Altar, Pulpit and Font Worship, Part 2 – Pr. Will Weedon, 9/11/26 (2541)

0:00Here's an easy way for you to support the worldwide outreach of Lutheran Public Radio Inc. and create a will for free. Free will offers a secure, online, estate planning tool that can help you create a will for free in about 20 minutes. Through free will you can help us educate future generations of Lutherans through programming like issues, etc. The word of the Lord Endores Forever are 24-7 sacred music and talk stations and the publishing of books. Learn more at freewill.com slashissuesetc.org. This week on The Word of the Lord Endores Forever, we worked through Proverbs 25-27 with a word fitly spoken, burning calls to answer or not to answer, only joking and do not boast. Join me, Pastor Will Whedon, for The Word of the Lord Endores Forever, your daily 15-minute verse by verse 5-8. For more information, visit www.thedr.org. Visit www.thedr.org.org

1:04www.thedr.org.org www.thedr.org www.thedr.org The hymn Water Blood and Spirit Crying speaks there of course about baptism, Christian baptism. Where does the right of baptism originate? It originates straight out of scripture, straight out of the mouth of Jesus Himself. Greetings and welcome to Issues, etc. Coming to you live from the studios of Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, Illinois. I'm Todd Wilkin, thank for tuning us in. It will be part two of our series on Alter, Pulpit and Font Worship. Dr. Jennifer Roeback-Morsch will join us after that from the Ruth Institute. We'll be talking about the legacy of Second Wave Feminist Leader Gloria Steinem.

2:06There's a new confessional Lutheran church body in Australia. We'll speak with its president, Dr. Matt Anker, president of the Lutheran Mission Australia. Then, Nathaniel Pullman, if you've ever heard about social, emotional learning, you're going to find out what it's really about when we talk with him in the last segment of the program. Pastor Will Whedon is assistant pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamill, Illinois. Formerly served as director of worship for the Lutheran Church, Missouri Senate. He's author of the books, Celebrating the Saints, Thank Praise, Serve and Obey, and See My Savior's Hands. He hosts the daily 15 minute verse by verse Bible study produced by Lutheran Public Radio, called the Word of the Lord Endures Forever. Well, welcome back. Thank you, Todd. Why do we call this container of water be it small or large a font? Yeah, the font or from Latin fonts, it literally means like a spring or a fountain. I don't know about Utah, but by great parades, both had springs at their houses. They built their houses to be near where the springs were.

3:08That's where the water came from. I still remember with my dad, Randall Waterline, from the spring to my grandmother's kitchen so that she wouldn't have to go out in the winter to grab the water. We just take it for granted anymore. Well, does the water come out of the tap? Well, for the ancient world, it was certainly not like that. This dependence upon water in the world was always very, very clear to our ancestors and the faith. It weaves its way through the entirety of the biblical narrative. I don't think we can understand what the significance of the font is in the church building until we get how the church thinks about water out from the Bible. I want to point out before we get into that scriptural material that we don't call it a well because the water in a well while still water, they would say in the ancient world, it isn't living water, it isn't flowing. Whereas the very definition of a spring is that it is flowing.

4:12The water bubbles up. Why is that important? I think the earliest Christians talked about baptizing in living water. That is flowing water. Why is that important? Well, we're going to see that this picture of the living water is one that runs through the entirety of the Scripture. It has in it this idea of the life of the Holy Spirit, which is not like a static thing. It flows and it keeps flowing and the gift keeps giving. This is really important when you think about the doctrine of holy baptism. It's not merely a one and done thing. It's a gift that continues to bubble up and flow over a person's entire life. That is better shown with the living water than with the water that's in a sisterhood or in a well. Where would you begin scripturally to talk about this significance of water in the Bible? Well, I think the place to begin is the beginning.

5:12So Genesis 1 begins describing creation itself in these terms. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering. Now, Kepa can sort of mean like sweeping too. I mean, sweeping over the face of the waters. So when we first meet the spirit of God, we meet the spirit of God associating himself with water. He's going to bring from that water, like from the waters of a womb. He brings creation to order to life. That becomes clear as we work our way through the scriptures. That's just Genesis 1 and you already meet water in verse 2. So big theme in the Bible, it's going to continue to resound. If you think about the description of creation that you have in Genesis chapter 2, the big

6:15thing about paradise in Genesis chapter 2, the picture you have is of these rivers, verse 10, a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden. And there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Paishan. That is the one that flowed around the whole land of Habalah where there is gold. The gold of that land is good, dealium and onyxstone are there. The name of the second river is the Giann. It's the one that flows around the whole land of Kush, what we would call the Nile. And the name of the third river is the Tigris that flows east of a seary and the fourth rivers the U of Radies. So three of these rivers you look at and you go, oh, we kind of know where they are. But they don't flow from one place. It's a way that the Bible teaches us that the geography of paradise has been altered forever. Think about the flood. It did that. But the idea that the water flows out from paradise to water the garden and make it fruitful, that's the picture. So not only is the spirit associated with the waters at the beginning, but the waters

7:22are described as watering. The rivers are described as watering paradise and making it fruitful. That's going to continue to resound with other scriptural passages. Now Todd, all of this is like beautiful and good, right? You hear this and you're like, yeah, that's awesome. But who among us can forget that water has another side to it? Did you guys have any flooding when we had that five inches of rain the other week? No, not really. Okay. And right behind my house, there's like a drainage ditch and we just kept watching it kind of nervously as the water kept filling it up. I mean, I live on a prairie, right? There's not a lot of place for the waters to go when they come down in that kind of amount. And flooding is always very, very real. We also have a very high water table in our neighborhood. So when you think of the next big story in the Bible that's associated with water, it's

8:23the great flood and Noah. And here water actually is something that's destructive. God sees the rebellion of man that it's constant nonstop from childhood and he's like, I've had enough. I'm going to wipe down. I'm giving them 120 years and then I'm wiping them out. And he provides grace for Noah and Noah makes the ark and the ark floats through the waters that bring destruction all around him and bring him and his family into a new world, if you will. Of course, the odd thing is they carry in themselves the seeds of their own destruction because they still have this sinful nature, which is inherited from Adam. And God still says, but I'm not going to do it that way ever again. I'm not going to wipe out the whole world with the flood. But here the waters become a sign of destruction and yet also a sign of salvation for God's

9:26people who are carried through them. And here you begin to notice this weird thing about so many of the Old Testament images of baptism taught. They're about people not getting wet. You know, we'll hear the same pattern emerge again and again. And yet all of this is pointing you ahead to its fulfillment in the New Testament and in holy baptism. The next big story of water that you have in the Old Testament obviously is from Exodus 14 where God is ready to lead his people out of the land of Egypt. Remember, it specifically says he didn't lead them the easy route. He led them in this way of his that seemed so weird to where they end up being backed up against the sea. And the Egyptians are coming after them. What are they going to do? Then the great miracle of the Old Testament where Moses raises his staff at God's command, the wind blows, the sea parts, and the people of Israel walk through the middle of the

10:30sea on dry land. Paul and Viscontiants tend specifically like this to their baptism in De Moses. This is Old Testament baptism, if you will. It's how you exit the land of slavery through the parted waters. And then when their enemies try to make the same move, remember, the waters collapse on them. It's like the flood all over again. The waters collapse in Pharaoh and its army are swept away into the waters. And the people of Israel are left having been set free from their bondage, celebrating their new life on the far shore of the Red Sea. They've been given a new lease on life, if you will, as they come up out of the water. And you remember that it leads to singing and celebration, Miriam leading the singing with the Lord has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider. He has the rite into the sea. So these images of the sea are huge. They're not the only ones.

11:30When God then prepares to bring his people into the land of Israel itself through Joshua, remember, he gave part of the inheritance to the tribes on the East Bank of the Jordan. But then as they're preparing to cross over the Jordan, the priests are ordered to carry the ark of the covenant into the midst of the water. And as soon as the priests touch the water, the waters drain off to the south and to the north, they begin standing, building up like a heap. And the people of Israel, same sort of miracle, were able to go across the Jordan on dry land. And that same miracle is repeated with Elijah when Elijah is being ready to be taken to heaven. Remember, he strikes the Jordan with his cloak and boom, the Jordan parts to the one side and the other. And he and Elijah passed through on dry ground. Big, big, big pictures of baptism in the story of God in the Old Testament up to that point.

12:31But then the prophets get hold of the image. And what they do with it is particularly interesting. I think the first passage we really need to consider in this regard is from Isaiah chapter 12. And the whole chapter is like a song by itself. And says, you will say in that day, I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and will not be afraid for the Lord God is my strength and my song. And he has become my salvation. This is just specifically linked. The end of chapter 11 has an allusion to the deliverance of the Red Sea. As there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt, so it's like the same

13:31sort of language that you're hearing in Isaiah 12 that you heard back in the song of Miriam in Exodus 15. With joy will you draw water from the wells or springs of salvation. And you will say in that day, give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known as deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted, sing praises to the Lord for he has done gloriously, let this be made known in all the earth, shout and sing for joy, oh, inhabitant of Zion for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel, the one who brings you to the spring of living water. This again evokes another set that I didn't really pull on yet is from the wilderness wanderings. You remember the rock, the cave worth the water for the people to drink. They thought that Moses was just leading them around in circles, but under God's direction

14:34he had led them to the rock that when Moses struck it, the water came out and the people were refreshed. So it's kind of the same image there in Isaiah, big themes of water, but they get even more specific when you move after the exile with Ezekiel. So in Ezekiel chapter 36, you get a prophecy that begins to speak in a way that we can really see a connection to holy baptism. Listen, 36 beginning of verse 23, and I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, went through you, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.

15:36Now they always get to their own land by crossing water, right? I mean, that's the constant theme in the Old Testament. So he says, I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your unclean misses. And from all your idols, I will cleanse you and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Where do you get the idea from the Old Testament that God has some use of water that's going to give you a rebirth? It's right here. This is the picture. And God says it's going to happen and it's going to be associated with me vindicating my name, name, water, spirit, all joined together here to give new birth to the people of God.

16:45And then Ezekiel has an absolutely striking image in chapter 47. This is one of my favorite passages in the whole of this prophet. He writes, then he brought me back to the door of the temple and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east for the temple-faced east. The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the North Gate and let me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side, going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand qubits. And then he led me through the water. And this time they don't go through the water dry. They go through the water wet, and it was anchored deep.

17:47Again he measured a thousand and he led me through the water. And it was knee deep. Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water. And it was was way steep. And again, he measured 1,000. And it was a river that I could not pass through. For the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in a river that could not be passed through. And he said to me, �Son of Man, have you seen this?� Then he led me back to the Bank of the River. And as I went, I saw on the Bank of the River very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, �This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabine, enters the sea. When the water enters into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish.

18:47For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh. So everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From in Getty to Ingliam, it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be very many kinds, like the fish of the great sea. I mean, he goes on. But you have this beautiful prophecy, some mysterious of a little trickle of water from the temple that gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and that carries life wherever it goes out into the whole world. And things live where the water is. And by the water, the fishermen stand, casting their nets. So it's setting you up so much for what you counter in the Gospels. What do we talk about those Gospels readings? We have Pastor Will Whedon, part two of our series on Alter, Pulpit, and Font Worship. I'm Todd Wilkins. Stay tuned.

19:53Why does Luke emphasize prayer more than any other Gospel writer? How did the early Christians navigate wealth in an empire without a safety net? And what made Jesus treatment of women so revolutionary? The issues that set her a book of the month for September is dinner with the doctor, Luke's Gospel for the Hungry. Learn more about this new Bible commentary and daily devotional at issuesetc.org or by calling Concordia Publishing House 1-800-325-3040. Dinner with the Doctor by Dr. Andrew Dawes. In Colossians 3, St. Paul says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Don't take our Lutheran Divine Service for granted. From start to finish, it's almost nothing but the Bible in preaching, prayer, and song. God's Word is meant to admonish and forgive us and teach us for a life of joy and thanksgiving. For more about the richness of God's Word, Lutherans might just take for granted, visit us

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21:56like issues, etc. The Word of the Lord Endores Forever are 24-7 sacred music and talk stations and the publishing of books. Learn more at freewill.com-sla-issues-etc.org. Welcome back to issues, etc. and Todd, welcome to part two of our series on alter, pulpit, and font worship with Pastor Will Whedon of the Lord of the Lord Endores Forever. Forgiveness would no longer be found in the sacrifices of an earthly temple, it would be found in the waters of baptism. Those who repented of their sins and were baptized would find forgiveness, and we would be ushered into the new promised land. In the water of baptism, we too, like Israel, are crossing the Jordan into a new land where there is peace and forgiveness. From the issues, etc., a book of the month, 4 September, dinner with the doctor by Dr. Andrew Doss. Find out more about this great devotion on the Gospel of Luke by going to our website,

22:58issuesetc.org, or call Concordia Publishing House 1-800-325-3040. Before we go on to the Gospel material here, Will, I'm struck that Jesus certainly has those old Testament prophecies in mind when he enters into his public ministry. He calls his first disciples out of the water and sets them on a new trajectory to be fissures of men. I just have to think that he has these prophecies in mind when he launches this public ministry. And we'll get to it when we think about it. Don't forget Jesus is the temple. And remember, from his side came forth the blood in the water when he was on the cross. There's the little trickle that starts and then just spreads throughout the entire world. Now we need to add one more passage from the prophets. It's really big. It's amazing in the book of the 12th how huge Zechariah is in its citations from the New Testament. So this verse, and Zechariah 13 says, on that day, that is the day after there was this

24:04morning for the Lord, his only son. I mean, it's just a strange way of talking on that day. There will be open to fountain for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. And usually uncleanness in the prophets refers to idolatry, right? It's giving your worship to something that was a creature instead of to the creator. This fountain that God will open for the house of David and for the people of Jerusalem, it's going to be a cleansing and it's going to cleanse them from all of their sins and it's going to cleanse them also from their idolatries. So this is sort of where we stand on the brink of the New Testament. So now you can understand why when you open the pages of the New Testament, the first thing you kind of meet, at least in Mark and John's Gospel, is baptism and John the Baptist. And what's going on with baptism and where did that come from and what is that all about? It just ties to everything we have just seen here.

25:08This is all flowing down into the New Testament. And so the place to look in the New Testament, first and foremost, is Matthew 3, which is the account of Jesus' own baptism by John in the River Jordan. Let's just consider those words together. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John 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. What'd it be so for now? For us, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. And then he can send it. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened to him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

26:11And a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Todd, in the mind of the church, this is the institution of Christian baptism. John had his baptism on offer, but something happens when the Son of God gets down into the water and it's cosmic what happens. So first thing that specifically is mentioned when Jesus is baptized, he comes up out of the water and heaven is, Mark uses the New than more vivid word, right? Ripped open above him, the door that slams shut in paradise is now open. Where Jesus is in the water, paradise is accessible again in and with Jesus in the water. And then the Spirit of God, like a dove. Remember the word in Genesis 1, 2 was a bird word, this mouth cap of the sweeping over the waters. The Spirit over the waters is going to do new creation, just like there was the old

27:15creation. In this water, there will begin a brand new creation. And as a result of what God is up to in this water, the Father will look upon those who stand with Jesus in the water and declare of them that they are his beloved children that he is well pleased with them, that he loves them. In other words, they're with Noah in the ark. They have the favor of God upon their lives. All of that is included in the baptism of Jesus. And part of me wants to stick with Matthew's Gospel and point out how it echoes back at chapter 28, but I think it's probably more profitable for us to consider two passages from John that further illumine this whole idea of what baptism is there to give. Hang tight, we haven't forgotten the font, but we need to see what the church sees in

28:18the font through the eyes of Scripture. So John, chapter 3, Jesus' famous words to Nicodemus. And there, remember Nicodemus kind of tries to butter him up, rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God. I mean, nobody pulls off these signs that you're doing if God isn't with him. And Jesus just cuts the guy off with, you know, I'm telling you the truth here, man, I'm going to lay it on you. Unless you're born again, you're not going to see the kingdom of God. And this florist, Nicodemus, he's like, born again. How do you anticipate that happening? And yet Jesus is clear. He does, in fact, I mean, Nicodemus is thinking just in worldly terms, he's like, you expect me to crawl back up into my mother's womb and be born again. I mean, that doesn't make sense. But Jesus goes on, I'm in, I'm in, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, water and spirit run together.

29:19That's not two things. That's one thing there. In the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Why? Because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit, his spirit. So stop freaking out when I said to you, you need to be born again. The wind, spirit, wind, breath, they all run together in the Bible. The wind blows wherever it wills. You hear it sound, but you can't tell where it comes from or where it goes. And that's how it is. Like those who have been born again of the Holy Spirit. And I should point out that again or from above, it's impossible to tell which one John means. And I think he probably means both. The Greek little term, I don't think, has both meanings. So you have that huge passage about baptism toward the start of John's gospel. And then Jesus specifically connects to that passage from Ezekiel 47 that we looked at in John chapter 7. This is such a strange passage.

30:20You have to know before you hear these words that the Jews kind of did a solemn ceremony where they would go to the pool of Sainloam and they would dip in a silver picture and walk up to the temple and pour out the water on the South side. Kind of an enactment of what Ezekiel had prophesied, but it was a dim shadow of what Ezekiel was talking about. Jesus is about to clarify. So that was during the feast of tabernacles. So on the last day of the feast, the feast of tabernacles, the great day, Jesus interrupts a liturgy. Jesus stands up and he cries out and you need to look at your ESP footnote to understand why I'm translating it the way I do. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and let the one who believes in me drink for as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Jesus is the temple.

31:21Out of his heart there are going to flow rivers of living water. You're going to see it in John 19 when his side is pierced and the water comes from his side blood and water flowing from him carrying life out into the world. Now it says specifically that he said this about the spirit which those who believed in him were later to receive. Keep that thought in mind because when we come to the very last passage, we'll look at from the New Testament. That's the point, the spirit flowing from the throne of God. We'll get to that. From that head back to Matthew 28 and pick up the conclusion of St. Matthew's Gospel where Jesus sends out his apostles with a job to do. If you pick up at 28, 16, now the 11 disciples, Dr. Nagle always said that should hurt your ears. You know, 11, that's not the right number.

32:24How is it going to be brought to 12? Well, you're about to hear. This is how the people of God will be gathered. They go to Galilee to the mountain. Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him. That's they fell down on their knees before him. Some were still doubting in this be real. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority at heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples or teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe or hold on to everything I've commanded you and behold, I am with you always even to the end of the age. So here Jesus specifically commands the gift of baptism to be given out. And the version of this that you have in Mark 16 and the longer ending, cited in our catechism, is even more imprecious. He said to them, go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

33:28And what is the gospel? What is the gospel? They are supposed to carry out to the whole creation. It's this whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned. There's we're going to see in a second how important that understanding of that is the gospel really is. So if you go to Acts 8 and Acts 8, you come across this Ethiopian unique that the spirit sins fill up to to preach to you. Remember what's happening? He's in the chariot. He's reading Isaiah 53 like a sheep. He was led to this slaughter like a lamb before cheers his silent. He opens not his mouth. And his humiliation, justice is denied him. Who can describe his generation? His life was taken away from the earth. And the eunuch, he turns to Philip and he's like, I don't get it. Who is he talking about? Is it himself?

34:28Is it another person? Explain this to me. And Philip then beginning with that scripture opens his mouth and he begins preaching to him Jesus. Now, the most amazing thing is, what does Philip preach about Jesus to this man? Will you get this huge hint in what happens next? Because as they're going along in the chariot, the guy sees water and he's like, stop! And he looks at Philip and says, look, there's water. What's keeping me from being baptized? Philip of course answers that he can be baptized. And they go down into the water, Philip baptizes him, the spirits, Philip away. And the Ethiopian unit goes on his way, having been brought into the body of Christ by the gift of holy baptism. Philip preached to the Ethiopian unit about Jesus in such a way that he told him everything

35:31Jesus accomplished by his suffering and his dying and his resurrection. It can all be yours in the waters of baptism. That's where he signs over his righteousness to you. And obviously that was why the man so was so eager to get into the water and wash away this and calling on the Lord's name. Now if they're going along and they see water, I mean, what's your first thought there? What kind of water do you think they're coming across? Well, in my kind of Sunday school mind's eye, I always kind of just pictured a little pond of some kind. A pond or maybe a little stream. I mean, it could be it probably we're told it was a desert region. So we're not picturing some big old river right there. It might be that they came up to the coast too. I suppose that's possible because they, you know, he's heading back into Africa. So there's that picture and it goes kind of with this picture we've seen in the baptism

36:34of Jesus of the river Jordan being the place where the baptism happened. But then look at Acts 16. This one is to me one of the most curious teachings in the New Testament about, well, we'll see. So do you remember that Philippi was the colony of Rome, right? You know, and they were proud of being Romans and they didn't like that Paul was preaching against the idolatry that was official in Rome. And so, you know, he's he's beaten. He started into jail. He and Silas and as they're in jail, of course, they begin their praying matins in the middle of the night. They're singing to God, praying Psalms and hymns. And suddenly God answers with an earthquake. The jailer who knew that these, oh, I should back up. Remember as the men were going about the thing that really ticked off the Philippians was that Paul had exercised a demon from a slave girl who had been going around proclaiming to everybody, hey, these guys are telling you the way of salvation, right?

37:38I think you need to remember that to get why the jailer when he realizes that his, you know, he's ready to kill himself because that would be better than what the Romans would do to you. If they got hold of you after you let prisoners escape, Paul's like, we're here. Don't harm yourself. Then he calls for the light. He goes down into the jail and he asks the question, so what do I need to do to be saved? I think that question comes from that slave girls going around telling everybody these guys tell you the way of salvation. So they answer him, well, you need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in your house and you will be saved and they speak the word to him. And then we're told, look at this verse 23. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. So picture them, they're in the house, right? They've got a bowl or bucket of water. And the guy is washing their wounds, trying to clean the mess that had been afflicted upon them when they were beaten. And he was baptized at once.

38:41He and all his family. I don't think the picture here is of them trotting down to a river somewhere. They're in the jail being cleaned up. And as they're doing that, I imagine the same water that has Paul's blood and Silas's blood in it is the water that they use to baptize this man and his whole family. And they all believe in God and they are filled with joy. So that might be the one picture in the New Testament where baptism was being practiced, if you will, not in nature, but in a jail, right? Where there is water, there the promise of God can deliver the gifts of baptism. Pestor Will Whedon is our guest. It's part two of our series on Altered Pulpit and Font Worship. We'll talk about the meaning of baptism of the New Testament next.

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41:58Welcome back to issues, etc. I'm Todd Wilken, Pastor Wilwiden, our guests. We're talking about pulpit and font worship. We've talked about the Old Testament material and the gospel material, the book of Acts. What are in the New Testament do we find the meaning of baptism? Well St. Paul is our great help here, as well as St. Peter, but St. Paul especially, he says in Romans chapter 6 that, do you not know, in other words, he expects they do know, that all of you who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, that we too might live a new life.

42:58So do you see the picture he's drawing here? When you go into the water, you are being put into the tomb of Jesus. And when you come out of the water, the life of Jesus raised from the dead is now being given you for you to live in your life in this world already as one who has death in the rear view mirror, right? Death is behind you now. Now eternal life stretches before you and you get to live in union with Christ the life that is really life indeed. So this picture of baptism as womb that you had in John 3, here it is, baptism is tomb, the place where you get to join Jesus in the water and his death is forked over to you as your own and his life is given you as your own too. Then Paul, he is the one that I said that we learned about baptism so much from.

44:02He also has in Galatians chapter 3, he says, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on or been clothed in Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free. There is no male or female for you're all one in Christ Jesus and if you're Christ's you are Abraham's offspring. You are heirs according to the promise. So baptism puts you into Christ in such a way that he envelops you. He clothes you in his own holiness. The church of course shows that by the putting of the white robe on the newly baptized. What's the operative power? We've seen that the practice of the New Testament was mostly baptizing out in nature where

45:09you could find water, but it could be done also even in a stinking prison where the water was there. But what's the power of baptism? Paul points to that in Ephesians 5. He's incidentally referencing baptism as he's trying to talk about the relationship between husbands and wives. He says, Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without wrinkle or blemish or spotter any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. So the church in baptism is washed in water by the word and the word is the operative power that actually conveys the gifts of baptism. And this description of the people of God as being spotless, pure without saying people

46:14hear that and they go, really, that's the way I am. Doesn't look like the way I am. Well, you are that way because of what baptism gives Colossians chapter 2. Paul writes, In Him, in Jesus, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised Him from the dead. And here's what it results in, and you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God has made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

47:15Baptism does not give you forgiveness for some of the sin in your life. Baptism imparts forgiveness for all of the sin of your life. One of the most incredibly profound statements of Luther's small catechism is if it were a typical medieval Roman book, it would have said, what did baptism work, baptism worked for forgiveness of sins, it delivered from death and the devil and it gave eternal salvation. It would have gone like that. But in Luther's exposition, all of the verbs are present. Baptism rescues you from death and the devil. It forgives you. It gives you forgiveness of all your sin. This is a gift that it continues to give to all who believe. It's not like baptism is one and done. Baptism is an ongoing gift for the people of God as indicated by the flowing of water, which really brings us very nicely to Revelation 22, where Revelation is like the book

48:21into Genesis. So you find the same images running in both books. So at the end of Revelation in chapter 22, then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal flowing from the throne of God and the land through the middle of the street of the city, also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything cursed, but the throne of God and of the land will be in it, and his servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads, and night will be no more. They'll need no lamp of light or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign with him forever and ever. So if you remember back to John 7, Jesus said this about the river flowing from him was

49:27the Spirit. To hear you see the Spirit flowing like the river of life, the Spirit and water run together, Spirit and water flowing from God, bringing the life that is in him out into the world to be healing for the nations, wherever this river goes, everything is healed, remember from Ezekiel. So this picture of the Spirit as a river flowing from God that never ceases, that continually gives more and more and more and more, becomes the image of what the Spirit is up to in baptism. It is the gift that keeps on giving, and the church wanted to confess that in how baptism was received and practiced. So you mentioned the early church. Let's at least pull out this. The Dada Kaye, probably the first book we have by a Christian outside of the pages of the New Testament. A specific instruction about baptism.

50:28It runs like this. And as touching baptism, thus baptized ye. When you first recited all these things, that is that they had been taught the Christian faith regarding the way of life and death, baptize in the name of the Father, end of the Son, end of the Holy Spirit in running water. So the preference clearly is for water that's moving. But if thou hast not running water, baptize in other water. And if thou can't not encode, then in warm. In other words, even if it's a hot spring, you can still use it to baptize. And if thou hast not either, well, then pour water three times on the head in the name of the Father, end of the Son, end of the Holy Spirit. In other words, if you're not outside and you don't have access to, you know, live running water or a spring hot or cold or something like that, you can still administer baptism inside in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

51:30And before baptism, let the baptizer in him that is to be baptized fast for one or two days before. So you get this beautiful picture right on the outside of the New Testament that the mode and manner of baptism is sort of audiophorous, right? I mean, you can do it with running water. You can do it with still water. You can do it with hot water. You can do it with cold water. You can even do it from a bowl of water inside because what really matters is that the water is applied in the name of the Father, end of the Son, end of the Holy Spirit. That's what delivers all of the benefits and blessings that baptism promises. So if you would, we'll go on and talk a little bit more about the font next time. But how would you summarize what we've heard today? Well, I wanted to try to sort of give you the whole complex in which the church, the early church thought about baptism so that we could then see why the church shaped the fonts the way that they did and decorated all around them with images of these things

52:34that we've talked about from Scripture. And we're going to go through and look at some of the specific instances of the church and Derseroppa, the typical shape of a font in the medieval church, and then on down into the present. The point being that all of those ideas coalesce to be confessed by the shape and the use of the space around the font itself. So what then is being confessed if the baptismal font is only displayed for a baptism Sunday or it's easier to find the praise bands set up than the baptismal font? Well, obviously you put front and center that which is of great importance to you. And when the baptismal font is treated as disposable, I think it's being treated as something that doesn't have that ongoing river light, you know, meaning for your life. It doesn't continue to convey the gift to you. And so it becomes obscured when it's not allowed to stand as a piece of furniture, front

53:37and center in your space. Now I did make the point already and I'll stress this. It doesn't have a specific spot in the church. It's not like if it's in the back, you're somehow denigrating baptism. If it's in the back, it's confessing that's how you enter the church, you know, in our own assembly that the where I worship, it's right smack in the center of the whole church as a reminder that this is the good news of the gospel that goes out to all nations that baptism is for all. We never, that that font is never not there in front of our face. If it were something that you could, I don't know, put on wheels and roll away, it would say that baptism is just not that important to the community that's gathered there. And that would be a huge shame because it's hugely important in the whole mind of the church and we'll see that throughout its history in the way that it built the churches. Pastor Will Whedon is assistant pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamill, Illinois. He formally served as director of worship for the Lutheran Church Missouri Senate.

54:38He's author of the books, Celebrating the Saints, Thank Praise, Serve, and Obey, and See My Saviour's Hands. He hosts the daily 15 minute verse by verse Bible study, produced by Lutheran Public Radio called the Word of the Lord Indoor's Forever. Will, thanks. Thank you, Todd. In our two of issues, et cetera, we'll talk about the legacy of second wave feminist leader Gloria Stein, and with Dr. Jennifer Rack, we'll back more some of the Ruth Institute. Nathaniel Pullman will join us for a conversation on social, emotional learning, and we'll discuss a new confessor of Lutheran Church body in Australia with Dr. Matt Enker. Listen weekday afternoons to Pastor Todd Wilken and guests on issues, et cetera. Issues, et cetera, is a listener supported program. Our financial support is vital for the continuation and expansion of this worldwide outreach. Our mailing address, issues, et cetera. Pio Box 83 Collinsville, Illinois, 62234. Box 83 Collinsville, Illinois, 62234.

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