INFANT BAPTISM SEVICE TEMPLATE

BAPTISM SEVICE ORDER TEMPLATE

(0) Homily

Main Text: Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Main Thrust: Even though (insert child’s name) is a baby, (insert parents’ names) are called to rear her in the fear and admonition of the LORD, trusting that God is going to do a salvific work in (insert child’s name) because His promises are not just to believers, but to their children, too. This is the greatest honor of a parent toward their children. Question to answer: How do Sam and Abby raise Margot up in this way? We find the answer in Deuteronomy 6:1–9 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do it in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. “O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Supporting Texts: Psalm 78; Psalm 145; Acts 2:37-39; Genesis 12, 15, 17

Psalm 78:1–8 “Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will pour forth dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have recounted to us. We will not conceal them from their children, But recount to the generation to come the praises of Yahweh, And His strength and His wondrous deeds that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob And set a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children, That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and recount them to their children, That they should set their confidence in God And not forget the deeds of God, But observe His commandments, And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.”

Psalm 145:1–7 “I will exalt You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is Yahweh, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty deeds. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on the words of Your wondrous deeds, I will muse. Men shall speak of the strength of Your fearsome acts, And I will recount Your greatness. They shall pour forth the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.”

Acts 2:37–39 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, brothers, what should we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.””

Genesis 12:1–3 “And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go forth from your land, And from your kin And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.””

Genesis 15:1–6 “After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” And Abram said, “O Lord Yahweh, what will You give me, as I go on being childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no seed to me, behold, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.” Then he believed in Yahweh; and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 17:1–8 “Now it happened that when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me and be blameless, so that I may confirm My covenant between Me and you, And that I may multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. “And no longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. “And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will go forth from you. “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you. “And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

(1) The Institution of the Sacrament

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus instituted baptism. It reads:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(2) The Meaning and Nature of the Sacrament

The Lord Jesus Christ instituted baptism as a covenant sign and seal for his church. He uses it not only for the solemn admission of the person who is baptized into the visible church, but also to depict and to confirm his ingrafting of that person into himself and his including that person in the covenant of grace.

The Lord uses baptism to portray to us that we and our children are conceived and born in sin and need to be cleansed. It is important to understand that, for parents to present their children for baptism, it is their act of faith in the promises of God, as YAHWEH has given the promise not only to them, but to their children, too.

In our baptism, the Lord puts his name on us, claims us as his own, and summons us to assume the obligations of the covenant. He calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, to renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to walk humbly with our God in devotion to His commandments.

(3) Exhortation to the Members of the Congregation to Improve Their Baptism

As we approach the holy sacrament, I want to encourage all here to remember and consider your own baptism. God has consecrated you and called you out from the world, into His household of faith, and as you rejoice in and consider what is happening here today, make sure that your walk with God is what it ought to be. If it isn’t, taste and see that YAHWEH is good and repent of your sin--Jesus Christ is your advocate before the Father and you are called to abandon your sin and walk in the newness of life that you have in Christ.

(4) The Ground of Baptizing Infants is Omitted because it is covered in the homily

(5) The Covenant Commitment of the Parents

We now turn our attention to the parents. Sam and Abby,

(a) Do you acknowledge that although our children are conceived and born in sin and therefore are subject to condemnation, they are holy in Christ by virtue of the covenant of grace, and as children of the covenant are to be baptized?

(b) Do you swear, by the grace of God, to teach diligently to Margot the principles of our holy Christian faith, revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and summarized in the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of this Church?

(c) Do you swear to pray regularly with and for Margot, and to set an example of piety and godliness before (them)?

(d) Do you swear to endeavor, by all the means that God has appointed, to bring Margot up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, encouraging (them) to appropriate for (themselves) the blessings and fulfill the obligations of the covenant?

(6) The Charge

To the Parents:

You stand here not as private individuals engaging in a family ritual, but as stewards in Christ’s household—brought here by grace and charged with faithfulness. Today, you are presenting your child to the Lord—not to earn favor, but in response to the favor already shown to you.

Your child has been born into covenant, and today is marked with the sign of that covenant. That sign is no empty symbol. It is a sign, a seal, and a summons.

Therefore, I charge you: Raise this child in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Teach them the Scriptures, not as a hobby but as a heritage. Train them not merely to behave, but to believe. Do not outsource their discipleship to the world, the school, or even the church—it is your duty. Let your home be fragrant with psalms, full of prayer, and rich in repentance. Let them see your joy in God, your hatred of sin, your eagerness to forgive. Show them the gospel in the way you discipline and the way you embrace.

You are raising a citizen of the Kingdom—a soldier under orders, a sheep belonging to the Good Shepherd, a priest-in-training before the face of God. Prepare them like their life and salvation depends upon it, as one day it might. Acknowledge in your living the fact that every day is precious, time is fleeting, and there is nothing more worthy of your time than living in such a way that communicates that Christ must be preeminent.

Baptism does not replace your responsibility. It amplifies it.

God has made promises concerning this child. Let your life teach this child to believe Him.

To Covenant Reformed Church:

The Triune Name, joined to the body of Christ, and under the discipline and care of the church.

Therefore, I charge you: receive this child as your own. Pray for him. Watch over her. Do not stand idly by when this child wanders. Do not shrug when they sin. Do not remain silent when they suffer.

You are not a collection of loosely affiliated individuals. You are a body—and this child is now one of your members. Their well-being is your responsibility. Their growth in the faith is your concern. Their perseverance will be, in part, the fruit of your faithful presence.

Let your own love for Christ be visible and consistent—so this child will grow up seeing what faith looks like in the flesh.

Let no one in this church be able to say, “I didn’t know that child.”

Let it never be said, “We assumed someone else was watching.”

Because today, before God and these witnesses, you are all responsible.

To Both:

So then: Parents, raise this child in faith. Church, support them in faith. And child—though you cannot yet speak—your baptism speaks for you: You belong to Jesus Christ.

Amen.

(7) The Baptism(s)

We will now observe the holy sacrament.

Margot Eloise, I baptize you into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

(8) Prayer Over the Baptized