The Memory of Baptism -- FPC sermon excerpt
Do you remember your baptism?
I sure don’t remember mine. I was three months old. But my mother tells me that I screamed as I was carried to the front of the church. I screamed throughout the baptism. And I screamed all the way back to the seats.
I didn’t seem very pleased about becoming a Christian.
But in spite of this rocky start, I am always happy to remember my baptism. And the reason for this is that facts do not create memories. Instead, meaning shapes memories. Because the meaning of baptism is that God accepts me and welcomes me into the Christian family, I have a happy memory every time I think about my baptism.
Now some of you might be thinking: That’s crazy talk. A fact is a fact. Meanings cannot shape memories.
But consider this: Recent research, reported in The Washington Post (May 26, 2008), has uncovered that we are not much happier on Fridays than we are on Mondays. We really aren’t — our moods do not change very much over the course of the week. But we remember Fridays as happy days because of the meaning we attach to Fridays.
Friday is when we are liberated from the chores of the workweek. It’s when we say “T.G.I.F.” and turn from business to pleasure. It’s when the door to the weekend is thrown wide open.
These are the meanings we attach to Friday. And these meanings shape our memory of how we actually felt on a particular Friday. Because we believe that Fridays are happy days, we remember them as happy days.
Think about this. Meaning shapes memory, in a variety of ways. A bride says that her wedding day was the happiest day of her life. In fact, it was incredibly stressful, but the meaning of marriage turns it into a happy memory.
- A man says that the birth of his first child was a joy. Truth is, it was absolute misery to watch his wife suffer through labor, but the meaning of childbirth makes the memory a positive one.
- A teenager says that her rejection by a boyfriend was the most crushing blow of her life. In fact, she felt a bit relieved, and she bounced back quickly. But the meaning of romance makes the breakup a very painful memory.
- An adult convert to Christianity says that his baptism was wonderful. The reality is that it was wet, cold, and uncomfortable, but the meaning of the sacrament makes it deeply moving to him.
Meaning shapes memory.
This insight can help us to better understand the significance of what happened to Jesus in the Jordan River. The Sunday after Epiphany every year is called “Baptism of the Lord,” and it gives us an opportunity to remember this event and reflect on its impact. It is a perfect example of how meaning shapes memory.
I sure don’t remember mine. I was three months old. But my mother tells me that I screamed as I was carried to the front of the church. I screamed throughout the baptism. And I screamed all the way back to the seats.
I didn’t seem very pleased about becoming a Christian.
But in spite of this rocky start, I am always happy to remember my baptism. And the reason for this is that facts do not create memories. Instead, meaning shapes memories. Because the meaning of baptism is that God accepts me and welcomes me into the Christian family, I have a happy memory every time I think about my baptism.
Now some of you might be thinking: That’s crazy talk. A fact is a fact. Meanings cannot shape memories.
But consider this: Recent research, reported in The Washington Post (May 26, 2008), has uncovered that we are not much happier on Fridays than we are on Mondays. We really aren’t — our moods do not change very much over the course of the week. But we remember Fridays as happy days because of the meaning we attach to Fridays.
Friday is when we are liberated from the chores of the workweek. It’s when we say “T.G.I.F.” and turn from business to pleasure. It’s when the door to the weekend is thrown wide open.
These are the meanings we attach to Friday. And these meanings shape our memory of how we actually felt on a particular Friday. Because we believe that Fridays are happy days, we remember them as happy days.
Think about this. Meaning shapes memory, in a variety of ways. A bride says that her wedding day was the happiest day of her life. In fact, it was incredibly stressful, but the meaning of marriage turns it into a happy memory.
- A man says that the birth of his first child was a joy. Truth is, it was absolute misery to watch his wife suffer through labor, but the meaning of childbirth makes the memory a positive one.
- A teenager says that her rejection by a boyfriend was the most crushing blow of her life. In fact, she felt a bit relieved, and she bounced back quickly. But the meaning of romance makes the breakup a very painful memory.
- An adult convert to Christianity says that his baptism was wonderful. The reality is that it was wet, cold, and uncomfortable, but the meaning of the sacrament makes it deeply moving to him.
Meaning shapes memory.
This insight can help us to better understand the significance of what happened to Jesus in the Jordan River. The Sunday after Epiphany every year is called “Baptism of the Lord,” and it gives us an opportunity to remember this event and reflect on its impact. It is a perfect example of how meaning shapes memory.
posted by Henry Brinton | 8:20 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Henry:
I came across your blog; I, too, have a book being published by CSS. It's due out soon. Perhaps, if you're interested, you might review it at some point. If you'd like, you could visit wendybyard.com. I'm also a Presbyterian deacon.
Best of luck to you.
Wendy
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