Make-Up:
We ask you to read the material below. The material will include "deep thought", our key words (definition), scripture (link - please read) and some general thoughts. We ask you to read all material and then comment in the comments section. Share one key thought or concept that came to you and how it will make a difference.
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Word With Water
Bible Text:
Matthew 28:16–20; Genesis 6–9; 2 Kings 5:1–14; Romans 6:3–11
Lesson Focus:
With water and word, we are washed in God's loving grace.
Big Question:
How does baptism work?
Key Words:
WATER, WORD, PROMISE, SACRAMENT
Key Word Definitions:
WATER: ordinary H2O through and with which God does amazing things.
WORD: Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God made flesh. Also, spoken and written words that point us to the Living Word.
PROMISE: A commitment that is dependable and reliable.
SACRAMENT: God's word joined with an earthly element through which God promises to work. The Lutheran Church teaches that there are two sacraments—holy communion and holy baptism.
Going Deep
Long before John began baptizing people in the wilderness, water was a sign of life and renewal. In Genesis 2, a stream coming forth from the earth is the first act of creation. The earth is cleansed with the great flood (Genesis 7). The Israelites pass through the waters of the Red Sea into freedom, and they drink water that springs forth from the rock in the desert (Exodus 14, 17). The Syrian general Naaman is healed by washing in the river Jordan seven times, at the command of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5). God uses water to give life and renewal to his people.
John precedes Jesus and offers a baptism "with water for repentance" while declaring that Jesus will baptize "with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11–12). The resurrected Jesus charged his disciples to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19–20). Jesus here commands both the washing in God's name and for the teaching of obedience, that is, a life of discipleship.
Jesus speaks of his baptism not as his washing by John but as his death on the cross (Mark 10:38–39; Luke 12:50). In baptism we participate in Christ's death and resurrection. "We have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
Baptism is a gift. It is the work of God and does not depend on the worthiness of the person administering the baptism, nor on the faith or worthiness of the one being baptized. God loves us as we are. Baptism depends completely on the word and commandment of God. Like any gift, baptism must be received. Without being received, the gift is of no use to us. Faith alone receives baptism. We need nothing more to be worthy of this gift than faith to receive it. Those who receive this free gift of God's loving grace daily poured out have freedom to live by the Holy Spirit. "The one who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). Since baptism is the work of God, whose promise is unfailing, it is once and for all.
Small Group Activity
Object Lesson Option: Wiped Clean
Before class, arrange to have a whiteboard and an eraser up front in your learning space. On the board write, "Today I have sinned against God and my neighbor, both by what I have done and by what I have not done." Remind students that in daily repentance and remembrance of our baptism, our sins are wiped clean, as if they never existed. If you dare, ask them to shout out common sins people their age commit, and write them on the board. Invite them to shout out sins they "do" and sins that are those things "left undone." With a big, dramatic flourish, erase the words. Finish by saying, "In baptism, God wipes away all our sins every day, and it is like we never sinned at all!"
Follow up the object lesson with these questions:
- How do you think that baptism, which happens once in a lifetime, can involve God wiping away our sins every day?
- Have you ever been forgiven by someone you wronged? How did it feel?
- Do you think you have to name all your sins to be forgiven? Why or why not?
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