From time to time we baptize a person at one of our Central
Church Sunday worship services. Usually, the "person" is an infant,
often too young even to be speaking. For the occasion, the whole family
turns out, and folks come from out of town to witness and support this event
called "Baptism".
At CPC's last Baptism, I realized that although I was
familiar with the Baptism ritual, the purpose was not so clear to me.
Later, I did a little research in the "purpose" question.
Here's what I learned --------
For Presbyterians, Baptism is chronologically and logically
the first of the Sacraments, and is a prerequisite for the other Sacrament (The
Lord's Supper or Communion). The act of baptizing always includes causing
water to flow upon the body of the baptized person while the person who
administers it states that it is being done in obedience to divine command and
in the name of each of the persons of the Trinity.
Basically, the stains of Original Sin are being washed
away. The person receiving the ritual, usually an infant is thus
symbolically "cleansed" of sin, permitting the person to be united
with the Body of Christ ---- that worldwide fellowship of Jesus'
followers. Baptism in Scripture always has the prerequisite of repentance
and faith, which are impossible for an infant. Infants cannot outwardly
express faith. But, in effect, the Baptism ritual makes the baptized
person fit to receive the further aids to God's grace, later in his or her
life.
If Baptism is a sign that a person is a member of God's
covenant community, and if the children of believers are members of that
community, it follows that the children of believers should receive some sign
that they are members of God's covenant community by being baptized, as though
an infant is entitled to a passport that indicates the child is a member of a
particular country.
The service of Baptism is usually also a Christening, where
the child receives for the first time his or her Christian name, identifying
the child as a unique individual in the society of the church and in the world.
Baptism and Communion (the only two Sacraments practiced by
Presbyterians) are connected practices, not independent acts. Baptism
begins a lifelong journey of discipleship, and Communion sustains us on that journey.
The role and purpose of the two Sacraments are grounded in a belief that the
Sacraments connect us to Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
We respond to the free gift of God's love and forgiveness, and promise to
"die" to the ways of sin and evil, because we now depend on
Jesus. With the Spirit's blessing, in the Baptism waters we seek to
develop a new identity for the child as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Family are gathered around the Baptism font, and the
congregation is sitting in the pews ---- but everybody makes promises that they
will help the new baby learn about Jesus. However, Baptism is but the
beginning of a lifelong process of formation in the faith. God loved this
baby even before the baby was Baptized. Baptism proclaims that God
reaches out to us with a joyous free gift of love and mercy before we can do
anything to merit God's favor. The ritual of Baptism is a time to
recognize that love and show it out loud.
In Baptism we are brought together as a community, a
family defined by water Baptism and not by blood relationship. By
participating in the Baptism we profess that our faith in Jesus Christ
transcends political and personal differences.
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These words are brought to you by the CPC Adult Spiritual
Education Team, hoping to encourage your spiritual growth in the coming months.
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