Baptism Service

We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise. We're going to sing in Psalm 16.

! We're going to sing from verse 8 to 11.

!

We'll stay down to the end of the psalm to God's praise and we stand to sing.

Amen.

!

My body too will rest secure in open with a name.

For you will not allow my soul in death to stay.

Lord, help me to lead your holy one to see the truth in his.

You are made known to me the path of life divine.

This child I know that you might come.

Joy from your face will shine.

We'll bow our heads together in a short word of prayer.

Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, as we come to unite our hearts in prayer and as we lift up our voices

in song and praise to you, we are thankful that as we come today, we do indeed set the Lord before us.

That all that we seek to do, we seek to do for your sake and for your glory.

So we give you thanks for this day and this opportunity to worship you,

this blessing that is ours to be under your word, to be hearing it, to be learning from it.

And today as we have the service of baptism too, we thank you for that blessing that there is to be heard and seen in that as well.

And we do pray that together we will be encouraged, that we will be blessed by you.

And we pray for our young people as we come to you today.

We thank you for them.

We thank you for those who will be baptized today and we pray for your blessing on them and their families.

We thank you for all who belong to us as a congregation, from our creche, our tweenies, our Sunday school, our Bible class, our youth fellowship,

and all our families, Lord, we commit to you asking your protection and blessing over them.

Thankful that there is that desire to learn of you.

And we pray that they may come to know you in that special way,

that they will set the Lord before them, themselves all the days of their lives.

So may you bless us.

May you watch over us.

May you continue with us in all that we do as we ask it all in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen.

Before the young ones go out to the Sunday school, I just want to say a few words to you.

And in my hand here, I have something that probably most of you have at home.

Do you recognize what it is?

It's a TV controller.

Now, this can cause a lot of discussion in the house, a lot of debate.

Has anybody hidden the controller on anybody else so that you have control over what you're watching

and what everybody's watching?

It can cause a lot of discussion.

It can even cause little fights to start.

Where do you put the controller?

Because it gives us a sense of power.

Because we can rewind, watch something again.

We can fast forward if we're not enjoying something we're watching.

We can pause if we want to take a wee break and come back and watch something again later.

It gives us that sense of power.

Well, today as we come to look at God's word, as we come together today, we have a special service,

service for baptism.

And we'll see that later on towards the end of the service.

But as we come to look at God's word, it's almost like we're pressing the rewind button on the controller.

We're going to go back into the book of Acts in the New Testament, back to a time like 2,000 years ago.

And we're seeing a sermon being preached, just like we see here today.

And we're seeing Peter there preaching a sermon.

We're seeing people listening to what he's saying.

And we see people then seeking to understand about what he's saying, wanting to know more about what he's saying.

And they have a question, what should we do?

It's a great question that for ourselves today when we think of all that we're seeing and all that we're hearing.

What do we do with it?

Well, we are reminded that as we go back to the book of Acts and as we see Peter saying,

you must be baptized.

He's telling of the importance of being baptized in the name of Jesus.

Is that a doctor then?

He's telling of the story.

That's all.

That's all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

,

that today we will hear your word speaking to us as a new word a fresh word for us today

just as fresh as it was then with the same power the same blessing in it lord that you are the one

who is able to save and so we ask that you will help us to do all for your glory and we look to

you in these days lord with all our different needs we thank you that you are god and lord for

all and whatever our need today we thank you that we can bring it before you we do remember

particular needs around us today we thank you for our homes and our families but we pray lord that

in those homes where there is grief and sorrow and sadness that you will come and comfort and console

as we particularly remember the family of anne mcdonald today we pray for each one of them

may your blessing and your peace be with them in a special way and in these coming days as well

as we prepare for the wake and the funeral services to take place lord we ask that your spirit

will comfort and guide in these times we thank you for the fellowship of your people in these days

as well for the way that we are able to unite our hearts and prayer for one another

bringing all our different needs to you and we do pray for our community and thank you for the power

of prayer and we ask that especially in matters concerning your cause that you would unite us

together as your people in that spirit of prayer as we think of the situation regarding tesco at this

time we do commit all the prayers of your people and the prayer meeting this evening in the apc church

lord that we are time of unity and blessing in that a time when we are assured of your presence and

the power of that you have for we may be weak in ourselves but we thank you that you can do all

things for us and so we pray for your grace and your mercy upon our town and upon decisions made

regarding your day and if it is your will lord we do pray that decisions will be overturned by your power

and by your grace so give us that spirit of prayer and give us lord to look to you in these days as

well to seek your blessing over us in being seeing numbers added to those who are being saved even as we

have read of in your word we thank you that your word reminds us of that great power that you have that

salvation belongs to you alone and so here are prayers for our people for our community for our nation

and the nations of the world and we see so many needs around us with the devastation in spain in

this past week and we pray for that situation lord for those who are hurting and mourning for those who

are still missing for those who are helping in these situations lord may your grace and mercy be with them

and may you lead us as a people lord in all of these days as we think of the united states and the

election taking place there in these coming days lord we pray for your blessing over that nation as

such a powerful nation throughout the world that has so much to offer for good as well as evil

and we do pray lord that you will be pleased to bless and to guide and to pour out your spirit upon all our

lands so here our prayers continue with us in this day and go before us is all we ask we ask the

forgiveness of our sins in jesus name amen we're going to sing again to god's praise this time in psalm 90

in the scottish psalter page 350 of the psalm books

psalm 90 page 350

we'll sing from verse 14 to verse 17

with thy tender mercies lord as early satisfy so we rejoice shall all our days and still

be glad in thee we'll sing from verse 14 to 17 to god's praise and we stand to sing

singing singing

So we'll be joyed shall all our days, and still be glad in thee.

And Lord, in us the days of thee, where then we leave our heart, and years where then we ever last see.

So do the ring us fly.

O let thy wife and power appear, thy sermons face before.

And show unto her children dear thy glory evermore.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be as a poor.

Around the world, his vibration, his vibration, his vibration.

Amen.

For the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.

Amen.

I deserve privilege to be here today under God's word, having his word before us, having the assurance that he gives in his word of his presence with us,

that when we are gathered in his name, he is in the midst to bless.

And today we come with that significance, too, of the sacrament of baptism, and all of that shows to us of the wonder of who our Lord is.

Today is a special day for parents who are baptizing three precious children, for their families, and for us all together as a congregation and as a community of fellowship here.

It's a special day to partake of in the service, hearing the word of God, seeing what's happening before us, and asking, what does this mean?

What does it mean for those who are baptizing, and what does it mean for ourselves as a congregation, and even personally?

What does it mean to me as an individual?

What's the significance of it?

You see, in baptism, our focus isn't just on those who are being baptized.

Our focus is, first and foremost, on Jesus Christ and the blessings that we pray for in him, for us all together,

for the wee ones who are baptized, for their parents and families, and for us all together.

It is all about Jesus.

Someone once said this of baptism.

Baptism is like a precious jewel, set apart by itself.

It's nice and appealing, but has nothing within it to compel.

But place baptism against the backdrop of our sin, and turn on the light of the cross,

and the jewel explodes with significance.

You think of when you see a jewel, when it's just sitting there, maybe it doesn't look that impressive.

But put something in the background, especially a dark background, and shine a light through it,

and it explodes in all its colors and all its beauty.

And so it is with baptism.

It's not just about gathering together as family and friends.

There's so much significance behind it, and especially when we see our sin,

and what's signified in baptism, and the cross, and what Jesus has done for our salvation there.

As Peter preached this sermon in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

at the heart of it was all about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 36 says,

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ,

this Jesus whom you crucified.

Before it came to seeing their need, and before it came to the baptism,

was to see Christ crucified, and all that that means.

He has been made Lord and Christ, whom they crucified.

We're thinking today of the blessings that there are in baptism.

The blessings that we know in Christ that we are reminded of through baptism.

And that comes as we see Christ with faith.

As his word, as you see there in verse 37,

they were cut to the heart by the word.

As the word cuts to our heart,

as we hear the word, and as we see the significance of it,

may it cut to our hearts today in the same way it did then,

so that we might know the blessings that are ours in Christ.

A man called Fred Marsh spoke of the blessings that there are in Christ in this way.

He spoke of it in a number of different ways.

He said there's an inheritance that can never be lost,

a grace that can never be limited,

a hope that can never be disappointed,

a joy that need never be diminished,

a peace that can never be disturbed,

a salvation that can never be cancelled.

What we have through faith,

and that's what baptism points us to,

our need of our cleansing of our sin

that comes through Jesus Christ.

These are the blessings that we seek for the children who are baptized today,

for their families,

for their parents,

and for all their families together,

but for us all together too,

that we would see that this is the word of God to us all.

And so we're going to think of three things

that we see in these verses of baptism.

The first thing we see is the need.

The second thing we see is the name.

And the third thing is the number.

The need, the name, and the number.

So first of all, we see the need that we have for baptism.

Peter here has preached a powerful sermon.

The Spirit has been with them.

The Spirit of God was poured out on the church,

as you see at the beginning of chapter 2.

And Peter stood up in their midst

and proclaimed the word of God to them.

And what he saw was what every preacher longs to see.

He saw a response.

A wonderful response.

And that's the response you see in verse 37.

When they were cut to the heart,

they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,

Brothers, what shall we do?

They heard the word of God.

They heard about the crucified Christ,

who had been crucified for their sins.

And they pleaded,

What shall we do?

They realized there was a need of something.

They realized that this word called for a response.

And their question is,

What shall we do?

When we gather this morning for this service of baptism,

there's so much to be thankful for.

There's so many blessings that we can see.

There's reminders to us of these blessings before us.

The blessings that we have in life.

As we think of the children being baptized.

As we think of the privilege of being together for it,

under God's word.

But in it all,

what is our greatest need?

What should we be most thankful for today?

We could come here today and say,

It was nice to be here.

It was lovely to see families together.

It was beautiful to see children baptized.

We could go away thinking all of these things.

And they are all great blessings that we are to be thankful for.

But is it the most important thing that we are to see

when we think of what's before us today?

And what it represents and says to us of our need.

It's not to see something that's nice and beautiful

and a blessing in so many ways.

But to see the word of God

and the sacrament of baptism

and speaking of the wonder of the grace of God to us.

A sinful people.

It's hard to think of that

when we think of baptizing young infants.

A sinner.

It doesn't sound right.

And yet we all come into this world

as sinners in need of salvation.

When the people ask that question,

What shall we do?

It's the same question that we have to ask ourselves today.

What shall we do?

What is our greatest need?

As we see this before us today.

Well, Peter gives us the answer.

When they ask that question,

Peter gives him the response.

In verse 38,

Repent and be baptized,

every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ,

for the forgiveness of your sins.

Sin is our enemy.

And so our greatest need

is to be rescued from sin.

I'm sure you will all have seen

the devastating floods in Spain this past week.

Whenever you see a natural disaster like that

and so many other different things,

it reminds us of the power that's behind it.

The devastation that it brings.

It's hard to believe when you see the pictures

on the television,

how quickly things happened.

How quickly things changed for them.

How helpless the people were.

How powerful the force of the water was.

Devastation and tragedy came.

And the need for the people in the midst of it

was rescue.

And yet sadly for so many,

that rescue wasn't there.

It's tragic.

And it's a reminder to us

of our need to be saved.

Of our need to be saved.

Not from the powers of this world in that sense,

but the power of our enemy of sin.

The power of sin.

And there's a psalm

that speaks of this in a powerful way.

Psalm 65 at verse 3.

It says,

When we were overwhelmed by sins

and guilt upon us lay,

you pardoned all our trespasses

and washed our guilt away.

When we were overwhelmed by sins.

It's the same kind of idea

as the waters of a flood

pouring over a people

and overwhelming them.

Sin does the exact same thing.

It overwhelms us.

But yet we are assured there

that when we put faith in our Lord,

you pardon all our trespasses

and wash our guilt away.

And that is what we see

of our need in baptism.

The water that signifies

our need to be cleansed

from our sin.

We are all overwhelmed by sin.

But what we want is to see

the word of God

pricking our hearts.

Reminding us of our great need.

The blessings, yes,

that there are in baptism.

The beauty of seeing children baptized.

But we see it in the backdrop of sin.

Our sin.

Your sin and my sin.

And our need of repentance.

Of turning from our sin.

And turning to the Lord Jesus.

Turning to him

for forgiveness of sin.

It reminds us then

of our need.

And that leads us then secondly

to the name.

The name.

When we come to baptism,

names are obviously so important.

We have wonderful names

of the three children today.

Isaiah James Murray,

Andrew Kenneth MacDonald,

and Annie McLennan.

you will hear these names

as the children are baptized.

Precious names.

Names full of meaning

for precious children.

But today is not a christening service.

It's a baptism.

It's a baptism.

We have these names today

that we baptize them in.

But it's in the name of Jesus Christ

that they are baptized.

And that's the name

that is above every name.

Their names,

the names of the children,

are precious as we baptize them.

But they have these names.

And here we come

to baptize us

as Peter says there

in verse 38,

repent and be baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness

of your sins.

And as later we will baptize

the children,

what we say is

we baptize you

in the name of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

The name that is above

every name.

And it's the name of Jesus

that resonates in the word

before us.

In the preaching of the word

it's the name of Jesus

that we are to hear.

And in the baptism

it's in the name of Jesus.

And it's a powerful name.

As children,

you grow up

and I'm sure

as these children

before us today

as they are baptized

and as they grow up

they will hear their names

echoing around the house

in different times

and in different ways

if they haven't already heard it.

I'm sure we were all used

to hearing our names

being called.

And it's usually

when you hear being called

in a slightly louder tone

you know there's something wrong.

Something we've done

that we shouldn't

or something that we haven't done

that we should.

So the name

will echo around the house.

Whatever name you're called.

John,

Donald,

Anne,

Barbara,

whatever it is

the name will echo around.

Where are you?

What have you done?

Or what haven't you done?

Names are important.

They identify us

as individuals.

And we all have

a name.

But as we think

of ourselves

growing up

or these children

who are baptized

growing up

what we want to see

and hear

and know

is the name

of Jesus

resonating

around our homes

and our communities

as well.

As parents

and as parents

who are baptizing

today

it is

your burden

as parents

to teach them

the word of God.

To teach them

about Jesus

from the word of God

and the precious

saviour

that he is.

That is the burden

that you are taking

not just today

but already

and as you go forward

that burden

is on you.

To make the name

of Jesus

a precious name

in your home.

And it's a burden

on the families

the wider families too.

The responsibility

of looking after

your family too.

Of making sure

that the name

of Jesus

is part

of that child

growing up

and part of your children

your children's children

growing up.

And it is our responsibility

too

as a church

as a congregation

we take this burden

with them

to be a people

who will pray

for the children

for our families

for all of us

together

as a congregation.

And we pray

in the name

of Jesus.

It's a wonderful thing

that we can use

individual and personal

names before God

in prayer.

But every name

that we offer

we come ultimately

to the name

of Jesus.

to the name

of Jesus

that is above

every name.

And why is

Jesus' name

so important?

I'm sure you already

know

and many of you

do

why

that is so

important for us.

The hope

that this name

gives.

You think of

Jesus himself

when he came

into this world

when Joseph

heard that

Mary was to

bear a child

Joseph was told

she will bear

a son

and you will

call his name

Jesus.

Why?

For he will

save his people

from their sins.

The importance

of that name.

You will call

his name

Jesus

for he will

save his people

from their sins.

And that's a

reminder we have

in the blessing

of what baptism

shows to us.

That Jesus

is the one

when we put our

faith in him

that he is able

to wash

our sins

away.

Just a couple

of chapters

later in the

book of Acts

in chapter 4

again you see

the importance

of the name

of Jesus

there in

verse 11

and 12

where it says

this Jesus

is the stone

that was rejected

by you

the builders

which has become

the cornerstone

and there is

salvation

in no one

else

for there is

no other name

under heaven

given among

men

by which

we must

be saved.

It is this

power

in the name

of Jesus

and it is our

prayer

that the name

of Jesus

will be precious

to the children

to the parents

to the families

and to us

all

because you see

here

that there is

a promise

here in verse 39

this promise

is for you

and for your

children

and for all

who are far off

everyone whom

the Lord

calls

to himself.

It is a real

blessing when you

see children's

children

and today

we have the

blessing of

having a

great grandfather

involved in the

baptism

not just

children's

children but it

goes further

than that

as a blessing

to us when we

see generations

coming

and after us

and we see a

generation

growing up

and the name

of Jesus

being precious

and the name

of Jesus

being blessed

to them

and so we

look to this

name

the name

of Jesus

is precious

precious

as the names

of the children

are today

it is the name

of Jesus

we long

for them

to know

and to be

precious

to them

and to us

all

together

the last

thing I want

us to see

here as we

look at these

verses

is the

number

so we

see our

need

we see

the name

of Jesus

now we

see finally

the number

the importance

of number

but not in the

sense of

how many

but what it

signifies

when Peter

answers

in verse

38

he tells

him to

receive

the Lord

Peter said

repent and

be baptized

every one

of you

in the

name

of Jesus

Christ

for the

forgiveness

of your

sin

when he

said this

they heard

this

they heard

the greatest

news

they could

hear

that there

was hope

and what

you see

then is

in verse

41

3,000

were added

to their

number

that day

3,000

souls

were added

3,000

responded

and were

saved

were baptized

and you

think to

yourself

how did

they manage

that

in one

day

3,000

we have

three here

today being

baptized

3,000

just seems

beyond our

imagination

just how

it could

possibly happen

we'd have to

call out a few

retired ministers

to help with

those kinds of

numbers

but what a

blessing on

the church

when we see

the power of

God through

his word

as a people

cry

what must

we do

repent

and be

baptized

every one

of you

in the name

of Jesus

and added

to their

number

that day

were 3,000

souls

I wonder

did Peter

expect that

to happen

as he

preached

the word

I doubt

if he did

not to this

extent

but he knew

the power

of God

he knew

the power

that God

could save

and it

doesn't depend

on us

but on

what God

can do

and so

we are

reminded

of that

today

as well

that it is

the Lord

who is able

to save

and the

prayer is

that he

will add

to our

number

those

who are

being

saved

because you

see as I

say it's

not about

the scale

of numbers

here

the 3,000

that so

often

catches

our attention

but it's

more the

word

added

there in

verse 41

there were

added

that day

about

3,000

souls

and you

see what

follows in

verse 42

to 47

is the

fellowship

of believers

there was

already a

core

of believers

here

there was

already a

congregation

of people

who were

trusting

in the

Lord

and what

the Lord

was doing

was adding

to that

number

those

who were

being

saved

and so

as you

go on

and you

see the

numbers

spoken

about

here

it's a

reminder

to us

that today

is not

just about

the three

children

being

baptized

baptized

it's about

us all

together

our

collective

responsibility

and our

collective

need

to be a

people

who pray

for

and look

out for

these

children

a reminder

to us

that there are

already those

who belong to

the Lord

in our

number

and we

pray that the

Lord would

add to our

number

even as we

see in

verse 47

daily

being added

to the

number

those who

are being

saved

those who

are being

saved

that is

our

prayer

don't lose

sight

of the

blessing of

children

as parents

don't lose

sight

of the

blessing of

these children

as families

don't lose

sight of

our children

as a

congregation

and the

responsibility

that is

ours

towards them

all and to

ourselves

collectively

as a

people

what we

want is

the

fellowship

of

believers

and the

Lord

adding

to our

number

those

who are

being

saved

and for

that it

means

taking

our

responsibility

serious

praying

and seeking

the Lord's

blessing

on us

all

together

as parents

we can so

often feel

that sense

of guilt

that we

haven't given

the time

that the

children

deserve

that we

miss out

on so

much

but let

us never

lose

sight of

how precious

they are

and to

keep praying

for them

and you

say to

yourself

well we

couldn't

lose sight

of them

but we

so easily

can

and I'll

give you

an illustration

of this

how this

can happen

there was

a man

called

Charles

Francis

Adams

and he

was a

political

figure

in the

United

States

back in

the

19th

century

and he

kept

a diary

and in

his diary

one day

was an

entry

and all

it said

was this

went

fishing

with my

son

today

a day

wasted

well

his son

Brooke

Adams

he also

kept

a diary

a

diary

that

still

exists

to this

day

and on

the same

day

this was

his

entry

into

his

diary

went

fishing

with

my

father

the

most

wonderful

day

of my

life

and you

see there

the difference

how easy

it is to get

caught up in

thinking that

our time

is wasted

when the

child is

actually seeing

it as the

most precious

day of

his life

it's all

about how

we view

an investment

into our

children

into our

families

into our

congregation

but anything

done

with them

is not

wasted

and especially

as we think

of teaching

them and

nurturing

them and

bringing

them up

in the

fear and

the nurture

of the

Lord

it is

not

wasted

and our

prayers

are never

wasted

our prayers

are to be

for them

and with

them

as they

grow up

and wherever

they go

that we

would take

our

responsibility

in baptism

as parents

as families

as a

congregation

that we

would take

these things

seriously

and that we

would see

an investment

in them

as we see

our need

our great

need

to repent

and believe

for the

forgiveness

of our

sins

as we

see the

great name

that is

able to

save

the name

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

and as

we see

the number

and our

responsibility

collectively

may we

seek to

know the

blessing

of God

upon us

and with

us

going before

us

in all

of these

things

and that

the Lord

indeed

would be

pleased

to add

to our

number

not just

those

who are

baptized

but those

who are

being saved

that our

sins

would be

forgiven

through

faith in

the one

who washes

our sin

away

that is

our prayer

and may

the Lord

bless

and grow

his church

and watch

over us

all together

as we seek

his blessing

in these

things

let us

pray

our

father

in heaven

we do

rejoice in

your word

and your

goodness

to us

may you

continue

to bless

it

to us

lead us

by it

and hear

our prayers

over it

as well

as we pray

for your

word to be

blessed

we pray

your blessing

on all

that we

do

even as

we come

now to

this part

of the

service

we come

to the

baptism

Lord

continue

with us

as we

ask all

the forgiveness

of sin

in Jesus

name

Amen

we're going

to sing

together

now to

God's

praise

we're going

to sing

in Psalm

84

in the

Scottish

Psalter

page

338

Psalm

84

we're going

to sing

from

verse 1

down

to

verse 6

how

lovely

is

thy

dwelling

place

O

Lord

of

hosts

to

me

the

tabernacles

of

thy

grace

how

pleasant

Lord

they

be

my

thirsty

soul

longs

vehemently

ye

faints

thy

courts

to

see

my

very

heart

and

flesh

cry out

O

living

God

for

thee

we'll

sing

from

verse 1

to 6

to

God's

praise

and we

stand

to

sing

!

O

love

to

God's

love

singing

singing

It takes my course to see

My very heart and flesh cry out

For living God for me

We hold the spell of pride divine

And house wherein to rest

The swallow also for herself

Hath purchased sand and hares

In thine old altars where she'd stay

Her young ones forth may bring

O thou almighty Lord of hosts

Through art I fought and came

Blessed are they in thy house

And house thou dwell

They ever give thee praise

Blessed is the man who stands

The Lord and whose heart are thy grace

Who passeth girl, O make that smell

Therein to dig up wells

Also the rain that falleth down

Therein to dig up wells

With water built

Welcome to you all

Well we've been looking at the importance

Of baptism in our service this morning

Together as we've been looking at the book of Acts

We've seen our great need of baptism

We've seen the name that's involved in baptism

The children have their own names

But we come seeking the name of Jesus

To be the name that's blessed to them

And to us all together

And our longing today is that as we see

A number added to those who are baptized

In our congregation

We will come God willing

To see more and more being added to our number

Those who are being saved

That is our prayer

And so as we come to the baptism part of this service

I have some questions to put to the fathers in a moment

And then I'll be inviting them to come forward

One family at a time

To be baptized here and here

And we've also got the Reverend James McKeever here with us

Who is going to be the baptism of Isaiah James Murray

With James and Marion

So I'll invite him to come forward in a few moments as well

We have the water that's used for baptism

It reminds us of the significance of what Jesus has done for us

When he came into this world

He came with that name called Jesus

That he might save his people from their sins

And we see what he has done for us at the cross

And we see there that for our sins to be forgiven

He had to endure that

He had to go through that

He had to give his life

That he rose from the grave as well

He lives now

And it is him we look to for our salvation

And so as we come to the baptism part

We're going to pray for the baptism

That's before us

And we'll just say a word of prayer just now

Let us pray

Our Father in heaven

We do thank you for all that we see before us at this time

We thank you that you are the one who is in the midst

That your name is the name that we look to

As we baptize the children with their names that are before us

Lord we thank you too for the name of Jesus Christ

The one who is there for our salvation

The one through whom our sins are washed away

We thank you for the water that's before us as well

For all it signifies to us

And may you bless it in the purpose

Which is used today in the sprinkling of water

We will be reminded that we are washed from our sins

By the blood of Jesus

Who came for the forgiveness of His people

And so we come now looking to your blessing

On all that we do

And we ask it all in Jesus' name

And for His sake

Amen

Well if the fathers could please stand at this point

I have questions to put to you

And I'll just ask the question

And then just look for an answer for the question

From the three of you

The first question is

Do you acknowledge God

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Revealed in Scripture

To be the only true God

And your God

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

The only mediator between God and men

Do you now promise to bring up this child

In the nurture and the training of the Lord

Well we'll stand now

As we come to the baptism part

I'll invite James to come forward first

Reverend James with James and Marion

And we Isaiah James Murray

Please

Please

!

Please

!

Please

!

Please

Isaiah, James, Murray, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen.

Amen.

Leave it right off.

Kenny and Amy, if you want to come up now.

Little Annie.

Hopefully I won't get too wet, but there's a towel there.

To you, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

And the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Ali and Lauren, come up for the family.

It's nice to see you all together here.

Andrew Kenneth MacDonald, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord be gracious towards you and make His face to shine upon you.

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

We'll again engage in a word of prayer.

Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we do give you thanks for the blessings that are before us and the baptism.

We thank you for all it reminds us of, our engrafting to Christ.

Amen.

It reminds us that we need you, Lord.

That we need you as our precious Savior that you alone are able to save.

And we do pray that you will bless these families together.

That you will bless Isaiah James Murray with James and Marion.

That you will bless Annie McLennan with Kenny and Amy.

That you will bless too, O Lord.

Lord, Alistair and Lauren and Andrew Kenneth MacDonald and the rest of their family too, Lord.

May your blessing be with them and the extended families and us all together.

May you help us to take these vows before us seriously.

To remember our children and our children's children.

To seek your blessing and your favor upon us all.

As we ask all with the forgiveness of our sins.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

You'll be seated again.

It is a real privilege and blessing to see and hear children in our midst.

And we do continue to pray that the Lord will be gracious to you all.

And to bless you and to watch over you all the days of your lives.

Our final item of praise is going to be from Psalm 22.

And we sing at the end of this psalm.

It's the Sing Psalms version on page 27.

From verse 28 down to verse 31.

Three stanzas.

Dominion to the Lord belongs and over nations he is king.

The rich of all the earth will feast and worship with an offering.

All those whose destiny is dust will humbly kneel before his throne.

They cannot keep themselves alive for they depend on him alone.

Hostility will serve the Lord and generations still to come will tell a people yet unborn the righteous acts that he has done.

We're reminded in this psalm of our dependence upon God.

We depend on him alone.

And we do pray that we will all go from here today depending on him as the one who is able to save.

And there's a beautiful image there at the end of the psalm.

A generation still to come will tell a people yet unborn the righteous acts that he has done.

As we see children's children baptized here today.

We do pray the Lord's blessing to continue that one day God willing they may see their children.

Children yet unborn being blessed and taught of the wonders of Jesus.

So we're going to stand to sing these verses to God's praise.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

We pray the people yet unborn the righteous acts that he has done.

We're going to close now with a benediction.

After the benediction I'll go to the door to my left.

Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon

and abide with you all now and forevermore.

Amen.