Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 89:20-29
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-37

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

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Today is one of four days in the Episcopal Church when baptism is especially appropriate, for today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord.^* At St. John’s, every baptism is an incredibly happy occasion, for we are initiating a new Christian by water and the Holy Spirit, into Christ’s body, the Church. Families and godparents or sponsors of the candidate have studied the meaning of baptism and have conferred with Jim, our rector, about their duties to the one who will be baptized. On the baptismal day, all gather at the church, dressed in Sunday finery, to participate in the liturgy of Holy Baptism. The candidate renounces all sin, or, if a baby is being baptized, his sponsors do this on the baby’s behalf. Jim then baptizes the candidate and anoints him, declaring, "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and marked as Christ’s own for ever." Then the Christian community welcomes the newly baptized person. This is truly a day for celebration.

In the early Christian Church in Rome, baptism was the only rite of initiation into the church. Converts, including the pater familias (head of the household) and his entire family, along with children and slaves, were baptized on Easter morning at dawn. Infant baptism became the norm after the family became Christian, and new babies were born – the earlier the better because of the high infant mortality. A Roman convert became a citizen of the kingdom of God on admission into the body of Christ, and ceased to be a citizen of Rome. This literal change of identity made baptism a very important event. Baptism was a very big deal.

We still believe that baptism changes our identity in a spiritual way. The Outline of the Faith (Catechism) in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer gives the best definition of Holy Baptism as one of the two great sacraments of the church. Sacraments are "outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace," and grace is "God’s favor toward us, unearned and undeserved; by grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and strengthens our wills." Baptism is the sacrament by which God "adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God."

I have just told you what I knew about Baptism last summer when I was working as a chaplain-intern at a children’s hospital. One day in July, I responded to an urgent message from a nurse on the neurology floor. The nurse told me that a baby had just been admitted to the floor, and the child’s mother and grandmother had requested a chaplain. I went to the room, knocked, and entered. I introduced myself to the two women who were sitting in silence on the bed.

I walked over to the baby who lay in a clear plastic "bed" with tubes were hooked up to both of her little arms. She was very small, still and quiet. I offered her my finger, but she did not grasp it. I reached down to touch her little head. "Why are you here?" I asked. The grandmother explained that she and the baby’s mother had been at work all day, and the baby had been left at home in the care of her father and grandfather. She said that the baby’s eyes had not looked right when she came home, so they had brought the baby to the emergency room. The mother added that the doctors had said that the baby had been badly shaken and might have severe brain damage. The police and the Department of Children’s Services had been called, as the law requires in cases of possible abuse. There would be a court hearing at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon. The purpose of the hearing was to determine whether the Department of Family and Childrens’ Services would take custody of the baby or whether the baby could go home with her mother. I offered to pray with them, and to come back and be with them the next day. The mother said, "I want you to baptize my baby."

"Chaplains can baptize in an emergency situation," I told her, dutifully quoting hospital policy, "but if the patient is not dying, it is preferable to wait until the child can be baptized in her own church." "We don’t have a church," the mother cried out. "I’m not even married to her father." My mind was racing. What should I do? I felt tremendous empathy for this mother, but to baptize her baby was outside the hospital’s policy. This was not a life or death emergency, and there wasn’t even a church community to welcome this child back into their fold. The mother’s voice broke into my thoughts. "Don’t you understand? This is an emergency. After tomorrow I might not even have a baby. This could be the last thing I will ever do for her." The mother began to weep uncontrollably. I could do nothing to console her. "I’ll be back tomorrow at eleven," I said.

I headed back to the Chaplaincy Office with a heavy heart, racked with indecision about what I should do. I discussed the problem with the full-time and resident chaplains, but they were divided in their opinions about whether the baby should be baptized in the hospital. The duty chaplain said that it was my call, and told me to pray about it. I did – all night long. I read the Bible, too, about John the Baptist questioning whether he should baptize Jesus. Jesus was without sin, you see, and the purpose of the baptism that John offered was to wash away sin. Jesus convinced him that this should be done because it was proper to fulfill all righteousness, the will of God. So John consented to do it. I reflected on the baptism of Jesus, when a dove-like figure (the Holy Spirit)came to him and the voice of God said, "This is my child -- my son -- with whom I am well-pleased." Surely God is pleased with all of his children. How could I not offer the Holy Spirit to this child when tomorrow she might be taken away from her mother and grandmother and placed in a new life somewhere? How could I not offer the Holy Spirit to this baby who might be returned to a home in which she had been abused? But the hospital’s policy was there for a reason. What about my conscience?

The next day, I went to the baby’s room with my prayer book in hand. When I walked in, the mother and grandmother were tying a silver Mylar balloon to the crib. The baby was wearing a little white gown, and both women were dressed up. "Praise Jesus!" the grandmother exclaimed. "You’re here!" "Yes, I am. Let’s baptize this baby." Holding the baby, tubes and all, I performed the emergency baptism from the Book of Common Prayer. At the end of the brief service, I read the final prayer, "Strengthen her, O Lord, with your presence, enfold her in the arms of your mercy, and keep her safe forever."

Afterward, the mother took my picture as I held the baby, and then I took a picture of the mother and grandmother holding the baby. I gave them a certificate of baptism that said, "The bond that God establishes in Baptism cannot be dissolved." As I was leaving, I wished them luck in the court hearing. The grandmother said cheerfully, "Don’t worry. It’s all going to turn out right."

Late that afternoon, I went back by the room to see how the court hearing came out. The mother and grandmother were sitting on the bed in silence as they waited for the Family and Children’s Services to come and take the baby away.

Anne Meroney, Seminarian  - St. John’s Episcopal Church, College Park, Georgia

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