Sermon: 16th August 2009 - Baptism

Yesterday I performed my first Baptism at the 'little' church at Bourne End - St John's. I really enjoyed the experience and the service, and remain in a state of wonder that I have been fortunate enough to find myself in this role.

You might wonder why, over a year after being ordained as a deacon, and almost a month after being ordained as a priest, this is my first Baptism (the second is next week at the 'big' church - Sunnyside)

As an evangelical church we don't get lots of requests for baptisms, probably because we ask families to study a 6 week course so that they understand what they are asking for and committing to. If people want to have the ceremony with perhaps, less of an overt commitment for the time being, there are other Anglican churches locally that will help them.

This sermon may sound very familiar. It is. It is based quite closely on the Pastoral Introduction to the Baptism Service, and I have also used an idea I found elsewhere. We didn't have room to include the Pastoral Introduction on the Service Sheet, or the Notice Sheet so it was missed off. There was an argument that to include it would be too 'wordy'.

When I read through the final version of the service that we had printed, I noticed that for an unchurched person, they would leave the church knowing no more about our rather strange customs than when they arrived. This seemed wrong, especially for a church that does explain things.

The other aspect of this decision was that the lectionary reading called for an explantion of transubstantion/communion in Anglican terms, and this again seemed inappropriate for unchurched listeners. If they don't understand Baptism, how can I build on that to explain the Eucharist?

The reasons are above. The text is below. The outcome was that two long-standing members of the regular congregation said that they had never heard such a clear explanation of Baptism in their lives, and that some gaps in their understanding had been filled. Which just goes to show that liturgy teaches (one of my hobby horses!) and that sometimes plagiarism can be a positive thing :-) Thank you to the Archbishop's Council for providing these words that I have adapted.

Let us pray: May the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts be now and always acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

In Hertfordshire it is possible to book a civil ‘naming ceremony’ through the staff of the Registration Service. It costs about £250, and provides a setting in which a family can make promises of commitment to a child. To quote from the publicity, “it has no legal standing, is unconnected with birth registration, cannot be used to change a child’s name and there is no religious content to a ceremony. The certificate issued at a ceremony cannot be used as for identification purposes nor are the promises made legally binding on those that make them.” Despite all the things that it is not, it seems to be based on the Baptism service, and I think that underlines the need we have to celebrate and mark the importance of a child in our lives, and the importance of promises in our lives, even for those with no religious faith.

This is not a naming ceremony, (and there is no charge). This ceremony is a Baptism, and yes, it is about celebration and promises, but it is much more than simply that. The entry in the church register afterwards will confirm this baptism has taken place, and that entry has legal standing.

The Baptism itself, with water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a sign that is recognised by every mainstream Christian church throughout the world – Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, United Reform, Methodist. Baptism in one is valid in all.

For all of us, Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in our response to God's love.

In baptism, you as parents are thanking God for the gift of Louie’s life, deciding to start him on the journey of faith and asking for the Church's support.

As Godparents, you will speak on behalf of Louie during the baptism service itself and have also promised to support Anthony and Claire in bringing the child up as a Christian within the family of the Church, so that in due course, he will confirm this faith for himself, come to confirmation and take his place as a full member of the Anglican Church.

It is as if you have put a sum of money into a bank account for Louie, and over the years to come you have the responsibility of helping him to look after it, and teaching him how to manage that until the time that he can take over responsibility for the account himself.

You have all made a public statement of renunciation of the devil and all that is evil and declare that you turn to Christ, and shortly, with the rest of the congregation you will make a declaration of Christian faith based on the ancient statement of Christian belief called the ‘Apostles’ Creed’.

For everyone involved, particularly the candidate but also parents, godparents and sponsors, it is a joyful moment when we rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ, making serious promises and declaring our shared faith.

The service itself paints many vivid pictures in symbols and signs of what happens on the Christian way.

We pray that God will use the water of baptism to cleanse Louie from sin and give him new life as part of His people. What does this word 'sin' mean?

(Here I did a visual illustration of sin/salvation using a handkerchief and some very dirty water, showing us being washed clean by baptism)

Baptism represents our 'drowning' in the water of baptism, where we believe we die to sin and are raised to new life; it unites us to Christ's dying and rising. Water is also a sign of new life, as we are born again by water and the Spirit, and we are reminded of Jesus' baptism.

There is the sign of the cross, the badge of faith in the Christian journey, which reminds us of Christ's death for us on the cross. Making this sign of the cross signifies that from now on Louie belongs to Christ and must be prepared to live as His follower.

When I make the sign of the cross on Louie's forehead, I will be anointing with chrism - note the similarity to the word Christening - the oil of those who are being baptised. This oil was blessed by the Bishop of this Diocese at the Maundy Thursday service at the Cathedral earlier this year, and has been distributed to all the churches in the Diocese. We all use the same oil. It is another symbol of our joint membership of one church. As in the days of the early Church this represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

And as a sign of that new life, we will give Louie a lighted candle, a picture of the light of Christ conquering the darkness of evil. Everyone who is baptized walks in that light for the rest of their lives.

The wider community of the local church and friends welcome the new Christian, also promising support and prayer for the future. Hearing and doing these things provides an opportunity to remember our own baptism and reflect on the progress made on that journey, which is now to be shared with this new member of the Church.

We will also pray that Louie may grow in holiness and may come eventually to share in the life of God’s eternal kingdom.

In Christian baptism our sins are washed clean, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we receive dignity as a beloved child of God. Every one of us; beloved, with dignity. This is strong imagery, but the images help us to understand real truths about how we are loved by God.

In a few minutes we will move to the font. It is placed next to the entrance because it symbolises our own entrance into faith. I would encourage each person here, as you pass the font later, to reflect on your own baptism and to remind you that you too are God’s beloved son or daughter. Let it remind you that you have been given the Spirit of holiness; let it assure you of God’s love and forgiveness and of your unity with Christ and other Christians through your baptism.

As you pray for Louie, picture him with yourself and the whole Church throughout the ages, journeying into the fullness of God's love. Jesus said, 'I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.' John 10:10

Let us pray: God of grace and life, in your love you have given us a place among your people; keep us faithful to our baptism, and prepare us for that glorious day when the whole creation will be made perfect in your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.