“Shining the Light” Text: Luke 3:15–17, 21–22 . Baptism of Jesus Sunday, January 13 2013
Written by Rev. James Murray, Dominion-Chalmers United Church.
August 5th, 2012, Tenth Sunday After Pentecost, Holy Baptism
(John 6:24-35)
It has been my assumption that Baptism or Reaffirmation of Faith can only be done once. Once you are baptised you are baptised.
Can you explain how Fundamentalist churches can make our baptisms null and void if one should choose to go to their church,
Now what if the person is baptised in the United Church, baptised by immersion in a Fundamentalist church and then returns to the United Church. Which of these baptisms is valid? I have recently encountered a similar situation
Baptism of Jesus. At the end of the service there was "Renewing Our Covenant as We Remember Jesus' baptism".
yada, yada, yada and then it said " In the presence of the New Year and in remembrance of Jesus' baptism AND OUR OWN, I pledge to follow the teaching of Jesus in my life"
maybe I have been around Wondercafe too long, but I was wondering how welcoming this would be for folk who haven't been baptised?
Any thoughts?
Baptism is one of the two sacraments recognized by Protestant and Catholic and Orthodox churches. THe other universal is COmmunion/Eucharist/Lord's Supper.
But beyond saying that it is widely seen as a sacrament there is a great variety of interpretations of baptism. Some of these include:
Here's an interesting article from Time Magazine:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1891230,00.html
Like the subject header says, can someone really be "de-baptized"? It seems to me, like the bishop says in the article, it's really something between someone and God, or, if you don't believe in God, in a person's own heart and mind.
Why then the need for a certificate?
Last Sunday a young man came to me carrying a very rambunctious two year old. He asked to speak with me sharing that it was his first time in the congregation. He held up his son and apologized for the "disruptions" the little one apparently had caused in worship - disruptions unnoticed by me. Then in a more timid voice he asked if his son could be baptized. He said, "It is really important to me. His mom and I are not doing that well."
To my shame these three things passed through my head:
1. I can't baptize. I am not ordained. Why can't I baptize?!
2. I am going away in a day for almost two weeks. How can I put you off?
3. Who could have stolen our LCD projector? (One added layer of confusion to the morning and probably why the "disruptive" child and new adult were off the radar screen.)
I put him off. He reached out obviously asking for more than a simple explanation of the congregational baptismal policy. I wasn't present - either to him or his son. As far as I know no member of the congregation approached him and he spoke to no one else.
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Mark 1; Genesis 1 Water of Life Jan 11, 3009 George Hermanson
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