12-8-17 - Spirit Baptism

The baptism that John the Baptist administered in the Jordan River was more than a bath, though not exactly what we know as baptism. It was a ritual submersion to enact symbolically the spiritual work of repentance entered into by those who flocked to hear John’s message. Perhaps it was akin to the mikvah known in Judaism today. But John knew this was a rite of preparation, not the whole deal.

John had a mission: to help people prepare for a revelation of God no one could truly anticipate, not even John. Who could imagine God embodied before beholding that mystery? John only knew that the One to come was more powerful and holy than could be conceived. He had just one job: to invite repentance, a clearing of spiritual space. His water ritual could convey that reality. Beyond that was another baptism that only Christ could effect: baptism with the Holy Spirit.

He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  (This Sunday's gospel is here.)

What does it mean to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit?” Pentecostals' use of that language can make “mainline religious" folks kind of twitchy. But here it is, right in the gospels. What does it mean? Some see it as being filled with the Holy Spirit to the point where there is a discernible manifestation like speaking in tongues or prophesying or power to heal. This was what it meant to Paul’s Corinthian congregations, who were very focused on discernible manifestations of the Spirit’s power.

What might “baptism in the Spirit” mean to us? Let’s try a thought experiment. Imagine being submerged in water, the way many people are actually baptized. Let yourself experience it in your mind. What happens when you sink into deep water? You get wet all over; the water even gets into your nose and mouth. Depending on temperature differential with the air, you might find yourself pleasantly warmed or cooled, refreshed, comforted. You find yourself supported by the water’s density; it’s not all up to you.

Let’s assume that’s what baptism in the Spirit means: we are drenched and filled with the Spirit of the Living God, uniting with our spirit to fill us with God-Life. We might find ourselves getting very warm, or cool – we feel energy coming into us, and we are refreshed. We find ourselves in the presence of another Presence – we are not alone; we are conduits for power from outside us. It’s not all up to us.

I wish more Christians would crave being filled with the Holy Spirit, would ardently seek spiritual gifts to support them in the ministries to which they feel called. The Holy Spirit is the Gift that gives more gifts, always replenishing us – as we ask. For some reason, the Spirit seems to want invitation.

If you desire a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit, pray for it. Be open to the sensations you might experience. Be open to not experiencing anything in that moment – you might realize something has changed down the line.

The Holy Spirit is our gift at baptism, renewed in eucharist, replenished whenever we are active in God’s mission to reclaim, restore and renew all of creation. In fact, the Spirit is how we find ourselves reclaimed, restored and renewed.

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