Just as Christ, in his own baptism, entered into and blessed the waters of new life to begin his mission to proclaim the kingdom and redeem us all, so to in our baptism do we enter into the redemptive reality and mission of Christ in the world and into the new life lived in and through the presence of his Holy Spirit.

Experiential Reflection

Share insights from the week before. What have you learned? Did God speak to you in any special ways?

Group reflection: reflect again on your baptism

• What symbolized the coming of the Holy Spirit into your life?
• What difference does the presence of the Holy Spirit make in how you see the world, live your life, relate to people inside or outside the church?

Symbolic/Liturgical Reflection

Group reflection: Easter baptismal liturgy

Examine the following Anglican baptismal liturgy. Use enlarged copies of the text and have the children find and circle the places the Holy Spirit is mentioned.

Pastor: Beloved, because our Savior Christ said, “No one can enter into the kingdom of God, except he/she be regenerate and born again of Water and of the Holy Spirit;” I urge you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of His great mercy He will grant to Name that which by nature he/she cannot have; that he/she having been baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, and received into Christ’s Church, is made a living member of that Church.

ALMIGHTY and immortal God, the help of all who need You, the helper of all who flee to You for comfort, the life of those who believe, and the resurrection of the dead; we call upon You for Name, that he/she, coming to your holy Baptism may receive forgiveness of sin, by spiritual regeneration. Give your Holy Spirit to Name, that he/she may be born again, and be made an heir of salvation and eternal life. Receive him/her, O Lord, as you have promised by your beloved Son, saying, “Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.” So now grant what we ask; let us who seek, find; open the gate unto us who knock; that Name may enjoy the everlasting blessing of your heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which you have promised through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastor: Name, you have come desiring to receive Holy Baptism. We have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would surely receive you, release you from sin, sanctify you with the Holy Spirit, and give you the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life.

Do you renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all its desires to covet, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow, nor be led by him?

Answer: I renounce him all; and, by God’s help, will endeavor not to follow, nor be led by him.

Pastor: Do you believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God?

Answer: I do.

Pastor: Do you accept Him, and desire to follow Him as your Savior and Lord?

Answer: I do.

Pastor: Do you believe the Christian Faith, as contained in the Apostles’ Creed?

Answer: I do.

Pastor: Will you be baptized in this Faith?

Answer: That is my desire.

Pastor: Will you then obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life?

Answer: I will, by God’s help.

Pastor: Now that Name has made these promises, will you also on your part ensure that he/she learns the Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his/her soul’s health?

All: I will, by God’s help.

Pastor: O Merciful God, grant that as Christ died and rose again, so Name may die to sin and rise to new life. Amen.

Pastor: Grant that all sinful desires may die in him/her, and that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him/her. Amen.

Pastor: Grant that he/she may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph, against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen.

Pastor: Grant that whoever is here dedicated to you, may also be given heavenly virtues, and be rewarded forever through your mercy, Lord God, who lives, and governs all things, world without end. Amen.

[The people reaffirm their Profession of Faith together with the Candidates for Baptism.]

Pastor: Brothers and sisters, I ask you to profess the faith of the Church. Do you believe and trust in God the Father?

People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Pastor: Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ?

People: I believe 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, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Pastor: Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit

People: 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 ever- lasting. Amen.

Baptism of Candidates

[If the Person to be baptized is an Adult, the Pastor shall take him by the hand, and shall ask the Witnesses the Name; and then shall dip him in the Water, or pour Water upon him, saying:]

Pastor: Name, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Giving of a Lighted Candle

[The Pastor will give all candidates a lighted candle. These candles may be lit from the Paschal Candle. When all have received a candle, the Pastor says:]

Pastor: God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life.

People: Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.

All: We receive Name into the congregation of Christ’s flock; signing him/her with the sign of the Cross as a token that from now on he/she shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and, with strength and endurance, to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil; continuing as Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his/her life’s end. Amen.

Pastor: We give you thanks, most merciful Father, that it has pleased you to regenerate Name with your Holy Spirit, to receive him/her for your own child, and to incorporate him/her into your Church. And humbly we ask you, that he/she, being dead to sin, may live to righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, may also be raised in his resurrection; so that finally, with your Church, he/she may be an inheritor of your everlasting kingdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen

Discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in baptism by discussing the following questions.

• What does it say about what he is doing?
• What does it say about how we are changed?
• Does it say anything about what we should do now that we are baptized?

Scriptural Reflection

Texts: Mark 10.38; Matt. 3.1-17

• What did Jesus do before he was baptized?
• What did he do after he was baptized?
• Did Jesus have to be baptized? Why was he baptized?
• What did it mean for the Spirit of God to descend on Jesus?
• When are the other times God said these words about Jesus? What does it mean?

Synthesis

Texts: Acts 1.1-6; 2.14-21, 37-42

• What did the Holy Spirit mean for the disciples?
• What did Jesus say they would do?
• What happened after the Holy Spirit came?
• What does this mean for all who are baptized, for us?

For the Coming Week

Meditate on the Scriptures in your devotional guide and answer the questions provided. Most especially, think about what our baptism means for what God calls us to do. What difference does the presence of the Holy Spirit mean for us, for his church?