Baptism Service Myles Anthony Millar and Lexi Rose Elizabeth Brogden
(SLIDE 1- water)The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Please sit for our notices.
Notices
Welcome to you all and a particular Welcome to the family and friends of Lexi and Myles, here to celebrate their baptism, as we give thanks to God, welcome them into the family of the church, and mark the beginning of their journey of faith. Photos are welcome during or after the service.We don’t charge for baptisms, but we will take a collection today, and appreciate any donation you are able to make.There is a children’s area at the back of church that you are welcome to use at any time. Please don’t worry if the children are active or making some noise – its great to have you with us. Toilet. Phones.
If you are able to you would be welcome to join us after the service for tea and coffee in the parish centre, although I know you will probably have a family celebration planned too. As we go through the service today you’ll see from our sheets that there are responses for all of us to join in with as well as specific ones for parents and god parents – do look out for those and join in with the words in bold.
Hopefully you have picked up a notice sheet which gives you more information on forthcoming events this week A few things to highlight :-
We begin our service now with hymn 25 – All things bright and beautiful -Please stand to sing.(SLIDES 2-9)
HYMN – Give me joy in my heart
(SLIDE 10 – Water)Please be seated, and we come now to an opening prayer for Dylan and and his family. Lets pray
We rejoice today with the family of DylanMartyn Tayloras they thank God for the gift of life and bring their child for baptism.
God our creator, we thank you for the wonder of new life, and for the mystery of human love. We give thanks for all whose support and skill surround and sustain the beginning of life.
As Jesus knew love and discipline within a human family, may Riley grow in strength and wisdom. As Mary knew the joys and pains of parenthood, give hisparentsyour sustaining grace and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
So now I’m going to ask you all to respond to this first question which is on page 1 under the Introduction.
Today we thank God for Dylan who has come to be baptized.Christ welcomes himinto his Church.Will you promise to support himas hebegins his journey of faith?
AllWe will
We come now to our reading for today which you will find is the first in your notice sheets. (SLIDES 11- 14)
Keep on loving one another as Christians.Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are. Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”Let us be bold, then, and say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith.Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord. Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.
(SLIDE 15 – Water)
Now we have our second song today – this is one that we have often used at Messy Church and because it has actions Abi and Julie are going to show us how they go. The words are on the screen
SONG – I’m gonna jump up and down (SLIDE 16)
(SLIDE 17 – Water)TALK.
Its funny isn’t it, that as we get older we start to look back more and more fondly on what we see as the good old days (SLIDE 18) – when that golden age was will obviously depend on how old we are – for me is tends to be the 70’s and 80’s, something you might well pick up on from my music collection. In fact a good friend of mine from my school days has never quite been able to let go of that connection with those decades, in fact he has just released a novel based on our teenage years – I’m sure it will never be a best seller, and to be honest, when I read it I cringe at some of the more embarrassing incidents.
Because the truth is, of course, the past is never quite as rosy as we manage to convince ourselves that it was. We edit out the painful stuff, concentrate on the good times.
(SLIDE 19) Life, for all of us is always a mixture of joy and sorrow, times we love to celebrate, and times we long for things to have turned out differently.
But memories are an important part of who we are – that’s why diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s are so cruel, they rob people of their past, sever that connection even to those who are closest to them.
But times change – we grow older, we travel along the road of life not really knowing where it will take us, what we will gain and lose along the way. Today of course is a landmark for little Dylan as he sets out on his own journey. (SLIDE 20) A journey of faith as well as he works out what life will hold for him, and of course his family want him to have the very best start in life, one of the reasons I’m sure, why he is being Christened today, as we ask for God to bless him, and welcome him into the Christian family in this place.
(SLIDE 21)
So although none of us know what the future will bring, in our reading from the book of Hebrews, Paul encourages us to remember the things that are important to God. Things that are an integral part of our faith. Remember he says that there are people who need our support, our prayers, our care. People who are treated unjustly, people who suffer, people who have experienced the dark side of life. And that need is all around us – from the people caught up in natural disaster, like the earthquake in Italy, people who lose everything through war or terrorism, people struggling to cope with debt and poverty.
(SLIDE 22) God is quite clear throughout the Bible what he expects of his people.
Get involved he says – welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, stand up for justice, and most of all, be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Don’t just focus on your own needs.
And of course that has always been a countercultural message. The world around us tells us that we should focus on ourselves, our families, our career, the stuff we accumulate around us, and sometimes we have little time or energy left to worry about others.Our western society is based on never ending economic growth, consumerism, productivity. We are so busy that we don’t have the time to consider a simple question. How much is enough? (SLIDE 23)
The advice from our text today is really quite simple - Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. Easy to say, but not easy to do, with all the pressures that surround us in our materialistic society.
Its so easy to get caught up in the endless drive for more, the obsession that can all too easily consume us, that ends up separating us from others and from God.
But our reading today reminds us that we can remember and hold on to Gods promises, and what he has already done. I will never leave you or abandon you, I will always be there for you if you call he says. (SLIDE 24 )That promise is made to each one of us, and he makes that same promise to Dylan today. He will always be close by. We can always rely on him.
His love for us is inexhaustible and patient – sometimes it takes a lifetime for us to recognise that love, and to reach out for him, sometimes that relationship begins as a child – as we pray it will for Dylan.
And we remember what God has done to demonstrate that love – when we gather together as his family at communion, as we share the bread and the wine we remember Jesus words – do this in remembrance of me. (SLIDE 25)
As share together in that bread and wine we remember that Jesus lived and died as one of us, that he knows exactly what we face in life, because he experienced it too – we remember that he demonstrated Gods love by giving up his life for us, so that we could find forgiveness and a new start whenever we need it.
That is part of the symbolism of this baptism today – Dylan has water poured on him to remind us that whenever he needs to be forgiven, and there are time when we all need that, times we do or say things we regret, times when we hurt others, times when we make mistakes because none of us are perfect. So whenever Dylan needs to make a new start in life – God promises to wash him clean once more, to restore and refresh him when he needs it. (SLIDE 26 )
The last thing to remember is that we are in this together – today Dylan is welcomed into Gods family, and he need never be alone whatever life brings.
All of us are travelling that road of faith, and again the words of our communion service remind us of that – though we are many we say, we are one body, because we all share in that one bread.
(SLIDE 27) So do keep in touch – we are always here offering that welcome, that fellowship, that listening ear, the shoulder to cry on, the experience of Gods love in so many lives. I know that today you will be celebrating Dylans Christening – it will be a day to remember in many ways, but not least because God has blessed this little boy, and promised to always be there to share in what life may bring. Amen
(SLIDE 28 – Balloons)BIRTHDAYS (Julie)
(SLIDE 29 – Water)
Well now I’m going to invite the parents, godparents,to join me at the front of church. Please do bring your service sheets with you. We are now at the bottom of page 1, again a response for everyone to make:
Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not stop them’.
So I ask you all:
Will you help Dylanto become part of God’s family?
AllWe will.
And now I direct these questions to parents and godparents: please reply with the words in bold:
Parents and godparents, you have brought Dylanto baptismand you speak for himtoday.
As we trust God for hisgrowth in faith,will you promise to care for him,pray for him,and help himto follow Christ?
We will.
In baptism God calls us to new life.We die with Christ to all that destroys,and rise to live with him for ever.
Therefore I ask:
Do you reject evil?
I reject evil.
And all its many forms?
And all its many forms.
And all its empty promises?
And all its empty promises.
Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.
And put your trust in him?
And put my trust in him.
And promise to follow him for ever?
And promise to follow him for ever.
The Vicar makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each candidate, saying:
Vicar:Dylan Alexander
Christ claims you for his own.
Receive the sign of the cross.
Do not be ashamed of Christ. You are his for ever.
AllStand bravely with him.
Oppose the power of evil,
and remain his faithful disciple to the end of your life.
May almighty God deliver you from the powers of darkness,
restore in you the image of his glory, and lead you in the light and obedience of Christ.
AllAmen.
Family return to seats
We now come to our next hymn today, number 281,He who would Valiant Be, and as we sing this hymn we will be taking up our collection.
HYMN – He who would valiant be(SLIDE 30-32)
(SLIDE 33)Receive Offering – Prayer:
Lord, we thank for Your faithfulness. Thank you that we can always trust in You. You are an abundant God and out of Your great mercy you have given us so much.We make this our offering today. Take it and use it for Your kingdom and Your glory. May it be a blessing to many.We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
(SLIDE 34 – Water)Move to Font
Prayer over the Water
Loving Father, we thank you for your servant Moses who led your people through the waters of the Red Sea to freedom in the Promised Land. We thank you for your Son Jesus, who has rescued us from the deep waters of sin and shown us the way of salvation. Now send your Spirit upon this water, that those who are washed in it may share Christs death and resurrection, and find true freedom as your children, risen with Christ for ever.
Amen.
Profession of Faith
Vicar:Let us affirm, together with Dylan who is being baptized, our common faith in Jesus Christ.
Do you believe in God the Father, source of all being and life,
the one for whom we exist?
AllI believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son,
who took our human nature,
died for us and rose again?
AllI believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God
and makes Christ known in the world?
AllI believe and trust in him.
Vicar:This is the faith of the Church.
AllThis is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Baptism
Vicar:Dylan Martyn Taylor
I baptize you
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
May God, who has received you by baptism into his Church, pour upon you the riches of his grace, that within the company of Christ’s pilgrim people you may daily be renewed by his anointing Spirit, and come to the inheritance of the saints in glory.
AllAmen
We now come to the section on page 4 called The commission which speaks a little of the Christian life.
Being a Christian means going to church, and more. Christians are called to stand up for truth and justice, to oppose evil, and show compassion to those in need. They are to be faithful and loving.
Dylan today God has touched you with his love and given you a place among his people. God promises to be with you in joy and in sorrow, to be your guide in life, and to bring you safely to heaven. In baptism God invites you on a life-long journey. Together with all God’s people you can explore the way of Jesus and grow in friendship with God, in love for his people, and in serving others. With us, your brothers and sisters, you can listen to the word of God and receive his gifts.
Vicar:Therefore let us now pray for grace in guiding Dylanin the way of faith.
Lord, we ask your blessing on the parents, grandparents and godparents of this child. May they guide him with their own example of your love and always be ready to listen and to comfort, to laugh and to play, to encourage and to praise. May they always show him that he isspecial in their eyes and in also in yours.
Lord, bless all the families that are in your care. Make your loving presence felt amongst them all especially those for whom family life is difficult and testing. Be with those who have no family to care for them. Comfort those whose children cause them worry or heartache. Strengthen those whose children are in danger.
Be with those who long for the presence of children and have yet to hold them in their arms. Pour your blessing on them all and bring them all the joys and comforts that family life can hold.
Lord as we welcome Dylaninto the family of Christ, let us be mindful of the baptism vows once made for us. Let us reaffirm those vows here today and help us all to be faithful witnesses to your light and love.
Let us be a caring supportive community to this child and support him as he begins hisown journey with you.
Vicar: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.