9.7.2026 - Rick DeBruyne

Hello, my name is Rick DeBruyne. I am the Pastor of Visitation at the River where I have served since 2022. Before retiring and moving to Redlands my wife and I served Lincoln Avenue Community Church, a Reformed Church in America congregation in Pomona, CA for 29 years. Prior to that, we organized a church in Dorr, Michigan, a small village south of Grand Rapids where we served for 6 years. We are natives of West Michigan. Gladys and I have two children, six grandchildren, and two and a half great grandchildren.

Over the next weeks we are going to be talking about God Builds His Church. Last week we talked about how God Builds His Church through Communion. This week we are going to talk about how God Builds His Church through Baptism.

Today I would like to think with you about Baptism as a Means of Grace

Our verses for today are Matthew 3:13-17,

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

I was about six years old when my mother had me and my brother and sister baptized.  We were baptized by sprinkling rather than immersion. To be honest, I don’t remember anything about my baptism.  I do remember though, after being baptized, that I ran my hand through my hair and leaned over to my mom and said in a less than quiet voice, My head is all wet.  Our pastor must have done more than a sprinkle!

That was about 65 years ago.  Obviously over the years my understanding and appreciation for baptism has grown exponentially. Sometimes we refer to baptism as one of the “Means of Grace.”  The Means of Grace include Gods Word, The sacraments- both baptism and communion - and Prayer.  We call them Means of Grace because they are divinely appointed ways through which the Lord strengthens our faith, nourishes our souls, and assures us of his promises.  

The Means of Grace are tangible or physical expressions that God has given to us to strengthen our faith and nourish our souls,  We are physical beings and God has given physical ways that we can experience him and express our faith.  While we receive Christ and the promises of God by faith, knowing that faith is the essence of things unseen, it is a blessing that God has given us means of grace expressions of our faith thatt we can see, hear  touch, touch, taste and smell – that we can experience with our physical senses.  Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8, NIV)

Think for a moment about Jesus’s baptism. The account of Jesus’s baptism is in all four gospels. Baptism in the Old Testament and Jesus’ time was a ritual bathing to symbolically remove all impurity.. The water either had to be a natural flowing source or a mikvah, a bathing pool that we might equate today to an immersion tank. The water had to be moving water in order to symbolically wash away sin and restore spiritual purity. 

But Jesus was perfect, he did not need to have his sin washed away. So why was Jesus baptized? Matthew, says that it was to fulfill all righteousness. Matthew was a good Jew, writing to Jews. He wants to make clear that Jesus fulfilled all righteousness according to the Old Testament and Jewish thought. But let me suggest to you that Jesus’ baptism was also physical experience that his followers, his disciples could experience with their physical senses. It was and is a means of Grace, a physical expression that helps us know and believe.

You may not remember your baptism.  Probably not if you were baptized as a baby.  You may not even be about to find your baptismal certificate.  (I just found mine a few weeks ago going through some boxes of old photos and other memorabilia. ). But you can give thanks that Good has given us some physical ways, some things that we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell that strengthen our faith and grow in him.

As we reflect on Baptism this week in encouraged you to reflect in your own baptism and to give thanks to God for the tangible ways he has given us to experience him and grow in our faith.  And if today you are a believer but have never been baptized, I encourage you to connect with a community of faith and find out how you can be baptized.  

"The Lord bless you and keep you"

"The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you"

"The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace"