Today we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Every baptism is a special and important event. It is a unique and unrepeatable event in the life of each candidate, and a special moment for the parents and sponsors who present the candidates.

I would never refuse to baptize any person who comes to the church honestly seeking the sacrament, whether for them or for their child. People ask. We baptize. However, that is hardly the whole story.

Let’s think for a moment about families. The very youngest family members—such as the ones we are baptizing today—experience their families as being there to serve their needs. Baby cries: Baby gets hugged, or fed, or changed, or put to bed. As far as Baby is concerned, everything revolves around Baby’s needs. However, as Baby grows up, he or she begins to understand that the universe does not in fact revolve around his or her needs.

As we mature, most people become less self-centred, and more mindful of the needs of others. In our families, we learn what it means to live in community. We come to know that the necessities of family or community life sometimes conflict with our own needs.

Baptism of an infant brings a child into a family—in this case, the church, the family of God. Each child has the potential to grow into a faithful disciple of Christ, a contributing member of the family. Just as children begin to understand their families’ needs as opposed to their own, , so we pray that these children will come to take their place in the family of God. Being a family member carries both rights and responsibilities. We have the right to expect that our basic needs will be met, both at home and in the church. But we also have the responsibility of contributing to communal needs—again, both at home and in the church.

That learning is hinted at in the commandment not to take the name of God in vain. In ancient thought, invoking the name of a god was a way to invoke the god’s power, to advance our own purposes—meeting our own needs. The commandment stands as a challenge to us to heed God’s needs, to put his purposes before our own, as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane:

Today we will pray for the three children who come to be baptized, that they may grow into the full stature of Christ—the one above all others who put the needs of the whole world before his own.

Let us remember, however, that this prayer is one that each and every one of us ought to pray for ourselves—no matter what our age, no matter how committed we may be to our church, no matter how holy a life we may lead. Our own needs and wants keep on coming to the surface, blocking out our ability to see and respond to the needs of those around us. It’s easy to revert to childhood, and spend our lives demanding that our needs be met.

Some people treat the church like a supermarket—there to meet their needs at certain times, and easily forgotten the rest of the time.

Thanks be to God, there are many others, people who know that the church is family, and as in any family, commitment is required to keep it functional.

The congregation will stand in a few minutes, and promise to support the newly baptized in their life in Christ. This is not a small promise, but a vow that we will be here for them, drawing on whatever resources we can to ensure that the church will continue to be a haven from the storm, and a light to the world. It is a promise that we will be here to respond to the needs of the world, and especially to the needs of the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed.

The church is called to respond to people’s needs, to be there for them—to be God’s hands, feet and voice in this world. When people come to us, whether to worship on a Sunday morning, or to seek help on a weekday afternoon, or for any other reason, we are called to pray and to discern what God wishes us to do for them—and then to respond.

We can not meet every expressed need, nor should we hope to. Some things will be impossible, some will be inadvisable, and some will be incompatible with the church’s life and mission. Nonetheless, we must remind always ourselves, in words of William Temple:

Most people come at first to the church seeking to have their needs met. As faith deepens, our eyes turn outwards.

The church can not respond to particular needs without resources, so we must challenge ourselves—challenge each other—to help provide those resources of money and ministry which enable that response.

St. Matthew’s Cathedral is in a difficult situation at the moment. A letter to be handed out after the service should make this clear. We have issues in leadership and ongoing financial problems. But we also have huge resources—the people of this parish, who give of themselves in all sorts of ways, showing their love for God’s people, their love of the church, and above all their love for Jesus.

As we come to the waters of baptism today, let us recommit ourselves to being the church God wishes us to be, giving of ourselves to the glory of God, and the building up of his people.

By the grace of God, may we continue to grow in faith, seeking to serve not our own needs, but the needs of others, for the sake of him who gave his life for us, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.