What does St Luke believe about Baptism?
Baptism is about God coming to us to love us, care for us and make us His own. Through
baptism God promises to be our God, to be faithful to us, and to energize us with true life.
In other words, through baptism God "adopts" us as His children. He makes us His sons
and daughters. He brings us into a relationship with Himself.
That relationship is possible because of Jesus Christ. Though we have been separated from
God because of shortcomings and failures, Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has
made forgiveness a possibility that we might be able to live in a relationship with God.
Baptism is a very special gift. It is the beginning of an exciting relationship with the One who
loves us more than any other, who cares for us more than any other, and forgives us more
than any other.
Like any other relationship1 a relationship with God must be taken seriously or it will stagnate
and die. In order to truly experience the fullness of what it means to be a child of God, we need
to be involved with Him through weekly worship, daily prayer and devotions and Bible study.
The better we know Him, the more we will enjoy Him.
Baptism places us into a personal, living relationship with Jesus Christ. All of His promises -
the hope of eternal life, the hope of enthusiastic, joy-filled living here and flow and the assurance of
unconditional forgiveness and acceptance are ours through baptism. Because baptism is God's
work, His promise, we baptize infants. He wants all people to enjoy His love, even children.
What about Communion?
Communion is also a special gift of God. In communion, Jesus is with us in a very real, intimate
way to love us, strengthen us, forgive us and encourage us. As we taste the bread and wine, we
are reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. But more than that, we receive a fresh touch of
love from Jesus Himself. Communion is Christ's "[love you". It's a time of reflection, thanksgiving
and celebration.
What is Confirmation?
"Confirmation" is a period of time set aside for young people to seriously study the Christian
faith. After this period of study the students re-affirm their relationship with Jesus Christ. For
many young people, this is a time when the faith they've heard about becomes alive in a new
and fresh way.
