In our New Century Hymnals, in the front we have different services for us to follow, on page 31, we have the Service of Baptism. On page 33, it has a series of questions for those the parents and sponsors/godparents who are asking for their child/children to be baptized. Here are some of the questions:
Do you desire to have your child baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
Will you encourage this child to renounce the powers of evil and to receive freedom of new life in Christ?
Will you teach this child the they may be led to profess Jesus as Lord and Savior?
For you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ's disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best your able?
Do yo promise, according to the grace give to you, to grow with this child, in the Christian faith, to help this child to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, by celebrating Christ's presence, by furthering Christ's mission in all the world, and by offering the nurture of the Christian church so that they may affirm their baptism?
If you notice, there isn't much about heaven and hell, and it does ask a lot of the parents and sponsors/godparents: to resist evil, to grow in their faith with the child, and witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ. The answer on most of the questions is: We do, with the help of God. There isn't any, "or else" found in this liturgy or in these promises, there is only the highest of intentions and faith that somehow the child will learn and grow to have a relationship with God through Jesus and the church.
If we go back to our spiritual ancestors of Congregationalism, we will discover that the early Pilgrims only baptized adults and only if they have shown by their behavior a good moral character. It wasn't until later, when they were worried that the children, who often died, would go to hell, that they changed their practice. How we practice and perform baptisms differs in each church and each era, but the base of it, the foundation is a covenant.
I believe Jesus and Nicodemus, in our gospel story, are talking about baptism. It is bringing our whole selves and our whole faith and the wholeness of God together, water and spirit. It is a new and renewing relationship that can't be, or at least shouldn't be, broken. In our service of baptism, there isn't any escape clause, or consequence if one party doesn't uphold their part. We only hope that the parents and godparents will grow in their faith and love with their child. We only hope that the child will grow and become a part of the church. We only believe that God and the church will watch over the child and offer them our love, support, and care. The parents and the child as they grow and mature, still have the freedom to choose whether or not to resist the powers of evil, to accept Christ, and be a part of the church.
Jesus says his mission is to save the world, not condemn it. Jesus doesn't save it by scaring the hell out of us, though some churches and preachers use this tactic. He does rightly call out that there is darkness in the world and darkness in us, and we have to make a choice to be part of the light or part of the darkness, though, at least in this world, we are never totally free from the darkness. So we need help, from God, Jesus, and the Spirit, from church, family, and good neighbors, and we can help others in their struggles. This is covenant. It is through relationship and working towards the highest ideals, promises made, and the renewing of our intentions that brings us together. The United Church of Christ, our First Congregational church, is based upon covenant, not scripture, not doctrine, not contract, not practice, but the intentions and aspirations that through learning and growing from scripture, doctrine, promises, and practice we can be a part of the mission to save the world and all that are in it. Amen.
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