So let us pray. God, you sent your Spirit, which descended like a dove and proclaimed the belovedness of Jesus at his baptism. So may we remember the Spirit's presence in that moment in the moments of our baptisms, in the way that your Spirit guides us to be your people in this world. 

So may we lean into that presence today as we continue to learn how to be your people in this world. Amen. So we're finally at the end of our series on baptism, and we are specifically looking at the last baptismal vow, which asks, according to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ's holy church and serve as Christ's representatives in the world? 

The last part of our baptismal vow is to not let it stay in that moment, but to transform how we move through all of life. And our scripture passage today is towards the end of the book of Ephesians, where the author is doing the same type of work he's been teaching them in the ways of Christ. The first three chapters being completely theology and the other three being the practical aspects of what does it mean to go and live that out. 

And so as he's wrapping this up, he's speaking to this audience that has been persecuted by the violence of the Roman Empire. And so when the author is using the descriptors of what the Roman soldiers wore to describe what it meant to clothe yourselves in the armor of God, the writers flipping the way of the Roman Empire completely upside down, offering us how we prepare to represent Christ and 

stand firm in the ways of Christ instead of the violence of empire. And I think that's important to notice that the author explicitly says this is not a fight fight against other humans. Other humans are not the enemy that the author is trying to help us focus on, but instead the power of evil over humans in our world. And so first he says to put on the belt of truth which grounds us when the world offers us nothing but division and stupid ideas. 

Which is still my favorite way of translating last week text. And then the breastplate of justice, living rightly with God and our neighbors so we can advocate for all of God's children. Then he says to put on shoes so that you can go and spread the good news of peace, or to make it so that we're ready to go outside to love boldly in our neighborhoods in the world, to pick up the shield of faith, specifically to stop flaming arrows. 

This would be the flaming arrows would be all of the evil that the author has been warning us against throughout the entire text so far. And so if you're going to use a shield against flaming arrows, you have a lot of trust in that shield. And so he's saying that the thing that will guard your heart will be the trust that is faith. Trusting in the ways of that, trusting in the ways of Christ. So much knowing that that is always good to seek in the world in the face of so many idols that are competing for our devotion and 

worship, like power and dominance and control and greed. Then to put on the helmet of salvation to protect your mind with the knowledge of all of the ways that Christ's work through the life and ministry of Jesus was salvific, and all of the ways that Christ's work brings salvation to the world today. And then to pick up the sword of the Spirit, which the author says is God's word. And is interesting because so 

far, throughout most of the biblical texts in Greek, there's like Logos, like from John's Gospel last year. That's to talk about the word that is Christ that was spoken at creation. The same Logos is used to describe the woman wisdom in the Wisdom of Solomon, but that's not the word that's used here. And then there's also Greek words to talk about the Tanakh, the actual Holy Scripture of the Jewish people. 

And once again, not the Greek word that's being used here. Instead, when it's talking about the sword of the Spirit, God's word, it's telling us to equip ourselves with the teachings of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God's word is God's command, God's utterance, the things that we've been instructed to do, or another way of thinking about is the teachings of Christ to guide us through wisdom. 

And then the author wraps everything up with a throwaway pray for one another. Because the reality is it's really hard to ostracize people if you're praying for them. If we're actually praying that God's blessings and love break through in another person's life, we can't wish evil on them. And so in a way, the prayer is the thing that brings all of the different armor back together. We've got the things that defend us from the evil powers of the world and allow us to work for the way of Christ in the world. 

And then prayer is the way that we help melt the walls of division that we put up between each other as we continue to be Christ's body in the world. And so today we have the opportunity to remember our baptism. As Methodists, we're not Anabaptists. We don't re baptize people. 

We don't think that you have to be baptized as an adult or baptized in a particular tradition. Because baptism is about entrance into God's people. It goes back to that first call and response part of our call to worship every single week in this series. Baptism reminds us who we are, beloved children of God and whose we are. We're God's period. 

And so because we get our identity and that that's what connects us with the global church across many denominations and traditions. And yet we also realize, because we teach as Methodists, that we move onward to perfection, that we're always encountering the sanctifying or perfecting grace of God, and that God is always gifting us with opportunities to grow. 

That when we look back on the day we were baptized, we feel like we are a very different person. In the same way that many people that have been married for a long time look back at that wedding day and go, man, we had no idea what was coming. To know that the people that made the vows that day are different people. That requires humility. 

And that's why there's that the frequent practice of renewing vows. And so remembering our baptism is the same type of thing, allowing us to renew our vows with the work that God has been doing in our lives the whole time, to recognize that we're completely different people. And you can remember however you feel like. So later, we will have the opportunity on your way up to remember your baptism. 

And there's so many different ways to do it. And the nice thing is the liturgical statement is, remember your baptism and be thankful, because that's the only thing it requires of us. And so for some people, that's just taking a moment to breathe and look at the water. Really, anytime we're at water is an opportunity to remember our baptism in the shower, in the bath, sitting by a stream. But you can also touch the water. 

You can pour the water over yourself if you're feeling fancier. I've got a few towels for people that want to do a lot. But the reality is it's about encountering the water and spirit that is present the waters of our baptism, but also throughout our whole life. If it weren't for water, we wouldn't exist, right? 

I think someone told me that we're like 80% water. So I guess the only thing we ever need to remember our baptism is our breath, because we carry so much water with us. But it doesn't mean that when we get the opportunity to recognize these rituals. It's not. It's helpful. 

And so later, we're also going to have a couple baptisms. And instead of making you all remember your baptism and them take their baptismal vows, we're just going to do it all together. And you'll notice when we get to that part. We've weaved together the Ephesian texts and the baptismal vows, so it's a little more than normal, so that we can remember how this text has helped us understand what does it mean to follow Christ in the world in a way that's consistent 

with the vows that we made in our baptism. And the beauty of doing things like this together in community is that it truly does remind us that we're never alone in this. So let us pray. 

God, we are so grateful for the ways that your people have passed down knowledge of following you over thousands of years. May your spirit guide us in ways that we can understand what this armor of faith looks like in a world that is so desperately clinging to power and dominance and greed. May we truly pick up the shield of faith and 

understand that following you is the only way that we can be transformed by your spirit to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Amen.