September 9, 2022
Made, not born
This Saturday we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism for two people in our community by confession of faith. Directions and other details can be found here. As I am preparing for that special day, I am reminded of the ancient Christian adage, “Christians are made, not born.” Martin Luther made a comment about baptism that reflected this thought. Luther said, no matter how old you are when baptized, it is like putting an infant into a monk’s robe. That is, all baptisms are something you need to grow into. It is the beginning, not the end of any faith journey, even for someone who has grown up in the faith and is baptized confessing their own faith.
Luther’s understanding came from his experience as a monk, a pastor, a scholar, and as baptized Christian. His was a life full of education and formation. Luther assumed his life was no different than any other Christian; or at least should be no different, and so he promoted the importance of growing in faith. Luther lived out this ideal by creating “catechisms” or teachings that were understood to be essential for a Christian. And they are essential for us, as the Covenant’s confirmation program has its origins in Luther’s catechisms. Further, Luther created songs for children that explained the difference between the teachings of the church of Rome, other protestants, and Lutherans, because he knew these ideas would be easily remembered if sung. Likewise, Luther and his wife (a former nun), ran a boarding house along with raising their children, and had talks at dinner time about what to believe and what not to believe. These are found in Luther’s Table Talk. Even the concept of a “conventicle,” or a small group meeting where people gathered to study scripture, pray, and encourage and admonish one another in their life of faith—a central practice of Lutheran pietists, was introduced by Luther in the introduction to a collection to his sermons.
What Luther did not know was how much more rigorous the formation of early Christians was than what he proposed and enacted. For example, everyone who wished to be baptized was thoroughly tested before being accepted into a group called the “catechumenate.” This was a group being “formed and informed” in the faith in preparation for baptism. It was a time of not only learning Christian teachings, but Christian practices, such as daily worship, fasting, making contributions to the church, and visiting the sick and those in prison. This process could possibly last up to 3 three years in some places. Infants being baptized would be held during the catechumens’ lessons by their sponsor (what we now sometimes call a “god parent”). It was the sponsor’s responsibility to communicate those teachings to the child as they grew older, as well as the responsibility of the child’s parents if they were Christians.
After baptism on Easter, the newly baptized had more education and formation awaiting them. There was another round of teaching for the newly baptized called “mystagogy.” This was series of teachings that explained the theological purposes and meanings of all they had experienced as a catechumen through the rituals and sacraments of initiation that now defined them as a Christian. At the same time, they were expected to continue the practices of service and spiritual growth that were central in their baptismal preparation. Likewise, as their spiritual gifts were discerned as they grew in their faith, they were expected to use them for the health of the church and its ministry to the world.
Though Luther knew little of this, we do now. In the last century we have studied, surveyed, and assessed the relevance of the practices of churches, Christian religious communities of all types, and the training of ministers assessing what practices of formation might be most helpful for people today. We have seen how churches in the west (Protestants and Roman Catholics) influenced by the Enlightenment, downplayed the place of spiritual practices and elevated the place of rational thought. For them, worship became word-centered to the point where the congregants were no longer the primarily worshippers, but an audience with limited participation. Pietism was a response to the Enlightenment and its influence on the church. At the same time this rationalistic impulse was a major factor in the development of the evangelical movements.
The Covenant denomination has its roots in Lutheran pietism, but has been influenced in varying degrees by evangelical rationalism. In the last two decades there has been a decided return to the place of practices, not just information, in Christian formation. This has happened at the same time a shift was taking place in education in the West in general, highlighting the importance of experience in education, such as in the approaches of John Dewey and Victoria Montessori. At First Covenant, prior to my arrival, there was evidence a more wholistic, on-going formative approach to the Christian life. The pandemic has made education and formation of all sorts more difficult, including Christian formation at our church.
Last week I introduced our pietist roots and how that informs our understanding of the Christian faith as an on-going process of spiritual growth. This week I have offered an extended reflection on the ancient Christian adage, “Christians are made, not born.” Next week I will introduce you to the resources we offer for formation for people of all ages, and try to persuade you that these opportunities are important ones for all of us. For now, I invite you to pray for those who are about to be initiated into the Christian faith and our church. At the same time, I invite you to consider how you have grown in your Christian faith since your baptism, and specifically since the pandemic began. May we continue to be good stewards of the opportunities to grow in Christ that God through the Spirit has afforded us.
Pastor Todd