away our sins just as water removes dirt from the body.  But more important, God wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign,   that we are as truly washed of our sins spiritually as our bodies are washed with water physically.

74Q.  Should infants also be baptized?
A. Yes. Infants as well as adults are included in God’s covenant and people, and they, no less than adults, are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.  Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, they too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers.  This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.

I was born in New Jersey.  My parents lived in Collingswood and attended the Haddonfield Presbyterian Church.  Shortly after I was born, they presented me to the church for the Sacrament of Baptism.   At that time, the Rev. Dr. Bryant Kirkland was the pastor of that church.  He baptized me.   And for my entire life I have heard from my Dad about the great sermons that Dr. Kirkland preached.  Dad told me that if I was ever in New York City on a Sunday, I should stop into Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church to hear Dr. Kirkland where he served as Senior Pastor for twenty-five years.

Several decades later, I was driving past the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC.   Their sign out front read, “Rev. Dr. Bryant M. Kirkland, Interim Pastor”.   Could this be the same preacher?   I had to find out.  So the next Sunday I was in worship at National Presbyterian Church.   After worship I talked briefly with Dr. Kirkland.  He was the pastor who baptized me.  And I stayed at National Presbyterian Church for the next decade, until my ordination as a pastor.

Lord Jesus, help us to go into our community to proclaim the good news that you have forgiven us and welcome us home as your people.  Place in the hearts of the people we talk to a desire to come to church for this good news to be sealed upon them in baptism and to be nurtured as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Amen.