“Baptism is a gift from God” – these are the opening words of the prayers for baptism.
Baptism is a sacrament – a ceremony when ordinary things such as water are given special and holy significance. Baptism is the time when we publicly give thanks for the birth and life of a person – from small baby up to mature adult – and remember the promise of God’s gift of love and grace for that person and everyone. When we are baptised, we are publicly welcoming that person into the family of God and the family of the worldwide church.
Baptism is also a ceremony when we publicly celebrate the love of God expressed in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The promises of the baptism – made either by a child’s parents or the person themselves – say that we will actively live our lives as disciples and followers of Jesus.
In the Methodist Church we also offer a service of Thanksgiving for the birth or adoption of a child. In this ceremony, we publicly give thanks and ask God’s blessing on the child, but the promises of faith are not included. This may be because a child has already been baptised before adoption, or the parents would prefer to let the child be old enough to make the promises of faith for themselves.
If you are considering baptism or thanksgiving for your child, or if you would like to be baptised yourself, please contact the minister, Rev Kim Shorley, who will discuss the options with you. You can also read more about baptism and thanksgiving at the national Methodist Church website - http://www.methodist.org.uk/who-we-are/baptisms-weddings-and-funerals/baptism-and-confirmation.
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.’