As promised at this time in the service, we are going to invite Reuben and his mom and
dad and godparents to come up here, and we are excited for this baptism and an opportunity
to welcome someone into our church family.
Hey there.
Dearly beloved, Scripture teaches that we are all dead in our sins and trespasses, but by
grace we may be saved through faith.
Our Savior Jesus Christ said, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
And he commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Here we ask our Heavenly Father that this child, being baptized with water, may be filled with
the Holy Spirit, born again and received into the church as a living member of Christ's
body.
Therefore, I urge you to call upon God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of
His abundant mercy He will grant to this child that which by nature He cannot have.
The candidate for Holy Baptism will now be presented.
We present Reuben Alistair Stokes.
Receive the sacrament of baptism.
All right.
Today on behalf of this child you shall make vows to renounce the devil and all his works,
to trust God wholeheartedly and to serve Him faithfully.
It is your task to see that this child is taught as soon as he is able to learn the meaning
of all of these vows and of the faith that you will profess as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
He must come to put his faith in Jesus Christ and learn the creeds, the Lord's Prayer, and
the Ten Commandments, and all other things that a Christian ought to know, believe, and
do for the welfare of his soul.
When he has embraced all these, he is to come to the bishop to be confirmed that he may publicly
claim the faith for his own and be further strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve Christ
and His Bridegroom.
Are you willing and ready to undertake this?
I am.
The Lord is my helper.
Wonderful.
So at this time I will ask you to make the renunciations and the affirmations on Reuben's
behalf.
Do you renounce the devil and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?
I renounce them.
Do you renounce the empty promises and deadly deceits of this world that corrupt and destroy
the creatures of God?
I renounce them.
Do you renounce the sinful desires of the flesh that draw you from the love of God?
I renounce them.
Almighty God, deliver you from the powers of darkness and evil and lead you into the light
and the obedience of the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and confess Him as your Lord and Savior?
I do.
Do you joyfully receive the Christian faith as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments?
I do.
Will you obediently keep God's holy will and commandments and walk in them all the days of
your life?
I will.
The Lord be my helper.
Wonderful.
Now, congregation, we believe that no one is raised in the faith in a vacuum, and we believe
that it is primarily the family, the parents' responsibility, but they don't do it alone,
and we actually need the support of a whole community to raise our children in the faith.
And so I'm going to ask you, and if you agree with this, answer we will.
Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this child in his life
in Christ?
We will.
Excellent.
Let's join with this child to proclaim our faith in the words of the ancient baptismal
confession, the Apostles' Creed.
I invite you to stand.
Do you believe and trust in God the Father?
I do.
I believe in God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe and trust in Jesus Christ?
I do.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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 and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?
I do.
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.
And let us now pray for this child who is to receive the sacrament of baptism.
That this child may come to confess his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That this child may continue in the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, in the breaking
of bread, and in the prayers.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That he may walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which he has been called, ever growing
in faith and all heavenly virtues.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That he may persevere in resisting evil, and whenever he falls into sin, repent and return
to the Lord.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That he may proclaim by word and deed the good news of God and Christ Jesus to a lost and
broken world.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That as a living member of the body of Christ, he may grow up in every way, and to him who
is the head.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
That looking to Jesus, he may run with endurance the race set before him, and at the last, receive
the unfading crown of glory.
He beseeched you to hear us, dear Lord.
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting Father, in your great mercy you saved Noah and his family in the
ark from the destruction of the flood, prefiguring the sacrament of holy baptism.
Look mercifully upon this, your servant.
Wash and sanctify him through our Holy Spirit, that he may be delivered from destruction and
received into the ark of Christ's church.
And being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in love, he may pass through
the turbulent floods of this troublesome world, and come into the land of everlasting life.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
Lift up your hearts to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water.
Over it, the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.
Through it, you led the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt into the land of promise.
In it, your son Jesus received the baptism of John in the river Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove.
We thank you, Father, for the water of baptism.
In it, we are buried with Christ in his death.
By it, we share in his resurrection.
Through it, we are made regenerate by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, in joyful obedience to your son, we bring into his fellowship those who come to him in faith, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Now, Father, sanctify this water by the power of your Holy Spirit.
May all who are baptized here be cleansed from sin, be born again, and continue forever faithful in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever.
Amen.
I invite you all to step over here, and I am going to take you, cutie.
Hey.
Look, everybody is here, and they love you, and there's your mom and dad, and your brother and sister.
But the one who loves you the most is Jesus, and it's because of his love for you and promises that he made to you before you were born.
It's because of that that we baptize you.
Name this child.
Reuben, Alistair, I baptize you in the name of the Father.
Amen.
And of the Son.
And of the Holy Spirit.
You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, and you are marked as Christ's own forever and ever.
Amen.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit, you have bestowed upon
this your servant the forgiveness of sin, received him as your own child by adoption,
made him a member of your holy church, and raised him to new life of grace.
Sustain him, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit, that he may enjoy everlasting salvation through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let's say these words together and welcome the newly baptized.
We receive you into the fellowship of the church, confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim
his resurrection, and share with us in the royal priesthood of all his people.
Now we have a gift from Heather, one of our children and family ministry directors.
On behalf of Family Ministries, Reuben, I'd like to welcome you into our church family.
We're delighted to have you here.
And we have a gift for you.
We have a board book that will teach you about the Bible.
And we have a candle that we hope you can light each year to commemorate your baptism.
Wonderful.
Now we have a tradition in our church.
You all may be seated.
We have a tradition in our church that when we baptize a child, we welcome them into the
church by singing to them.
And as we sing together, we're going to exit and then we will re-enter, marking Reuben's
entry into our church family.
And as we do this, we're going to sing.
Hillary's going to lead us in singing, Jesus Loves You.
Jesus Loves You.
This I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
There's no one to give me long.
They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves you.
The Bible tells me so.
Amen.
Jesus loves you.
This I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong.
They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves you.
The Bible tells me so.
Amen.
I invite you to stand.
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.
And also with you.
Let us greet one another with the peace of Christ and let's give thanks for our newest member.
And thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
All right, friends, I invite you to gather back together.
As we prepare to come to the Lord's table, a couple of items for you as the children return.
Number one, our instructions for the Lord's table are in the bulletin.
So if you're new to the church, you could take a moment to read over that, and it'll
help you understand how it works.
Also, as we come to the table, we take a moment to reflect on the ways that God has provided
for us as His ultimate provision comes in the offering of Himself.
And so this is an appropriate time out of gratitude to give as an act of worship.
And there are a couple of ways you can do that.
You can use the link that you see in the bulletin.
There's a QR code there.
Or you can give here using the offering boxes in the back of the sanctuary.
So take a moment to reflect on God's provision in your life.
And as you give, see that as a way of responding to His generosity.
Let us ascribe to the Lord the honor, do His name, bring offerings, and come into His courts.
Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive.
Unless the Lord does raise the house in vain, its builders strive.
To you who boast tomorrow's gain, tell me what is your life.
A list that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ.
All glory be to Christ our King.
All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign will ever sing.
All glory be to Christ.
His will be to Christ.
The glory water satisfy.
The thirsty without price.
We'll take the cup of kindness yet.
All glory be to Christ.
All glory be to Christ our King.
All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign will ever sing.
All glory be to Christ.
When on the day the great I am, the faithful and the true.
The Lamb who was for sinners slain is making all things new.
Behold, our God shall live with us.
And He our steadfast life.
All glory be to God.
The Lord shall live with us.
All glory be to Christ.
All glory be to Christ our King.
All glory be to Christ.
Glory be to Christ.
His rule that we will ever see.
Glory be to Christ.
Please stand and sing a verse.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.
For everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and your exalted is head above all.
All things come from you, O Lord.
And of your own have we given you.
Amen.
We welcome to this table all of those who have been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
If you are seeking to follow Jesus in faith and repentance, pursuing reconciliation with those in our midst, then come and receive this meal.
For fuller instructions, you can read in the bulletin how to come to the table if this is your first time.
Let's worship the Lord together.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is right our duty and joy always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For He is your living word from before time and for all ages.
By Him you created all things and by Him you make all things new.
Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna.
Hosanna, Hosanna.
O Zéa, O Zéa, in the eye.
Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Alleluia, Christ our Passover has sacrificed once for all upon the cross.
Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Alleluia.
Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
If you'll be seated, our ushers will invite you forward.
Amen.
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Nothing is impossible for you.
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You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness.
You have redeemed my soul from death.
You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness.
You have redeemed my soul from death.
And nothing is impossible for you.
Jesus scatters the seeds of his kingdom.
Lord and why he announces new birth.
I, the Lord of creation, am making new.
Every inch of this groaning earth.
Oh, we wait for the Lord of the harvest.
And we long for our King to appear.
Oh, now in our hearts, by the Spirit's power.
The kingdom of God is near.
Like the smallest of seeds in the winter.
Is the kingdom of God and its soul.
But the powers of hell shall against each man.
And the kingdom of God is cold.
Oh, now in our hearts, by the Lord of the harvest.
And we long for our King to appear.
The kingdom of God is near.
He has planted the seeds of his kingdom.
In the hearts of the poor and the weak.
He declares to the captives.
I bring good news.
You shall be mighty old to stay.
Though we wait for the Lord of the harvest.
And we long for our King to appear.
Even now in our hearts, by the Spirit's power.
The kingdom of God is near.
Through the city of God flows a river.
From the throne of the Lamb waters more.
And behold, on His face grows the tree of life.
Where the nations are healed and restored.
Though we wait for the Lord of the harvest.
And we long for our King to appear.
Even now in our hearts, by the Spirit's power.
The kingdom of God is near.
The kingdom.
The kingdom of God is near.
Friends, we are here only because Christ has offered Himself to us.
And now that we have received His grace and been sustained by His very presence with us,
it is only right that we give thanks.
So I invite you to stand.
O God of our ancestors, God of our people, before whose face the human generations pass
away, we thank you that in you we are kept safe forever and that the broken fragments
of our history are gathered up in the redeeming act of your dear Son, remembered in this holy
sacrament of bread and wine.
Help us to walk daily in the communion of saints, declaring our faith in the forgiveness of sins
and the resurrection of the body.
Now send us out in the power of your Holy Spirit to live and work for your praise and glory.
Amen.
A couple of really quick things.
Number one, if you are part of our church, a regular attender or a member, invitations
are going out right now.
Our hope is to get everybody in our church to one of a number of gatherings that will
be coming up in the coming weeks.
We'd love for you to hear more about For the City, and we'd love for you to be praying
now and asking God, what does God want to do through me in this church, in this city,
through everything that's happening over this next year.
So look for those invitations in your inboxes.
And also look for, we are going to be mailing packets out to all of you that will have additional
information as well.
So look for that in the actual, real, concrete, flesh-and-blood snail mail.
It's coming to you.
So lots to look forward to.
And number two, if you're new to our church, we're having a brunch downstairs in the choir
room immediately after the service, a newcomer's brunch where we're going to share more about
the church and answer any questions that you might have.
We would love for you to join us.
Even if you hadn't signed up, if you're new, if this is your first time, come.
We have enough food.
Now let's receive God's blessing together.
All of our problems, we send to the cross of Christ.
All of our difficulties, we send to the cross of Christ.
All the devil's works, we send to the cross of Christ.
And all of our hopes, we set on the risen Christ.
May Christ, the Son of Righteousness, shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before
your path.
May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit be among you
and remain with you forever and always.
Amen.
The kingdom of God is now.
Amen.
Now let's move.
Amen.
Oh, we wait for the Lord of the harvest and we long for our King to appear.
Even now with our hearts by the Spirit's power, the kingdom of God is near.
The kingdom of God is near.
By the Spirit's power
The kingdom of God is near
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Glory to God and the Spirit
Thanks be to God
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