Baptism
Despite the fact that fewer people go to church compared to past years, one of the first things parents often think about after their baby has been born is “we must get them Christened.” Sometimes it takes a few months, but when it does, there is the question “how do I go about it?” At St Peter’s, we are delighted to Christen babies (although we tend to use the other word. “Baptise”, which means the same thing) and our desire is to make it a really special day for everyone. So, if this is you and you have a gorgeous new (or not so new) bundle of fun and are thinking of a Baptism, read on …
What is Baptism?
In the simplest of terms, a Baptism is when a child (or an adult) has an outward wash to symbolise the inward washing away of sin (the wrong things) in our lives, as a result of what Jesus Christ did by dying on the Cross for the world at Easter. Whilst Baptisms are often associated with naming a child publicly, or the parents committing themselves to be good and responsible people, or saying thank you to God for the gift of their child, the real reason, and the one we focus on as the original idea behind Christian Baptism, is that it is a moment when we accept what Jesus did for us, receive the symbol of washing, and promise that with God’s help, we will follow Jesus in the future.
If you would like to know what we mean about this, have a look at our “What does it mean to be a Christian?” page.
For a child, particularly a baby, they need help to do this and so we Baptise babies and toddlers on the understanding that the parents will bring them up as a Christian, by engaging with the Church and teaching them to pray and about Jesus and the Bible. The idea is that one day, when they are old enough to make the decision for themselves, they can come along to a service to “confirm” the promises.
Baptism is Important
Whenever anyone makes a promise in public, people witness what has been said – and so we all take it very seriously. Baptism is a big step for parents to take with regard to their child, as it involves serious promises and commitments being made about not just the way they bring their child up, but the way they will become part of the local Church Community on a regular basis.
The parents and Godparents make the following promises in the service:
Will you pray for them, draw them by your example into the community of faith and walk with them in the way of Christ?
With the help of God, we will.
Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.
Do you repent of your sins?
I repent of them.
Do you renounce evil?
I renounce evil.
As you can see, these are not easy things to say and the role of the Church is to ensure that the parents and Godparents are fully aware of what they are saying and why, as well as the consequences of making the promises.
How does this happen at St Peter’s
If there are a group of families, we run a three evening course called “Baptism Matters”, which explains all about the Christian faith and the promises being made. At the end of the course, knowing what Baptism entails, if the parents and Godparents are happy to make the promises, we are very happy (indeed) to Baptise the child, with hope and prayer that the promises made will be kept as the child grows up.
If there is not a group of families interested at the time, we may say to the family, please come to church over a three month period and then we will visit you for an evening to explain the promises, and then, if you are happy to make them, fix a date for the service.
If you would like to explore this further, please use the contact form to get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you!
