In a few moments we shall be celebrating the baptism of Genevieve, and we are delighted to welcome her parents, Tom and Alexandra, her godparents, Clare, Katie and Tom, and many of her relatives and friends who have come to support her as she begins her journey as a new Christian this morning.
As we witness the baptism, we, as a congregation, are invited to recall that by this act, “The Lord is adding to our number those whom he is calling”, and we are asked to play our part by welcoming Genevieve and upholding her in her new life in Christ. After Genevieve has been baptised, we shall welcome her into the fellowship of faith; remembering that we are all children of the same heavenly Father. As children of God within the fellowship of the worldwide Christian church, we are brought, Sunday by Sunday, into contact with people we might never have encountered in our everyday lives, and we are asked to love people who may hold very different views from our own. We are asked only to create together the fertile soil in which God plants his seed, as we heard in our Epistle reading, “You are God’s field, God’s building.”
Paul is speaking out against rival factions in the church, a theme which has clearly not gone away in the intervening two thousand years! We still see churches and Christians everywhere emphasising their differences of doctrine, worship style, and Biblical interpretation, rather than rejoicing in their shared belief in the Incarnation of Christ, his earthly ministry, Death and Resurrection. And yet, following the World Council of Churches Conference held in Lima in the 1980s on the subject of Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, all the major participating churches concluded that baptism is a universal sacrament. This means that whilst different churches still refuse to recognise one another’s ministers, and many will require those transferring from one church to another to be re-confirmed, baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is considered to be universally valid, regardless of the denomination in which it has been celebrated.
It is therefore as we witness a baptism, as we do this morning, that we most clearly see a glimpse of a united Christian church, welcoming Genevieve into its fellowship of faith. We are given hope that in time we might come to see that the issues which divide us are in fact much less significant than the faith in Christ which unites us. Whilst we may well retain traditions, practices and even doctrines which are peculiar and important to a particular denomination, we may be able to see that such differences may stem from the Church being made up of human beings. As Paul says, “For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?”
But as we come together in worship before God, seeking to be raised above such human weakness, we are called, as we heard in today’s readings to be reconciled, one with another.
But as we welcome a child into our fellowship of faith, we may be able to see the importance of the teaching about reconciliation within the family of the church in which Genevieve is being baptised.
Jesus says, “When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”
When the sharing of the Peace was re-introduced into the Anglican liturgy some years ago, many people found it uncomfortable, and perhaps some here in today’s congregation still do. Despite being a liturgical practice which arose in the earliest church, it had come to seem to some Anglicans, accustomed to the very private faith and worship of the Book of Common Prayer, to be an intrusion into the service, and possibly also into one’s own personal space. And yet, the sharing of the Peace provides an opportunity to do exactly what Jesus is requiring of us in today’s Gospel – to be reconciled with others in the family of faith before we approach the altar.
I remember some years ago, a churchwarden telling me off because he thought my child was making a noise. In fact, it wasn’t my child (on that occasion, anyway!), and I was left smarting from the injustice. After the service, we were both still cross and didn’t engage with each other at all. But at the service the following week, I was moved to leave my seat and go first of all to offer him the Peace. He was very touched, and kissed me warmly, and I remember being intensely grateful that the liturgy had provided me with this opportunity to be ritually but sincerely reconciled with my brother in Christ, without any need for explanation, self-justification or discussion. It showed me exactly what the Peace should be.
In the early Church, the catechumens, those preparing for baptism, were allowed to attend the first part of the service, the Ministry of the Word, to listen to the readings and the sermon, but they were required to leave before the breaking of the bread, and also before the sharing of the Peace. Adult catechumens were baptised at the Easter Vigil, and came out from the baptistery, dressed in fresh white robes, to share for the first time in the kiss of Peace, with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It must have been a very powerful moment – a visual and practical demonstration of the welcome into the family which we say together to the newly baptised today. It provided a starting point for the idea that as baptised Christians, we are all, as Paul says, God’s servants working together.
Straight after Genevieve’s baptism, we shall pray that she “within the company of Christ’s pilgrim people, may daily be renewed by his anointing Spirit.” WE are the company of Christ’s pilgrim people, and part of our calling as a company is to be reconciled and renewed in love and peace with one another. It is a high, and a demanding calling, and one which as human beings we shall probably never succeed in totally, but it is something to aspire to, and as we welcome Genevieve into our church family, let us seek to show her the love and peace which can be present within that family.
It is only from this point of mutual love, respect and reconciliation, that we can hope to reach out to others outside the church, also with love and respect, and to reflect to those around us the glory and compassion of God, who receives us by baptism into his church.