HOLY
BAPTISM
(
II ) THE
BAPTISM OF INFANTS |
||
CSI LITURGY
Baptism of Infants |
A
THANKSGIVING AFTER CHILDBIRTH
This
thanksgiving should be made at a public service of the Church, and the
congregation should join in the saying of the Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. The
Mother and Father, bringing the newly born child, kneel before the Holy Table,
or at some other covenant place and the minister facing them says:
Almighty God has been good to
you in giving you the gift of a child.
Let us therefore give thanks
to Him. The minister and parents together with the congregation say the following Psalm responsively:
Psalm 145: 1-8
I will magnify thee, O God, my
King: and I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Every
day will I give thanks unto Thee: and praise Thy name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and
marvelous worthy to be praised: there is no end of His greatness. One
generation shall praise Thy works unto another: and declare Thy power.
As for me, I will be talking
of Thy worship: Thy glory, Thy praise, and wondrous works; So
that men shall speak of the might of thy marvelous acts: and I will also tell of
thy greatness.
The memorial of Thine abundant
kindness shall be showed: and men shall sing of thy righteousness. The
Lord is gracious and merciful: long-suffering, and of great goodness.
Glory be to the Father: and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; As
it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Minister:
Let
us pray
Lord,
have mercy upon us:
Christ,
have mercy upon us: Lord, have mercy upon us: Our
Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come; Thy will
be done; In earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread; And
forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, But
deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, The power and the glory, For
ever and ever. Amen.
ALMIGHTY
God, we give thee hearty thanks for Thy love and mercy in giving this
woman, Thy servant, a safe and happy childbirth.
Grant that she, having in remembrance Thy care and love for her, may
never cease to give Thee thanks and serve Thee faithfully; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
O
GOD, our heavenly Father, by whose creative power and love, this
woman has been granted the gift of a child, give her and her husband wisdom and
guidance, that they may know how to train their child in the way that leadeth to
eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The
parents say: O GOD, our Father, we give thanks to Thee for the child
whom Thou hast given to us: help us to live together as a family in love, joy
and peace; give us wisdom to be good parents, that we may all love and serve
Thee faithfully; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Of the child has died, Psalm 63: 1-8 is said instead of Psalm 145: 1-8. Instead of the three prayers appointed above, the minister alone says the following prayer: ALMIGHTY God, we humbly praise Thee that Thou hast saved Thy handmaid from all dangers of her delivery, so that she can again come to Thy house today. Beloved father, comfort her and her husband in their sorrow, and strengthen them that they may continue in faith, do Thy will, and at the end of the days of their journey attain the glory of life eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The minister dismisses them with this blessing:
The
blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon your
going out and your coming in; upon your sitting -down and upon your uprising;
upon your talking and upon your silence; upon your prayers and upon your work;
upon your home and upon your fellowship therein, this day, henceforth, and
forever. Amen. The parents may make thanks offering, and, if there is a service of Holy Communion, they may receive the Communion together.
THE BAPTISM
The minister ascertains beforehand that the children have not already been baptized.
THE DECLARATION OF THE WORD
When the people are gathered at, or proceeding to,
the place of baptism, a hymn may be sung, after which the minister says:
Our
help is in the name of the Lord:
Who
hath made heaven and earth.
*
Let us pray * ALMIGHTY God, thou Shepherd of Israel, who didst deliver Thy chosen people from the bondage of Egypt, and didst establish with them a sure covenant: Have mercy, we beseech Thee, on Thy flock, and grant that these children who are by baptism to be received into thy heritage, may be delivered from the bondage of sin through Thy covenant of grace, and attain the promise of eternal life which thou hast given us in Thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. * Passages so marked may be omitted. The people may sit.
Dearly
beloved, we are met together to administer holy baptism to these children, that,
according to Christ’s command, they may be sealed as members of Christ,
children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven.
Hear
therefore the words of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ:
Go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Mathew. 28: 19
Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. John 3:5
Hear
also what is written in the Gospel according to St. Mark:
They
were bringing children to Him, that He might touch them; and the disciples
rebuked them. But when Jesus saw
it, He was indignant, and said to them, ‘ Let the children come to me, do not
hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a
child shall not enter it.’ And He
took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them.
Mark 110: 13-16
The
minister expounds the teaching of Scripture concerning baptism in his own words. ¶
Or he says:
You
hear in this Gospel the words of our Savoir Christ, when He commanded the
children to be brought to Him. You
perceived how He took them in His arms and blessed them.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
He loves these children and is ready to receive them, to embrace them
with the arms of His mercy, and to give them the blessing of eternal life.
These
little children belong with you to God. In
Holy Baptism He establishes them in the family and household of faith, that they
may grow up as members of Christ and heirs of thee kingdom of heaven.
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
All stand. The
minister says to the parents (and godparents):
It
is the duty of those who present children for baptism to make confession of the
faith in which they are baptized and to promise to bring them up in the way of
Christ.
Do
you believe in one God, the Father, the Son, and thee Holy Spirit? The parents (and godparents) answer: I believe.
HOLY BAPTISM
Let
us therefore profess our faith. The Apostles’ Creed is said or sung by all:
I
believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by
the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was
crucified, dead, and buried, He descended into hell; The third day he rose again
from the dead, He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the
Father almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick 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.
THE PROMISES
Will
you, by God’s help, provide a Christian home for this child and bring him up
in the worship and teaching of the Church, that he come to know Christ his
savior?
Answer:
We will, God being our helper.
Will
you so order your own lives that you do not cause this little one to stumble?
Answer:
We will, God being our helper.
Will
you encourage him later to be received into the full fellowship of the Church by
Confirmation; so that, established in faith by the Holy Spirit, he may partake
of the Lord’s Supper and go forth into the world to serve God faithfully in
his Church?
Answer:
We will, God being our helper. The minister says to the congregation:
Dearly
beloved, will you be faithful to your calling as members of the Church of
Christ, so that these and all other children in your midst may grow up in the
knowledge and love of him?
The congregation answer: We will, God being our helper; and we welcome them into our fellowship.
THE BAPTISMThe minister says:
Let
us pray in silence for the children about to be baptized, that they may receive
the fullness of God’s grace. The people may kneel. Silence is kept for a space. Then the minister says.
The
Lord be with you: And with Thy spirit.
The
minister prays in his own words. ¶ Or the following litany is said or sung:
Blessed
art thou, O Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast created all things and given us
the element of water:
Blessed
art thou, O Lord.
Blessed
art thou, O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who wast baptized
in the Jordan and didst die and rise again:
Blessed
art thou, O Lord.
Blessed
art thou, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, who didst descend upon Jesus Christ and upon
the Church:
Blessed
art thou, O Lord.
Be
present, O God, with us who call upon Thy threefold name, and bless this water,
that it may signify the washing away of sin, and that those baptized therein may
be born again to eternal life:
Hear
us, we beseech thee.
Grant
them thy Holy Spirit, that they may be baptized into the one body, and ever
remain in the number of thy faithful and elect people:
Hear
us, we beseech thee.
Grant
that, being united with Christ in His death and resurrection, they may die unto
sin and live unto righteousness:
Hear
us, we beseech thee.
Grant
that they may put off thee old man and become a new creation in Christ Jesus:
Hear
us, we beseech thee. From darkness lead them to light; from death lead them to everlasting life:
Hear
us, we beseech thee. All stand. The minister, having asked thee Christian name, pours water upon thee child, saying:
N,
I baptize thee in thee name of thee Father, and of the Son, and of thee Holy
Spirit. Amen. The minister says over each child baptized: We have received this child into the congregation of Christ’s flock
[@ and do sign him/ her
with the sign of the cross]. 1
1
Here the minister may make a cross upon thee
child’s forehead. Then he says for all together:
May
these children never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, but
continue his faithful servants unto their lives’ end.
Amen.
Then
may be said or sung: * The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen. Num. 6: 24-26 A hymn of praise is sung. A procession may be made from the place of baptism into the body of the church.
* THE LIGHT
The parents of the children baptized may be given
lighted lamps or tapers. When they
have received them, thee minister says:
Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works: And give glory to our Father who is in heaven. Matt. 5: 16 ¶ Or some other brief forms of words may be said.
THE THANKSGIVINGThe minister says:
Let
us pray The minister says, or the minister and people say
together:
WE
yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it has pleased thee to
receive these children for Thine own children by adoption and to incorporate
them into Thy holy Church. And we
humbly beseech Thee to grant that they may more and more show forth in their
lives that which they now are by Thy calling; so that, as they are made
partakers of the death of Thy Son, they may also be partakers of His
resurrection, and finally, with all Thy Church, inherit Thine everlasting
kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. The minister says:
ALMIGHTY
God our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an
earthly home: Bless, we beseech Thee, the homes of these children, and grant
wisdom and understanding to all who have the care of them, that they may grow up
in Thy constant fear and love; through the same Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. A hymn may be sung, and a thanks offering is taken. If thee baptism is administered otherwise than at the
Lord’s Supper or at Morning or Evening Worship, thee minister dismisses those
that are gathered together with this blessing: MAY God almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in thee inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Amen.
----- End ---- |