Sacrament of Holy Baptism
God, who is rich in mercy and love, gives us a new birth into
a living hope through the sacrament of baptism. By water and the Word,
God delivers us from sin and death and raises us to new life in Jesus
Christ. We are united with all the baptized in the one body of Christ,
anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and joined in God's mission
for the life of the world.
Presentation
The Holy Spirit calls and invites us to receive God's grace.
Sponsors present those to be baptized or candidates present themselves,
and we promise our support.
To candidates who
are able to answer for themselves.
{Your name}, called by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the grace and love
of God, do you desire to be baptized into Christ?
Each candidate responds: I do.
Parents or others
who bring for baptism child(ren) who are not able to answer for
themselves say:
I present {infant’s name} for
baptism.
To parents or others:
Called by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the grace and love of God, do
you desire to have your child(ren) baptized into Christ?
Response: I do.
To parents or others:
As you bring your child(ren) to receive the gift of baptism, you are
entrusted with responsibilities:
- to live with them among God's
faithful people,
- bring them to the word of God and the holy supper,
- teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments,
place in their hands the holy scriptures,
- and nurture them in faith and prayer,
- so that your child(ren) may learn to trust God,
- proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world
God made,
and work for justice and peace.
Do you promise to help your child(ren) grow in the Christian
faith and life?
Response: I do.
To the sponsors:
Sponsors, do you promise to nurture this/these persons in the Christian
faith as you are empowered by God's Spirit, and to help him/her/them
live in the covenant of baptism and in communion with the church?
Response: I do.
To the assembly:
People of God, do you promise to support {name/s} and pray for
him/her/them in their new life in Christ?
Response: We do.
Profession of Faith
Only by God's grace can we renounce the forces of evil and the
power of sin. With the whole church, we confess our faith in the triune
God. To the whole assembly including candidates for baptism as well as
sponsors and parents of young child(ren).
Presiding minister: I ask you to profess your faith in Christ
Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church.
Presiding minister: Do you renounce the devil and all the
forces that defy God?
Response: I renounce them.
Presiding minister: Do you renounce the powers of this world
that rebel against God?
Response: I renounce them.
Presiding minister: Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw
you from God?
Response: I renounce them.
Presiding minister: Do you believe in God the Father?
Response: I believe in God, the
Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Presiding minister: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God?
Response: I believe in Jesus
Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
as crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead: On the
third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Presiding minister: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
Response: 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.
Thanksgiving at the Font Baptism
With thanksgiving, God's saving deeds are remembered. Dying
with Christ in baptism, the child of God is raised to new life through
water and the Word.
Baptism
The presiding minister baptizes each candidate. Water is
poured on the candidate's head, as the presiding minister says:
{Name} , I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The assembly responds with an acclamation.
Prayer for the Holy Spirit & Sign of the Cross
We pray that the gift of the Holy Spirit sustain the baptized.
The baptized are marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Welcome
A lighted candle is given to each of the newly baptized or
their sponsor for a young child.
A representative of the
congregation says: Let your light so shine before others that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
We welcome our new companions in the mission of God. The
representative of the congregation leads the assembly words of welcome.
Representative: Let us welcome
the newly baptized.
Assembly: We welcome you into the body of Christ and into the mission
we share: join us in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God's
creative and redeeming word to all the world.
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