The Christian Family Welcomes Its Children Holy Baptism Family of Christ Lutheran Church Chanhassen, Minnesota
CHILDREN ARE PRECIOUS And yours are the most precious and important! You think so. And we think so. As your Family in Christ, we can assure you that we will do everything possible to support you as you raise your children in a Christian home to encourage you when the going gets rough to offer pastoral and spiritual care whenever needed to provide intensive and extensive Christian education for you and for your family And that s why a baptism is so important God is bringing a child into the Christian household and that community of faith is promising its care and love for your child, too. This little booklet is designed to help you understand more fully what this sacrament means for us, for your child, and for you, to understand what promises you as parent(s) are making, and to answer some questions that you might have about the ceremony and the procedures We look forward to celebrating your child s rebirth as God s child. May your joy in your son or daughter increase and grow as he or she grows into an adult! 2 ~ Your pastors and the rest of your family in the Family of Christ
Baptism is a Sacrament Baptism is God doing something for us. God brings us into a relationship called faith. Faith is sometimes an emotion, sometimes an intuition, but it s also a relationship of trust. It s very similar to the relationship your child has with you right now. A baby might not know intellectually that you are Mommy or Daddy, but he/she begins to know very quickly, emotionally, that he can trust you, that you love and care for her. And as he grows, he knows it even more strongly and intuitively when in need, and he will begin to know it intellectually, too. Baptism is one way God has of making that relationship happen for us. God has told us in the Bible that in baptism, the Holy Spirit influences us and starts Christian faith. 1 When your child is baptized, the Holy Spirit somehow touches him/her, starts him believing and trusting in Jesus Christ. Your child s sins are forgiven because she believes in Jesus death and resurrection. And your child is promised life with God forever heaven. 2 How can this happen in even a little baby just a few weeks or days old? We don t know, really, but we do know that the Bible says that children can believe, 3 and we know, too, that if God could raise Jesus from death, God can also create faith in an infant or in any of us. This is the key idea: God is doing something for your child. Through the water and the Word, faith begins and this child is made a child of God. That is what we mean by sacrament. And that s why we and most Christian churches baptize infants. If the initial action is something God does, then it doesn t really depend on the amount of mental ability, knowledge, or understanding the baby has. It is God s grace which initiates our faith and trust not our conscious faith which compels grace. And the Bible s commands to baptize imply that we should not overlook our children, no matter how young. 4 1 Titus 3:3-8 and Galatians 3:26, 27; 2 1 Peter 3:21 and Romans 6:3-11 (especially good!); 3 Matthew 18:6; 4 Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38-39
It is not important what baptismal method is used, whether by immersion or sprinkling. The New Testament Greek word is used with either meaning, and the effective agents are water and God s Word, not the way the water is administered. That would make God s grace dependent on a mechanical process. Another picture of baptism is adoption. If your child was/is adopted, the official placement of your baby in your home is like the baptism. God adopts us into the family of faith; baptism makes it official. Then as we grow, we learn to trust, believe and rely on God as all children learn to trust, believe and rely on their parent(s). As we re growing up, we keep learning what it means to be a member of our family the values we have, the way we treat each other, the hopes we share with one another. We do that in the Church, too. Along the way, we learn what all this means in church, church school, and confirmation. We do special family things together; we have family traditions, like going to Grandma s house for Thanksgiving. In the church, that s called worship. Finally, there comes a time when a child senses or knows (in all the ways emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, physically) what it means to belong to this particular family. In the church, that s confirmation. Frankly, there s the chance the child will run away from home or leave emotionally and not come back. We pray that won t happen either in your family or in God s family. And that s why what we do as parents in raising our children is so important. Baptism is a Life-long Thing: Confirmation Once faith has started by God s action, it will continue to grow and get stronger again, by God s action. It doesn t grow by itself, though; it s not an automatic thing. Baptism is not a kind of spiritual fire insurance policy which guarantees a child s heavenly future, regardless of what he/she is or does or whether the parent(s) care about Christian life or not. If that were true, we d baptize babies by the dozen at hospitals. 4
That s why we put a lot of stock in Christian education as a congregation. A child has to learn more about faith as she grows in her mental ability. He should learn to pray. She should learn how to live as a baptized child of God in Christian lifestyle. He should learn to worship. And she should be able to understand, explain and affirm her faith. That s what confirmation is. It s the time in your child s life, after he/she is old enough to understand more fully what it means to be a Christian, when he says, in effect, Yes, indeed, I do believe in God. Yes, indeed, I do want to be God s man/woman. Confirmation is the affirmation (the repeating, the confirming ) of the faith received in baptism. In confirmation your child will repeat the same vows and promises that she is making on the day when she is baptized, spoken through the voices of you and her sponsors. Baptism & Church Membership A baby is baptized into the Christian Church, not into the Lutheran church or any other church. He enters God s family, which is made of people from all the different Church denominations. But a child does also enter membership in a particular local Christian congregation. She is called a baptized member. We have certain rights in the Christian church: We can expect and receive pastoral and spiritual care from the congregation. We can worship together. We can expect religious instruction and Christian support from the parish. Our abilities, talents, time, and efforts will be appreciated and used wisely. In the church we also have some responsibilities: We are expected to come to church regularly to worship with God s people and to participate in activities as we are able. We are expected to support God s people through our faith, prayers, contributions, and work. Those are not only human expectations; those are God s hopes and intentions for us as we live in Christian love and relationships.
As Parents, You Make Some Promises A child learns best what is learned at home. That s true for citizenship, for responsibility with jobs, for manners. That s also true for Christian faith. To a great degree, the kind of Christians you as parent(s) are will determine the kind of Christian your child will be. You are, in every way, the Number One influence in your child s life. One of our favorite phrases at Family of Christ describes how we understand this interplay of family faith: Faithful, active Christian parents raising faithful, active Christian children. In the baptismal ceremony, as parent(s), you are promising that you will: make every effort to be model Christians provide a home with Christian love, forgiveness, and piety be a good example through regular worship habits, your attitudes about Christ and his people, and through your everyday habits of work, recreation, and relaxation That s a pretty big order! And we want you to be serious about this. You are making a pledge to God about one of God s little ones. Don t take this lightly. If you don t think you can make these promises with a clear conscience, consider waiting for your child s baptism until you understand your own Christian life better. But God promises all sorts of help! God promises the Holy Spirit to each one of us. We have help in our Christian lives through God s Word, the Bible our regular and devoted worship regular, frequent participation in Holy Communion the spiritual guidance and support a congregation provides 6
Sponsors/Godparents Sponsors (godparents) are people who you choose to be the official witnesses of your baby s baptism. Godparents represent the whole Christian community when they stand beside you in the ceremony. They bring your child to baptism, pledge their support, assume emotional (if not legal) responsibility for her spiritual well-being, and present her to the church they sponsor her, in other words. And they serve as her spiritual mentors. In the old days, sponsors were one way parents planned for emergencies. In the past, sponsors became legal guardians for children when the parents died. Or they took the children into their own home and raised them. These are no longer considerations when choosing sponsors. Permanent guardianship is established through legal channels, not through the church. Remember this when you re selecting sponsors: You are not choosing guardians of your child. That s a separate decision. Rather, sponsors can be your friends, relatives, family. They should generally be adult Lutherans and should definitely be ACTIVE members of a Christian Church people who can honestly and fully confess the Christian faith as we do in the words of the Apostle s Creed. Some parents choose friends from within our congregation, and that s appropriate. Finally, it is not required that godparents be personally present for the baptism if travel arrangements or schedules don t work out. Then someone else serves as proxy for the official sponsors. If you have questions about your choice of sponsors, you can certainly discuss your decision with us.
Some Other Questions You Might Have WHEN CAN WE SCHEDULE THE BAPTISM? We request that you have your child baptized in a public worship service. Because it is a sacrament of the Christian church, and because it is your child s entrance into the family of God and into this Family of Christ, it is appropriate and fitting that he/she be baptized in public worship, when all God s people gathered together can participate with you in the ceremony and share the occasion with you and your family. Only under unusual and special circumstances should you plan on a private baptism. Please talk to one of the pastors about this if you want a private service, and we ll work it out. We would also like you to check with us far enough in advance so we can make worship service plans accordingly. Normally, the baptism can take place during any of our regularly-scheduled worship services. WHY DON T PASTORS ACCEPT A GIFT AT A BAPTISM? This is one of the church s sacraments, a special rite administered by the Christian church. We don t believe it s appropriate for pastors to accept a gift for something which we are doing in the name of the congregation. However, if you want to make a donation (financial or otherwise) to Family of Christ in honor of the occasion, great! WHAT ARE THE DETAILS? 1. Arrive AT LEAST 15 minutes early for the service so you can catch your breath, be seated, and settle in before worship. Anyone is welcome to be with you grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends. 2. Your other children, too, are very welcome to stand with you during the ceremony: They want to see what s going on, and it s a good chance for them to learn about the sacrament. 8
3. The ceremony of the baptism normally takes place quite early in the service. 4. The rite takes place in the center of the church in front of the altar. Stand to the side of the baptismal bowl so that the congregation can see the action. Please stand with the child on the right side of the font as you are facing the altar. 5. Either you or one of the sponsors may hold the baby. Whoever is holding the child should hold him/her low over the baptismal bowl and close to the water when it s time for the holy moment. 6. You will receive the baptismal napkin as a memento of your child s baptism, a baptismal candle, and the certificate of baptism. After our applause to greet your child, return to your seat. 7. We do not allow flash or video pictures during the ceremony. Please communicate this to family members. There will be time for photos after the service.
Holy Baptism Pastor: People brought their young children to Jesus for his blessing. Some of the disciples tried to stop them, but when Jesus saw that he was angry. He said, Let those little children come to me, for they are also part of God s Kingdom. I tell you the truth those who have faith like the faith of a little child will be the ones who belong to God s family. And then Jesus took the children into his arms, embraced each of them, and gave them his blessing., as s parents you are bringing h/h to be baptized because you understand the meaning of Baptism and you yourselves are members of God s kingdom. You have asked these individuals dear to you to serve with you as witnesses of this sacrament. Do you promise before God and God s family gathered here to provide for your child a Christian home, Christian guidance and training as he/she grows, and encouragement (by your own example) to lead a God-pleasing life? Do you promise to help your son/daughter grow as a servant of God and a member of God s family? PARENTS & SPONSORS: Yes, we do. Pastor: Do you want your child to believe the Christian faith and to live it? PARENTS & SPONSORS: We do. 10
Pastor: Sisters and brothers, we ourselves have been blessed with life from the generous hand of God. We are united in peace and friendship through the Holy Spirit. And together we confess the lordship of Jesus Christ and call ourselves his Family. Representing God s people world-wide, do we receive this child as a member of the Christian Church? Nurtured and strengthened ourselves by each other s presence, will we nurture and strengthen by our friendship, care, instruction, and love? People: YES, WE WILL. Pastor: Then let us confess the faith in which we are united in the words of the Church s age-old baptismal creed: The congregation will stand. 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 BY 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 AGAIN; HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, HE IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER, AND HE WILL COME TO JUDGE THE LIV- ING AND THE DEAD. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS, THE FORGIVE- NESS OF SINS, THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY, AND THE LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN
Pastor: People: Pastor: People: Pastor: People: Pastor: People: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks for freeing your sons and daughters from the power of sin, and for raising us up to a new life through this holy sacrament. Pour your Holy Spirit upon, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence. AMEN, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. AMEN Let us pray for and for all our homes and families. GRACIOUS & LOVING GOD, BLESS THE HOME OF THIS CHILD. GIVE WISDOM AND UNDER- STANDING TO ALL WHO CARE FOR H/H. BRING H/H TO GROW IN THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. AND BLESS ALL OUR HOMES AND FAMILIES WITH THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF CHRIST, THAT WE MAY SHARE HIS PEACE IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR WORLD. AMEN 12
Baptismal Information Father s Name: Mother s Name: Address of Baptismal Family: Phone Numbers of Baptismal Family: Primary: Secondary: Email Address for Baptismal Family: Child s Full Name: Date of Birth: Place of Birth (City, State): Date of Baptism: Time of Baptism: Sunday, 8:00 AM Sunday, 9:15 AM Sunday, 10:45 AM 14
Sponsors: Please return this page to the church office a week or two before the baptism. We want to get the name, spellings and dates right on your child s certificate and enter h/h name in our church records. Thank you. 2020 Coulter Boulevard Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317 familyofchristonline.com Phone: 952-934-5659 Fax: 952-934-4250