Thank You, Mom! Thank You, Jesus!
Since this Sunday is Mother’s Day, I thought I would begin
with a list someone made that they have called “Murphy’s
Laws of Parenting.” See if you can identify with any of these:
1. The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up
2. The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the
3. The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child
4. A sure way to get something done is to tell a child not to
5. For a child to become clean, something else must
6. Toys multiply to fill any space available.
7. Yours is always the only child who doesn’t behave.
8. If the shoe fits . . . it’s expensive.
9. Backing the car out of the driveway causes your child to
have to go to the bathroom.
Do any of these strike home? I want to especially focus in on #5. That is not only true for a child. It’s true for every human being who has ever lived. And I’m of course not referring to becoming clean on the outside – like cleaning our clothes or cleaning some dirt from our bodies. I’m talking about getting a clean conscience – having a clean heart within us. In order for a person’s soul to become clean, something else must become dirty. And that something else was nothing else than the Son of God – the holiest, cleanest being of all – became unclean and covered with sin so that we might become clean.
We might chuckle at all the things a Mom has to put up with for her children, but we know that behind everything a Mom does for her kids is pure love. We might cringe at all that the Son of God had to put up with for us, but we certainly know that behind everything Jesus did and still does for us is pure love.
What we don’t want to do on this Mother’s Day is take our Moms for granted. The best example I know of that is the Mother’s Day card that reads like this: “Forget the housework, Mom. It’s your day. Besides, you can always do double duty and catch up on Monday!”
I suspect some of you Moms can relate to that? No, we certainly do not want to take our mothers for granted – ever! – and we also do not want to take our Savior Jesus Christ for granted either. Therefore, I’d like to briefly focus on one of the greatest things our mother’s ever did for us: They brought us to the water of our baptism. This one event in our lives changed our lives completely and fills our lives with special blessings.
But how can this be? Is baptism really that important? Is it really that powerful? To understand how amazing the water of Baptism is, we have to look at what’s in the water and what comes with the water.
Luther’s Small Catechism summarizes the Bible’s teaching about what’s in Baptism this way:
First: What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water used by God’s command and connected with God’s Word.
Which is that Word of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!”
What is in the water of Baptism?
The cleansing water of Baptism has the active ingredient of Christ’s power! Just as a cleaning product needs a powerful active ingredient to do its job, so the water of baptism has an active ingredient to do its job. It draws its power from the perfect life, innocent death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has this active ingredient of Christ’s power because he puts it there – by his Word. Baptism is commanded by Jesus, so this water is not just plain water, it is water used by God’s command and connected with God’s Word.
Next, the Small Catechism explains the Bible’s teaching about what comes with Baptism:
Second: What does Baptism do for us? Baptism works forgiveness of sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
What are these words and promises of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
God says, so no matter how impossible it seems, if God says it’s true – it’s true! The purpose of baptism is to wash away the stain of sin. No matter how evil you have been, repent and be baptized and God will wipe away your sins. No sin is too great for God to forgive. No past is too checkered.
Acts 2:38-39 confirms both what Baptism is and what Baptism does for us: 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
What a gift God gives us in our Baptisms! Since we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we know that the water of Baptism is filled with God’s power. We also know that the water of Baptism is filled with peace thanks to the forgiveness of sins we receive. And therefore, the water of Baptism is also filled with incredible promise! This is true because wherever there’s the forgiveness of sins, there is also life and eternal salvation.
So thank your Mother this Sunday (and Monday … and EVERY day after that…) for bringing you to the miraculous water of your Baptism. Its cleansing water is filled with power, peace and promise for you.
CONNECTING WITH OUR BAPTISM
Think of ways you could celebrate the anniversary of your baptism,
ways that would remind you of the importance of this Sacrament.