Chloe's Baptism

Ultra-long post warning! Feel free to read along out loud - your parts are in bold! :)

Meito Christ International Church

April 15, 2007

Fujigaoka, Nagoya, Japan

Pastor C: God, who is rich in mercy and love, gives us a new birth into a living hope through the sacrament of baptism. The power of sin is put to death in this holy flood, and we are raised with Jesus Christ to new life. We are united with all the baptized in the one body of Christ, anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and sent out in mission for the life of the world. Mike and Meika: We present Chloe Jean for baptism.

Pastor C: Trusting in the grace and love of God, do you desire to have your daughter baptized? Mike and Meika: We do.

Pastor C: As you present your child for baptism, you are entrusted with gifts and responsibilities: to live with her among God's faithful people, bring her to the word of God and the holy supper, and nurture her in faith and prayer, so that she may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace among all people. Mike and Meika, do you promise to help your child grow in the Christian faith and life? Mike and Meika: We do. Pastor C: People of God, do you promise to support Chloe and pray for her in her new life in Christ?

People: We do. Pastor C: I ask you to reject sin, profess your faith in Christ, and confess the faith of the church. Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?

Mike and Meika: I renounce them. Pastor C: Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God? Mike and Meika: I renounce them. Pastor C: Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God? Mike and Meika: I renounce them. Pastor C: Do you turn to Christ as your Lord and Savior? Mike and Meika: I do.

Pastor C: With the whole church, let us confess our faith. Do you believe in God the Father? People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Pastor C: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? People: 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 living and the dead. Pastor C: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? People: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveess of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Pastor C: Our gracious God has always desired to hold his people in a covenant embrace. He declares over and over, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Pursuing this deep desire, God called Abraham and Sarah to trust in him and gave a covenant sign to show that they belonged to him. In baptism God now claims us in Christ, marks us as his own people, and seals our membership in God's covenant community, the church. Baptism is the covenant sign that God frees us from the power of sin and death, uniting us with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. By water and the Holy Spirit we are washed clean from sin. God's grace in baptism calls us to give ourselves to him in trust, love, and obedience. From the beginning, God graciously has included our children in his covenant. All his promises are for them as well as for us. We are to teach them that they have been set apart by baptism as GOd's own children so that as they grow older they may respond to him in personal faith and commitment. Therefore, send your Holy Spirit upon this water and upon she who is washed in it, that she may be given new life. To God be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Hoy Spirit, now and forever. People: Amen. Pastor C:

Chloe Jean, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray. We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, wash them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain Chloe Jean with the gift of your Holy Spirit: 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, both now and forever. People: Amen.

Pastor C:

Chloe Jean, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. {Chloe is being anointed with oil here.}

Pastor Suetake:

Walk in the faith of Jesus Christ crucified and risen. Shine with the light of Jesus Christ. {Chloe is presented with a candle symbolizing the light of Christ.}

Pastor C: Through baptism you have been received into the household of God, entrusted with the good news of Jesus Christ, and strengthened to serve by the holy and life-giving Spirit.

People:* Chloe Jean, for you Jesus Christ has come, has lived, has suffered; For you, he has endured the darkness of Calvary; For you, he has triumphed over death; For you, he prays at God's right hand; all for you, little Chloe, even though you do not know it. And so in your baptism and our baptism, the word of the Gospel is fulfilled: "We love, because God first loved us."

*Note: This blessing was shamelessly borrowed from Erica. You should really check out the original on her wonderful blog, Don't Flay the Sheep. :)