‘Walking wet’ in the baptismal life

October is a significant month for Lutherans in Australia. Not only is it the month in which we commemorate the Reformation that led to the birth of the Lutheran church globally, but October also contains other important anniversaries in the life of our church more locally.‘’

As Pastor Neville Otto told worshippers during Monday’s closing service of the LCANZ’s Convention of General Synod, 158 years ago on 9 October, four Lutheran missionaries set out walking ‘wet in their baptisms’ from the Tanunda area in South Australia’s Barossa Valley to take the gospel to Killalpaninna in the state’s Far North.

‘They walked wet in their baptisms to take the message to the people further north’, Pastor Neville said, adding that it was also in October, also in Tanunda, in 1966, that two Synods would come together to form the Lutheran Church of Australia. ‘[The 1860s] was a fervent time of mission endeavour, [there was] a strong desire to share the gospel with the people of the land.

‘Nine short years later, again in October, from the same area, this time from Bethany, more would set out. And this time, the road would take their feet further north to Central Australia.

‘They all set out in hope, walking boldly in the newness of the baptised life that they lived. Splashed with promise, they set out boldly walking wet to share it in the world. Whatever lay ahead, they went in faith. They looked forward in hope that they might in some way share the gospel and bring the newness of life that they all walked in.’

Citing the work and witness of Finke River Mission, Australian Lutheran World Service, LCA International Mission, Lutheran Women of Australia and the LCANZ’s mission partners, Pastor Neville said: ‘Over these days, [and] I pray this is the same for you. I feel so blessed to hear the mission stories that we’ve heard.’

He also referenced the logo of the LCANZ’s Way Forward project which, contained in a circle features two figures coming from different directions yet brought together carrying the cross of Christ, on a path with no defined end.

‘It draws me into the story that we are on this journey together’, Pastor Neville said. ‘Not always because we agree with one another … but because God in Christ Jesus, in his son … has gone the way of the cross for you and me and has adopted each one of us into his family in love.

‘As you look at the pathway in the logo, you might see that the end … is not necessarily defined. We don’t know exactly where it’s going to take us, do we? But by faith, by the word of God, by the promise of our God, we know that God is already there ahead of us, leading us to his light together as his people.

‘We carry the cross of Christ on this journey. Together, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, our only hope, the joy of our salvation. Together we walk wet in our family life, in our work life, in our congregation life and also on God’s path and his mission to the whole world.’

Pastor Neville, who concluded his service as the LCANZ’s Assistant Bishop on Monday, said his service in the church continued to be ‘a time of growth’.

‘There’s no need for us to have anything to be afraid of’, he said. ‘Your witness to me has shown me that we are people of the word. We are people of the gospel. We are people who walk together in the beauty of our baptisms.

‘When I started out as a pastor in ministry, there was a … resource [with] the words “walking wet”. It was proclaiming what Paul proclaims in Romans chapter 6: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.” Those missionaries [who] left Tanunda with the gospel in their hearts, walking wet into the world and into life ahead.

‘And perhaps it was the same for those people on October the 9th, 1966, as we were about to be formed into this church that we call LCANZ today, that they had the same hope, they looked ahead to what God had in store for them. How about you? How about me? How do we walk ahead ss we leave this Convention of Synod and go back into the world?

‘Our work of these days of Synod has called us forward. Maybe we’re having different feelings about this as we prepare to go. Part of our walking ahead on that road together is also to slow down to the pace of one another, for listening. And to attend to each other … with this same gospel of grace that we have …

‘We walk in newness of life, eternal life to come, yes, but also life, which is surely ours to live and ours to give on the journey. So, we don’t need to fear, we don’t need to fear death. We don’t need to fear tomorrow. We don’t need to fear the unknown … We don’t need to fear change. We don’t need to fear going forward.

‘It’s the promise of baptism that calls us forward in the LCANZ. All people walking wet, young and old, lay and ordained, to stay the faith course. And as we go, how will you walk into the future and back into the world? How will you walk wet? May we [walk], as we sang last night in our closing devotion … “By grace I am redeemed. By grace I am restored. And now I freely walk into the arms of Christ my Lord”.’

Read the full transcript of Pastor Neville’s sermon here.