This short act of worship has been prepared for you. I invite you to share in a few moments with God knowing that other people within Paulton, Trinity and Chew Stoke Methodist Churches are sharing this act of worship with you.
Revd Martin Slocombe
Welcome
Hymn – I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqkW19B0d3g
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart;
I will enter His courts with praise.
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
He has made me glad, He has made me glad,
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
He has made me glad, He has made me glad,
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
(Repeat)
Hallelujah! He has made me glad
Hallelujah! He has made me glad
Hallelujah! He has made me glad
Hallelujah! He has made me glad
(Chorus twice)
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
THE DECLARATION
Sisters and brothers,
Baptism is a gift of God.
It declares to each of us the love and grace of God.
In this sacrament we celebrate
the life of Christ laid down for us,
the Holy Spirit poured out on us,
and the living water offered to us.
God claims and cleanses us, rescues us from sin,
and raises us to new life.
He plants us into the Church of Christ and sustains and strengthens us with the power of the Spirit.
Although we do not deserve these gifts of grace, or fully understand them, God offers them to all, and, through Christ, invites us to respond.
We recall the words of the risen Christ:
‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you.
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the Gospel of Christ’s resurrection. Those who heard the message asked what they should do. Peter told them:
‘Repent, and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you, for your children,
and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls.’
THE REQUEST FOR BAPTISM
THE THANKSGIVING OVER THE WATER
Water is poured into the font, in the sight of the people.
The minister stands at the font or baptistry and says:
Gracious God, we thank you
for your gifts of water and the Holy Spirit,
for your sustaining, cleansing, and life-giving power.
From the beginning
your grace has been made known
through water and the Spirit.
Your Spirit moved over the waters at creation
and you led your people to freedom through a parted sea.
In the fullness of time you sent Jesus.
He was baptized in the waters of the Jordan
and anointed with the Holy Spirit.
He passed through the deep waters of death
and lives for evermore.
He offers living water
and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The minister extends his hands over the water.
Pour out your Holy Spirit
that those baptized in this water
may die to sin, be raised with Christ,
and be born to new life in the family of your Church.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
The people stand.
The minister says to the parents and godparents:
Do you turn away from evil and all that denies God?
Answer: By the grace of God, I do.
Do you turn to God,
trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour,
and in the Holy Spirit as Helper and Guide?
Answer: By the grace of God, I do.
The minister says to everyone present:
We say together:
We believe in God the Father,
who made the world.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his Son,
who redeemed humankind.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God.
The people sit.
THE BAPTISM
The minister says to those to be baptized:
for you Jesus Christ came into the world;
for you he lived and showed God’s love;
for you he suffered death on the Cross;
for you he triumphed over death,
rising to newness of life;
for you he prays at God’s right hand:
all this for you,
before you could know anything of it.
In your Baptism,
the word of Scripture is fulfilled:
‘We love, because God first loved us.’
I baptize you
in the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
By Baptism, God has received you into the Church.
The minister makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child, saying:
I sign you with the cross, the sign of Christ.
A lighted candle is given to the parents or godparents of each child.
A representative of the local church, says to the children:
receive this light,
for you belong to Christ,
the Light of the world.
Christ is your Light and your Way.
May you grow and live in the faith of Christ. Amen.
All say:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord look on you with kindness
and give you peace. Amen.
THE BAPTISMAL PROMISES
The parents and godparents stand.
The minister says to the parents:
Will you, ensure that they are nurtured
in the faith and life of the Christian community?
Answer: With God’s help we will.
Will you set before them a Christian example,
that through your prayers, words and deeds,
they may learn the way of Christ?
Answer: With God’s help we will.
THE PROMISE OF THE PEOPLE
The people stand. The minister says to them:
Will you so maintain the Church’s life of worship and service that they may grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord?
With God’s help we will.
The people sit. A Bible and a certificate of Baptism may be given.
The minister says:
Let us pray.
Generous God,
touch us again
with the fire of your Spirit
and renew in us all
the grace of our Baptism;
that we may profess the one true faith
and live in love and unity
with all who are baptized into Christ. Amen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMNO2MAmwA
Reflection – all this for you, before you could know anything of it.
We began our service by being reminded as to why we baptise people. The Bible tells us that Jesus was baptised, he told his disciples to baptise others, and at Pentecost, Peter reminded the new converts to Christianity of the importance of repentance and baptism. Today we are keeping that tradition, it is a sacrament which Jesus told us to celebrate, and is therefore one of the most important things we do as Christians.
And so, today, we are delighted to baptise these children into the family of Christ in this church, and to continue for them the tradition which Jesus started by being baptised himself.
Baptisms come in many forms. Practically, babies are relatively easy to baptise – they don’t really know very much about it (unless the water is very cold), and even if they struggle, I can hold on to them. 2-year olds are the most difficult, because they know more about it, can decide they don’t want to do it, and are big enough to do something about it.
At their baptism, children may or may not know what is happening physically, but they almost certainly don’t know anything about what we are doing spiritually. In baptism we acknowledge that God loves us because we are made in his likeness, unconditionally; not because of anything we have done. And therefore we are certain that God loves these children and every other living soul. The theological term is “prevenient grace”. The water symbolically washes us clean, and we can begin our lives with Jesus as a new start. Because God’s grace is not about anything we have done, but is all about what God does, it doesn’t matter that they don’t understand what is happening today. Their baptism is about us acknowledging that unconditional love that God already has for them. It is true for them, and it is true for us all, whether we are regular attenders at church or not. That is fundamental to our understanding of the nature of God’s love.
I have brought some examples of some food for you today. One is a cheap version and one is a branded version – can you tell just by looking, which one is the best? What is the best way to find out which is the best? Unless you taste it for yourself you won’t know, will you?
As Christians we believe that living our lives in the way that Jesus lived his life, is the right thing to do, not just for ourselves, but also for others. We can be told that, but unless we try it for ourselves we can’t know if that is true.
Today these children have been received into the family of this church, they are starting out on their journey of faith to find out what it means to have Jesus in their lives. At the moment they know nothing of it, but they will gradually learn for themselves, if we are willing to share our faith with them. They need to taste it, not just look at the packaging, to find out that it is good, and at some point in the future, they will have the opportunity to make a decision about following Jesus for themselves. Until that time comes, God’s prevenient grace still holds them in love, even though they don’t know anything of it as yet.
These words are from Psalm 34
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
We hope and pray that these children will grow up and learn about Jesus. That they will want to taste and see for themselves, what it means to have Jesus in their lives. That is what these Godparents have promised to support them in finding out, and that is what we as a congregation have committed ourselves to do for them here.
May they taste and see, and know the love of God for themselves, and very soon find out that it is good.
Amen
Breakthrough prayer, intercessions & Lords Prayer
God of love, God for all,
your purposes are more beautiful than we can possibly imagine.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Help us let go of all that holds us back.
Open our lives and our churches to new seasons of humility and faith, of change and growth.
Shake us up with the Good News of Jesus and show us the way.
Amen
And so, we pray today especially for all those, including children baptised today who are starting out on that journey of discovery of faith.
We pray for them that they will grow in wisdom and understanding, and by your guiding hand, will be equipped to make the most of the possibilities which a life with you at the centre lays before them.
We pray for the parents as they guide their sons by their example and show them the same unconditional love that God shows to us.
And we pray for the Godparents, as they support this family through whatever life has in store for them.
And we pray for ourselves, for those of us at various stages our own journeys of faith, and for those who have yet to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In love, we pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time.
We pray for the churches in our Circuit, this week for Midsomer Norton, and their minister, Stephen Robinson
May we all rest in the assurance of God’s love for each one of us, and have the courage to reach out, to taste and see what the love of God is really like.
For we pray, in and through the holy name of Jesus. Amen
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing of the offering
Hymn – All things bright and beautiful www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUnQMvwaXlc
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
1 Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their tiny wings:
2 The purple heathered mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky:
3 The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one:
4 He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well:
Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895) (alt.)
Blessing
May the Lord be a blessing to you, leading you in the way of peace, wisdom, love and humility, so that you in turn may be a blessing to others.
May the Lord fill you with light and enfold you in love.
And the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you, now and forever more. Amen