1Bless the Lord,
O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very
great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 3you set the beams of your chambers on
the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind, 4you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers. 5You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken. 6You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains. 7At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 8They rose up to the
mountains,
ran down to the valleys
to the place that you appointed
for them. 9You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
24O Lord, how manifold are
your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Great and awesome God, creator and source of all life, we worship
and praise you. Out of chaos and darkness you spoke the words which
brought order and light and life. We marvel at such evidence of your
greatness and glory. Yet, you laid these aside when you took on
human flesh in Jesus Christ. In him we gained a new understanding of
your power and glory, for he revealed through his life, that true
power is based on empowering others, and that glory is made visible
through loving and serving others. We marvel anew at the depth of
your care for us and the many ways our lives have been blessed by
the sacrificial life and love of Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen
I sometimes wonder
about James and John. Those sons of Zebedee seemed very quick to
reply, “we are able,” when Jesus spoke of drinking from his cup
and stepping into his baptism. Such an undertaking requires a
lot of forethought. What does it really mean to follow Jesus?
What does being a servant for Christ’s sake involve? How hard is
it to set aside the “me first” orientation of our society and
live out the teachings of our Lord who gave his life for others?
“Am I able?” is a question, we believe, that needs to be
answered by who know a bit more about life and what discipleship
really entails. We call it “adult believer’s baptism.”
Of course, the
truth is that none of us are really able, of our own strength,
to live out what baptism requires of us. That’s why we pray for
the higher power of God to step with us out of the water, the
very presence of the Holy Spirit to accompany our journey as we
seek to follow Jesus on the Kingdom of God path. Furthermore, we
need other believers to walk with us along the way, that we
might together be that peculiar entity called, “the church.”
Trying to get to the head of the line, seeking to sit at the
most important spot, is not a good recipe for living together as
the body of Christ. Ask those two sons of Zebedee, who learned
this lesson the hard way.
Anyway, this morning it is our
joy to welcome into our fellowship three persons who have
already been walking with us, but now wish to make that
“official.” One comes to us from another church, and will be
reaffirming her baptismal vows. Two have requested to be
baptized. Robin, Laurie, and Tony, would you come forward, along
with those who will introduce you to us?
[Some things are said of each
person at this point, with the intent that we hear more a bit
more of their faith journey. It’s just enough to whet the
appetite to get to know them better and be supportive – the task
of the congregation.]
Baptismal Vows
In the presence of God and this
congregation, let me ask you the following questions. These are
not the sum total of faith, but point us in the right direction.
All three of you will answer the first three of these questions.
For you, Robin, this is a reaffirmation. You’re not starting all
over again, but turning the page on a new chapter of your life
in Christ. Laurie and Tony, even though you were baptized as
infants and confirmed that faith as youngsters, you are hereby
freely choosing to be baptized as adults – an outward symbol of
an inward transformation.
Do you repent of your sins and confess and
accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
If so, say, “I do.”
Do you promise to live in keeping with the
teachings and spirit of the New Testament?
If so, say, “I do.”
Do you promise to be a faithful member of
the church, the body of Christ?
If so, say, “I do.”
Do you desire to seal these vows in
Christian baptism?
If so, say, “I do.”
In a moment, the rest of you will read through an affirmation of
faith as we prepare for baptism. For now, however, if you are
willing to fully receive these person into this household of
faith, to love and care for them as they are in the eyes of God
– not as how you think they should be, to open up space for the
unique gifts with which God has already or will empower them for
the upbuilding of this body, and to simply enjoy their
friendship in Christ, would you say, “Yes, we will.” Thank you.
(the pastor and candidates
leave to prepare)
Congregational Affirmation
As they go to
prepare for baptism, I invite you to join with me in reading
together an ancient hymn known as the “Breastplate
of St. Patrick.” The words, which will be projected upon the
screen, are an affirmation of faith. Legend says that
Patrick, who is credited with bringing Christianity to
Ireland in the 5th century A.D., sang this hymn when
he was threatened by a Druid king. With this affirmation of
faith, we are remembering that in baptism we are bound to God in
Jesus Christ. Let’s join our voices with these ancient words.
I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three-in-One, and One-in-Three.
I bind this day to me forever
by power of faith Christ's incarnation,
his baptism in the Jordan river,
death on the cross for my salvation,
his bursting from the spiced tomb,
his riding up the heavenly way,
his coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
an eye to watch, the might to stay,
an ear to harken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
a hand to guide, a shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
the heavenly host to be my guard.
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself
the name,
of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Maker, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the God of my salvation;
salvation is of Christ the Lord!
This version of the prayer is
taken from our hymnal.
#441,
"I bind unto myself today"
and 442,
"Christ be with me."
The latter, though a separate hymn, is the 5th verse of the
first hymn.
Baptism
Sister/Brother)
(name) , you have confessed here your faith in
God and your desire to be recognized as a member of the body of
Christ. Upon this confession of faith I now baptize you:
In the name of
the God
who created and loves you;
In the name of Christ
who forgives and heals you;
In the name of the Holy Spirit
who renews and empowers you.
As each name of the Trinity is
spoken, the minister immerses the candidate forward, pushing the
head gently and fully into the water. Then, laying both hands
upon the head of the kneeling person, the minister prays:
God of all people,
we ask your blessing upon (name) who has
come seeking love, acceptance, and new life as a member of the
body of Christ. May (she/he) feel the warmth of your loving
embrace, now and always. May (she/he) walk boldly the paths of
faith paved by your forgiveness, your wholeness. May (she/he)
know constant renewal of this fragile faith, upheld by that
power which comes only from your presence within. Pour out your
Spirit upon all gathered here, and especially on
(name) , reborn this day into the body of
Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
An important
ministry of any church is intercessory prayer. This is an
intentional, specific lifting up of persons with specific needs
to the One who is the source of their strength. It is something
that, as followers of Jesus Christ, all of us can do. In this
church, we regularly re-form our “prayer chain,” the means by
which we are made aware – through a phone call or an email - of
persons in need of prayer. Now is the time to dedicate this
ministry to a new year of service. If you have agreed to be a
part of our prayer chain this year, by phone or email or both,
would you please stand.
Thank you. You have heard the
call to pray for others. May God honor this step of faith by
increasing it. May it all be for His glory and our neighbor's
good. May the power and effect of our prayer point beyond
ourselves to the One who said "Come to me all who labor and
are heavy-burdened, and I shall give you rest."
I challenge you to consider the offering of prayers - when
called upon - to be of primary importance, instead of merely a
last resort measure. I encourage you to pay attention to your
own spiritual growth, to continually discipline your life with
regular Bible reading and prayer. I charge you to pass on
concerns accurately to the next person on the chain, but
otherwise not to gossip about those for whom you are called to
pray. If you are willing to so commit yourself to this chain of
intercessory prayer, please respond by saying, "I will." Shall
we pray...
Divine Healer, you have called these persons to a
special task. Empower them with your Spirit to be
intercessors in Jesus' name. We trust in this Spirit
who, as the apostle Paul wrote, "helps us in our
weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we
ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with
sighs too deep for words."
(Romans 8:26)
We commit these persons to your service, through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.
International Lesson: Adult
Bible Studies
from The United Methodist Publishing House
(click "supplemental resources" and "current events supplement"
under both the "Student" and "Teacher" sections in the left hand column)