[WELCOME]
Welcome to those who are here often
as well as those who come particularly for this special
occasion.
May you experience the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
while you are here in this place,
may the love of God fill you at all times
and as you go out from here,
may the Holy Spirit of God go with you.
Hymn
[THE DECLARATION]
Baptism is what we call a sacrament; a moment when we are
aware of a connection between heaven and earth; a meeting of humanity and
divinity, a moment when people and God
are connected; a discovery of the special within the ordinary things of life.
In this sacrament of baptism, we are making a response to
all that God has done for us through Jesus and responding to Jesus' call for us
to follow him. by offering ourselves as part of the community of believers known
as the Church - not of the Church here in this place or of one denomination or
another, but of the universal Church
God came to us in human form, in the person of Jesus
Christ -
who showed us how to love,
how to show compassion,
how to act without prejudice,
how to challenge injustice
and to lift the burdens of those oppressed,
either by their own past actions,
or the current actions of others.
He did not fight for his own life, instead he died for
ours.
Christ washes away the things that have weighed us down
and offers us a new life if we are ready to receive it.
And so baptism is not about what we do,
but our acknowledgement of -
and our willingness to receive what God gives to us.
After Jesus had risen from the dead, he told his
disciples to 'Go and make disciples of all peoples,
By baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
by teaching them to carry with them all of his
instructions
and remembering, that he is with us till the end of time.
On the day the disciples received the Holy Spirit, Peter shared
the news that Jesus had risen from the dead. When people asked what they should
do about it, Peter told them all to turn their lives around and be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ, so that their sins may be forgiven; so that their
burdens may be lifted; so that their dirt may be washed away and so that they
too might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And this promise as declared then still stands for us
today, for you,
for your children and for all who are far away,
as the Lord our God calls each one of us to respond'
[THE REQUEST FOR BAPTISM]
The parents (and godparents) of the child(ren) to
be baptized stand. The minister says to the parents:
Name(s) of Parent(s), having heard
these things, how do you respond to the offer of God's grace?
Answer:
I/We thank God, and ask that my/our child
be
baptized.
[THE THANKSGIVING OVER THE WATER]
A child from the family or congregation brings
the water
Water is poured into the font, in the sight of
the people.
The minister stands at the font and says:
Gracious God, we thank you
for this life giving water which washes us clean
And is a symbol for us of the outpouring of your Spirit
to all people
And just as your Spirit moved over the waters at creation
So may it move in our hearts today.
Pour out your Holy Spirit
that the child baptized in this water
may die to sin,
be raised with Christ,
and be born to new life in the family of your Church.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[THE AFFIRMATION OF FAITH]
All stand
The parent(s) (and godparents) gather round or
near the font.
The minister says to the parents (and godparents):
Do you turn away from evil and all that denies God?
Answer: By the grace of God, I do.
Do you turn to God,
trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour,
and in the Holy Spirit as Helper and Guide?
Answer: By the grace of God, I do.
The minister says to everyone present:
We say together:
We believe in God the Father,
who made the world.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his Son,
who redeemed humankind.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God.
[THE BAPTISM]
The minister says to the parents of each child:
What name have you given this child?
The parent(s) respond with the Christian
name(s) of each child.
The minister says:
Name of child,
Jesus came into the world for you;
to show you God's love;
he died on the Cross, triumphed over death,
and rose to a new life that he hopes one day you too will
share.
All this for you, before you could know anything of it.
In your Baptism this word of Scripture is fulfilled:
'We love, because God first loved us.'
The
minister, taking each child into his arms, pours water generously and visibly
on the child's head, or dips the child in water three times, once at the
mention of each Person of the Holy Trinity, saying:
Name of child, I baptize you
in the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
By Baptism, God has received you into the Church.
The minister makes the sign of the cross on the
forehead of
each child, saying:
Name(s) of child,
I sign you with the cross, the sign of Christ.
The people sit.
A lighted candle is given to the parents or godparents
of the child. The cradle roll secretary says to the child:
Name(s) of child,
This is to remind you that Jesus is the Light of the
world.
May he be the light for you to follow, on your way
through this world.
Amen.
The newly-baptized child(ren) is/are shown to
the people
as we sing: StF 453 Wash me Clean
[THE BAPTISMAL PROMISES]
The parents and godparents stand.
The minister says to the parents:
Name(s) of Parent(s), I ask you now
to respond to God's love and
grace to your child by making these promises.
Will you love Name(s) of child(ren),
committing yourselves to care for her/him/them
in body, mind and spirit?
Answer: With
God's help we will.
Will you, therefore,
ensure that he is nurtured
in the faith and life of the Christian community?
Answer: With God's help we will.
Will you set before her/him/them a Christian
example,
that through your prayers, words and deeds,
he/she/they may learn the way of
Christ?
Answer: With God's help we will.
(The minister says to the
godparents:
Name(s) of godparent(s),
will you help Name(s) of Parent(s)
to nurture Name(s) of child(ren) in the Christian
faith?
Answer: With God's help we will.)
[THE PROMISE OF THE PEOPLE]
The people stand. The minister says to them:
People of the Church, the body of Christ, we rejoice that
Name(s) of child(ren) has/have been baptized into this family.
Do you promise that together you will work to be a Church
that will make space to nurture Name(s) of child(ren) and those of his/her/their generation in the ways of Christian discipleship;
that he/she/they might know God as Father, Son and
Spirit,
that he/she/they might understand something of
God's love and Grace
and that he/she/they might be encouraged to share
that love with the people he/she/they meet(s) along his/her/their journey?
With God's help we will.
The people sit.
A Bible and certificate of Baptism is presented.
Let us pray.
Generous God,
May we sense you near to us;
May we recall the promises we have made to you,
Today and in the past
And may they be made new once more.
Amen
Lord we have become weighed down by our own thoughts
So we ask you to lift our burdens
We are covered in the marks of our own actions
So we ask you to wash us clean
We have debts of the heart that are too much for us to
pay
So we ask you to release us from our internal chains
Amen.
Silence
'I am making all things new,' says the Lord.
This is Christ's gracious word:
'Your sins are forgiven.'
Amen. Thanks be to God.
We say together the prayer that Jesus gave us:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in
heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against
us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
No comments:
Post a Comment