Anthony, I hope you like
the Harry Potter books and movies, because I want to talk to you about how
Harry Potter can help us understand baptism.
There are several
connections between Harry Potter and baptism.
First, Harry was raised by
people who had no idea what a powerful wizard he was. Now, you are better off
than Harry because your family and friends know just how special you are. But baptism
is when we – your friends and family – let the whole world know what a rare,
wonderful, unique, and strong individual you are.
Baptism reveals both your
past and your future. Baptism says that God loved and knew you before you were
even born and will continue to love you for century after century until there
are no more centuries to count.
Now the second similarity
between the HP books and your baptism is a little scary but you’re a brave
young man I know that you can handle it. When HP discovers who he really is,
then he comes into conflict with He Who Must Not Be Named – Lord Voldemort.
At the very beginning of
the baptism service you promise to turn away from evil and put your faith and
trust in Jesus. In other words, there
is darkness in the world and you will have to choose between the light and the
darkness.
There are people who will
hurt others and there are even people who may hurt you for no reason. Today you
become part of God’s great struggle to overcome evil with good, darkness with light.
Third, do you remember the last book and movie in
the Harry Potter series? When Harry sees his parents' graves, he reads this
verse from First Corinthians 15.26: "The last enemy to be destroyed is
death." . In baptism you are freed
from death, the death of brokenness and alienation to which all human beings
are subject. You are freed from death
and given the opportunity to participate in God's own life. Your powers of imagination and creativity
are freed from limits and given boundless scope. You are born again to the possibility of bearing God's light too
all around you.
Fourth, when HP discovered
what a great wizard he was, he went off to attend Hogwarts’ School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he began to have the most marvelous adventures. In
baptism you have set out on a life long adventure, a quest. You will meet
strange beasts and make life long friends. The prayer that ends the baptism
service asks God to give you the gift of joy and wonder. There will be defeats
along the way but if you keep on to the very end, you will find joy unspeakable
and full of wonder.
I know that Christ Church doesn't look much like
Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For one thing, you don't have to
board a magical train at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station to get here.
But in a sense, this church is a lot like Hogwarts. Harry went to Hogwarts to
learn to work magic. In this church, it is our job to teach you how to work
miracles. In baptism, you are entering a world of signs and wonders. You are becoming an inhersitor of the Christian faith that
celebrates a God for whom therse are no limits, a God who works miracles, a God
who asks us to work miracles, too:
miracles such as overcoming hatred with love, defeating anger with
forgiveness, and rising from death to life abundant and everlasting.
When HP went to Hogwarts
for the first time, Hagrid the giant took him to buy three things: a robe, a
broom, and a magic wand.
Today I have four things
to give you. Now, understand: none of these things is magic. The HP stories are
just stories. There is no magic of the kind that we read about in the HP books.
But there is grace and mercy and love in the world and in you and these things
are powerful. The things that I am going to give you point you in the direction
of God’s power and the power that God has given you.
First, here is a
certificate of baptism. In the Episcopal Church we like to talk a lot about lay
ministry, that is, the kind of ministry that God calls all of us to do, whether
we are ordained or not. But we make a big mistake. When someone is ordained to
the priesthood, we give them a great big certificate that they usually frame
and hang on their wall. But when someone is baptized, we usually just give them
a little postcard that they stick in their prayer book and never look at again.
So today I'm giving you a
big certificate that says "We receive you into the household of faith.
Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share
with his in his eternal priesthood." The most important ordination that
anyone receives is the ordination that we all receive in baptism. In baptism
you are ordained into Christ's eternal priesthood.
Second, here is some of
the water with which you were baptized. Water is very important. Without it we would die. All of us get
thirsty, but we also become spiritually thirsty. One day soon you will know
what that means. You will have moments when you long for meaning and purpose,
when life seems dry and pointless. When that happens this water is to help you
remember that you were baptized. You are a part of Christ who promised those
who follow him that they would have a spring of living water in their hearts
forever.
Third, we are giving you a
t shirt. You've probably seen t shirts that say things like, "My dad went
to Las Vegas and al I got was this lousy t shirt." Well, this is not that
kind of t shirt. It's not a souvenir.
In the early church,
people who were baptized were clothed in a white garment that they wore for the
50 days following their baptism. It signified the new life that they had
received in baptism. This t shirt represents that white garment.
In baptism, you receive a
new name, or more accurately several new names. You are still Anthony Michael
Perna, but now you are also a child of God, an inheritor of God’s kingdom, a
member of the Body of Christ and above all you are a Christian. Some of your
new names are on this t-shirt. Wearing it will help you remember who you are.
The back of it also
includes the name, address, and phone number of Christ Church. Never pass up an
opportunity for free advertising.
Fourthly, we are giving
you a candle to remind you of the light of Christ burning brightly in your heart.
And fifthly, we are giving
you a cross. The cross is one of the most powerful symbols of the Christian faith. It reminds us of God's power to bring life and light out of darkness and death. Most Christian churches have crosses inside and outside. The cross shows us the way to our home, the church. Wherever God’s people are gathered is your home and
we are your family.
There’s a story about a
little boy who became lost in a big city. He was very frightened but a
policeman found him and drove him around until he spotted his family’s house.
Suddenly, the boy said, “Let me out here.” The policeman said, “Is this your
home?” the boy said, “No, but it’s my church and I can find my way home from
here.”
Anthony, whenever you feel lost and alone, look for the cross. It will help you find your way to the church, and we will help you find your way back home.
