Baptism Service
God is the creator of all things, and he gives to parents the work and joy of bringing children to birth and nurturing them. Yet, Jesus tells us, those who are born of human parents need to be born anew. 'What is born of flesh,' he says, 'is flesh; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.' And again he says, 'Unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.'Because of our sinfulness, God calls us to a new birth and life in union with himself. Baptism is the sign and seal of this new birth. Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and to baptize those who believe.
They obeyed this command, and we read of Saint Peter preaching in these words, 'Repent, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are afar off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.' In obedience to that same command we ourselves were baptised and now bring this child to baptism.
Lord, our merciful God,
you have promised in Christ to be our God
and the God and Father of our children.
Fulfil your promise to us,
and for Jesus Christ's sake
receive these children as members of your family.
Grant that they may receive the fullness of your grace
and the washing away of all their sins,
for without these blessings no one can enter your kingdom.
May your Spirit live and work in them,
that they may be yours forever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Those who present themselves for baptism must declare their allegiance to Christ and their rejection of all that is evil. So I ask:
Do you turn away from your sins, the Devil and all evil?
I turn away from them all.
Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.
You have come here to be baptised. You must now profess the faith into which you are to be baptised, as we all confess together:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
I ask you now
Do you profess this faith?
I do.
Will you follow Jesus faithfully, and obey his commands throughout your life?
With his help, I intend to do so.
N, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
N, I sign you with the sign of the cross to show that you are marked as Christ's own for ever.
Live as a disciple of Christ:
fight the good fight,
finish the race,
keep the faith.
Confess Christ crucified,
proclaim his resurrection,
look for his coming in glory.
God has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.
God has called you into his Church.
We therefore receive and welcome you
as a member with us of the body of Christ,
as a child of the one heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor of the kingdom of God.
Heavenly Father, we pray for the parents and godparents of these children.
Give them the spirit of wisdom and love, that they may teach them by word and example to know you.
Grant us in our homes the joy that comes from knowing you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.