Living into our Baptism

As we get into the fall and back into a routine, it is a good time to look at our calling as Christians and how we are doing. Our baptism was a promise that was made usually by our parents or an older adult , who spoke for us and said that we wanted to be Christian. That we wanted to become Christ -like. This promise or vow is something that takes a lifetime. We work at it and we continue to grow in it throughout our life. Sometimes we do better at it than other times, but we keep working at it. This is how we walk our faith journey to continuously be walking in the footsteps of Jesus. You see our Baptism changes us immediately and continuously throughout our life. We are washed clean immediately and we are given a longing to become like Christ. As his adopted sons and daughters we are heirs of his promises and are called to be his children. This is an honor and a privilege. One that we should not take too lightly. Our Baptism is an awesome gift; that someone thought so highly of us that they made some promises for us and we reconfirmed for ourselves in our confirmation.

Our faith journey is then the way that we live into these baptismal promises everyday of our lives. Through baptism we enter the covenant God has established, within this covenant God gives us new life, guards us from evil, and nurtures us in love. In embracing that covenant, we choose whom we will serve by turning from evil and turning to Jesus Christ. As God embraces you within the covenant, He asks you to reject sin, to live your Faith in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, the faith in which you are baptized. We then promise: Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, we will turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world. We will turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, trust in His grace and love. We will be Christ’s faithful disciple obeying his Word and showing his love.

We then end our Baptismal promises by promising that we will be a faithful member of this congregation, share in its worship and ministry through our prayers and gifts, our study and service and so fulfill our calling to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our response is always ~ “WITH THE HELP OF GOD. AMEN.”

Thanks be to God,
​Rev. Stephen Barch