This service was approved by the Synod of 1981 as a
model order of worship that may be adapted to local
needs. The "Confession and Assurance" and "The Sacrament
of Baptism," however, have the status of a synodically
approved form; these components are always to be
read complete and unchanged.
*The Beginning of Worship
Call to Worship
Minister: Give thanks to the Lord, call on
his name; make known among the nations what he has
done.
People: He remembers his covenant forever, the word
he commanded, for a thousand generations.
Minister: Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of
those who seek the Lord rejoice.
People: That they might keep his precepts and observe
his laws. Praise the Lord. (Ps. 105: 1, 8, 3, 45)
Greeting
Minister: The Lord be with you.
People: And the Lord be with you.
Minister: Grace, mercy, and peace be to you,
from God the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ.
People: Amen.
All sing: [Hymn of praise]
The Institution of Baptism
Minister: Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Let us hear the Lord's command concerning the sacrament
of holy baptism. After he had risen victorious from
the grave, Jesus said to his disciples: "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore
go 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
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28: 18-20). In
obedience to this command the church baptizes believers
and their children.
Confession and Assurance
Minister: Before we proceed with the baptism,
let us hear what the law of God requires of us, that
it may convince us of our sin and incite us to seek
his mercy. Christ teaches this in summary: "'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first
and greatest commandment. And the second is like
it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt.
22: 37-40).
All: We confess to you, our God, and before one another
that we have sinned greatly, in thought, word, and deed. We
have offended your holiness. We have failed to love our neighbor.
We have followed the devices of our own hearts, and have spurned
the promptings of your Spirit. Through our own fault, we have
deserved your judgment. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on
us and hear our prayer. Amen.
Minister: Let us hear the promises of God which are
confirmed in baptism. The Lord made this great promise to Abraham: "I
will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between
me and you and your descendants after you for the generations
to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after
you" (Gen. 17: 7). In later years, though Israel was unfaithful,
God renewed his promise through the prophet: "'This is the
covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,'
declares the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds and write
it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my
people. . . . For I will forgive their wickedness and will
remember their sins no more'" (Jer.31: 33-34). In the fullness
of time God came in Jesus Christ to give pardon and peace through
the blood of the cross, the "blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:
28). After Jesus had risen from the dead, the apostles proclaimed: "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children
and for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2: 38-39).
Anticipating the fulfillment of God's promises, Paul assures
us, "If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we
endure, we will also reign with him" (2 Tim. 2: 11-12). These
are the unfailing promises of our Lord to those who are baptized.
*All sing: [Hymn of thanksgiving]
The Sacrament of Baptism
Minister: Let us recall the teaching of Scripture
concerning the sacrament of baptism. The water of
baptism signifies the washing away of our sin by
the blood of Christ and the renewal of our lives
by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3: 5). It also signifies
that we are buried with Christ (Rom. 6: 4). From
this we learn that our sin has been condemned by
God, that we are to hate it and consider ourselves
as having died to it. Moreover, the water of baptism
signifies that we are raised with Christ (Col. 2:
12). From this we learn that we are to walk with
Christ in newness of life. All this tells us that
God has adopted us as his children: "Now if we are
children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ" (Rom. 8: 17). Thus in baptism God seals
the promises he gave when he made his covenant with
us, calling us and our children to put our trust
for life and death in Christ our Savior, deny ourselves,
take up our cross, and follow him in obedience and
love. God graciously includes our children in his
covenant, and all his promises are for them as well
as us (Gen. 17: 7; Acts 2: 39). Jesus himself embraced
little children, and blessed them (Mark 10: 16);
and the apostle Paul said that children of believers
are holy (1 Cor. 7: 14). So, just as children of
the old covenant received the sign of circumcision,
our children are given the sign of baptism. We are
therefore always to teach our little ones that they
have been set apart by baptism as God's own children.
The Prayer of Preparation
Minister: Father in heaven, we pray that you
will never destroy us in our sin as with the flood,
but save us as you saved believing Noah and his family
and spare us as you spared the Israelites who walked
safely through the sea. We pray that Christ, who
went down into the Jordan and came up to receive
the Spirit, who sank deep into death and was raised
up Lord of life, will always keep us and our little
ones in the grip of his hand. We pray, O holy Father,
that your Spirit will separate us from sin and openly
mark us with a faith that can stand the light of
day and endure the dark of night. Prepare us now,
O Lord, to respond with glad hope to your promises
so that we, and all entrusted to our care, may drink
deeply from the well of living water. We pray in
the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Vows
Minister: Since you have presented these children
for holy baptism, you are asked to answer the following
questions before God and his people:
First, do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Savior, accept the promises of God, and affirm the truth of the Christian
faith which is proclaimed in the Bible and confessed in this church of Christ?
Second, do you believe that your children, though
sinful by nature, are received by God in Christ as members of his covenant, and
therefore ought to be baptized?
Third, do you promise, in reliance on the Holy
Spirit and with the help of the Christian community, to do all in your power
to instruct these children in the Christian faith and to lead them by your example
into the life of Christian discipleship?
Parents: We do, God helping us.
Minister: Do you, the people of the Lord, promise to
receive these children in love, pray for them, help instruct
them in the faith, and encourage and sustain them in the fellowship
of believers?
People: We do, God helping us.
[The minister may say: Our Lord said: "Let little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for
the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mark
10: 14).]
Minister: [in administering the sacrament the
minister shall say] : (name), I baptize you into
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
*All sing: [Hymn (optional)]
The Baptismal Prayer
Minister: Lord our God, forever faithful to
your promises, we thank you for assuring us again
that you will forgive us and receive us as children
in Christ. Grant wisdom and love to the parents and
to us all as we carry out the vows we have just made.
We pray that you will govern these children by your
Spirit and guide them throughout their lives. Help
them see your fatherly goodness which surrounds us
all and enable them to respond in faith to Jesus
Christ, our chief teacher, eternal king, and only
high priest. Give them strength to fight sin and
endure trials. And when Christ returns, let them
celebrate with all the people of God your greatness
and goodness forever, in the joy of your new creation.
Amen.
*All sing: [Hymn]
The Word of God
Prayer for Illumination
Minister: O God of all truth, be pleased to
grant us your Spirit as we attend to your Word. Open
our minds that we may understand what you have revealed
to us. Release us from self-will that we may be ready
to obey. And open our lips that our mouths may show
forth your praise. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Minister: [Reading of the Scriptures]
[Sermon]
[Post-sermon prayer (optional)]
The Response
*All sing: [Hymn]
Minister: [Intercessory prayer]
All: [Lord's Prayer in unison] Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,your kingdom
come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give
us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.
*All: [The Creed (optional)]
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator
of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated
at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic
church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
All: [Offering of gifts]
Minister: [Dedication prayer (optional)]
*All sing: [Doxology hymn]
*The Dismissal
Minister: Go in peace. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: Amen.
*indicates congregation stands
