A little boy opened the big old family Bible with fascination, peering at the ancient pages as he turned them. Then something fell out of the Bible and he picked up it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had ben pressed between the pages.

“Mum, look what I’ve found!” the boy called out.
“What have you got there, dear?” his mother asked.
“Well, I think it’s Adam’s suit.”

No wonder that Jesus called upon us to have faith like a child. Being an adult makes you so determined to get everything rationalised and logical and correct – but Jesus didn’t want us to be simplistic; no, he gave us minds to think, but he does want us to have faith in him as a child has faith.

In the December church magazine (p.21-22), there was an important article on baptised children being able to receive communion before confirmation. You can obtain a copy from the office or our website. It’s important because the PCC is considering the possibility of allowing baptised children to receive communion before being confirmed.

That is why also that we are having this week’s and next week’s sermons, because part of the procedure to consider this as a church and for the PCC to formally vote on this possibility is the need to offer the congregation some teaching on baptism, confirmation, communion and church.

Then on Sunday, 4th February, we will be having an open meeting for any church member in order to discuss the theology, practice and possibilities of allowing baptised children to receive communion before confirmation. Only after that meeting can the PCC finally decide its policy and then any change would need a ?rd majority of those present.

This week’s and next week’s are really important sermons and as you can imagine I feel a little like the pastor whose son, watching his father write a sermon, asked, “Dad, how do you know what to say?” and the father replies, “Why, God tells me.” “Then why do you keep crossing things out?”

Today, I’m going to attempt to provide the historical and theological background to baptism and confirmation.

Historical background to Baptism and Confirmation
Jesus told his disciples just before his Ascension that they were to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). That they did, beginning some 10 days later, when Peter, the chief disciple, gave the first sermon and as we heard in our reading today encouraged his hearers to be baptised (Acts 2:38, 41).

As the church grew, so the Apostles continued to call people to repentance, faith and baptism (cp. Acts 8 [3 occasions], 9, 10, 16 [2 occasions], 18, 19). We see in Acts that the people were baptized and the Apostles laid their hands on the baptized to receive the Holy Spirit. That was the early church’s practice: baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.

That practice continued for several centuries, during which time children were clearly part of those early Christian communities and were initiated into the faith along with the adults. The NT makes no reference to special approaches for children being baptised and there is certainly no mentioned of baptised members being excluded from communion. So for children and for adults, membership of the church is obtained by baptism and is exercised by continuing participation in communion.

Thereafter, things changed in that children slowly lost their central place in the Christian community.

By the 5th century the church began to hold to the concept of ‘original sin’, which led to children being baptised as early as possible so as to secure their place in heaven. Such baptisms included the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit and were conducted by the Bishop, but the growing size of dioceses meant that the Bishop only visited once every few years, which was not enough for growing churches.

So baptism and laying on of hands (confirmation) were separated, the former being done by the local minister and the latter by the Bishop on his occasional visits. Admission to communion through to the 13th century was allowed upon baptism.

Two things changed that practice: first was the growing belief that Jesus’ presence was really in the bread and wine, so much so that adults could only receive bread and children neither bread nor wine; and secondly was the ‘damnable negligence’ of parents, to quote Archbishop Peckham at the Council of Lambeth in 1281, who decreed that those not confirmed should be barred from communion. This was an attempt to make parents ensure their child was confirmed – not an ounce of theology or Biblical basis was involved!

During the Reformation, the Church of England moved slightly to a practice that emphasised that the communion could only be given to those who had received some minimal instruction from the vicar, and this might have nothing to do with being confirmed. It was only in the 19th century that confirmation became the gateway to communion, a practice we have come to know as normal – but not at all normal in terms of church history!

Over the last 15 years or so, the church has been re-visiting its understanding of baptism and confirmation practice. It as rediscovered:-
1. the nature of baptism – described by the Bishops as ‘The entire profession of the Christian life is represented in the action of baptism.’ = baptism makes us full members of God’s church.
2. the acceptance of children in the church – so if baptism is membership, we cannot logically exclude baptised children from communion, as that denies their baptism.
3. children’s need for spiritual nourishment – is now considered more than just teaching a moral code but also requires children to learn from the habits and values of adults around them – our actions outweigh our words. To quote, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” (James Baldwin)
4. children’s need to belong – exclusion is felt by children and older children especially feel keenly any action which fails to include them.

Video clip: Marlene welcomes a child story (2m52s)

Theological background to Baptism
This is the meaning behind baptising someone. It begins with a story, the story of how God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God brought them through the Red Sea and led them through the wilderness into the Promised Land. Through the water to freedom.

It’s not surprising that this story of through the water of the Red Sea to freedom was repeated year by year during the Passover meal and was part of the warp and woof of Jewish life down the centuries.

It’s not surprising then that in the most well-known of the Jewish renewal movements of the 1st century BC and 1st century AD that we have with John the Baptist a call for people to prepare for the long-awaited moment when Israel’s God would fulfil his ancient promises and send his Saviour. So John the Baptist called people into the wilderness to be baptised and to confess their sins. Through water into God’s new covenant.

Jesus’ baptism was a clear identification with those he came to rescue. God confirmed Jesus’ action by declaring from heaven that he was his Son, Israel’s Saviour and true King.

Jesus’ baptism and his carefully planned Last Supper both point back to that through the Red Sea moment. Jesus seems to be drawing multiple layers of meaning together from his baptism and Last Supper into his cross and resurrection, showing that it was not just through water to reach the other side, but through a deeper flood altogether. Through the water of death into new life and God’s new world.

The Apostles pick up these themes in the early church’s practice and letters:-

Baptism as confession – Acts 2:38
We confess that Jesus is Lord of our lives in our acceptance of baptism. The words we use formally state that:-
Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?
Do you submit to Christ as Lord?
Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?
If you cannot answer these with a yes then you are not confessing Christ as Lord and should not receive baptism yourself or on behalf of a child.

Baptism as communion – Rom. 6:4-5
Our faith expressed at baptism links our lives with Jesus’ life, so much so that in some sense we enter into his death and resurrection experience. We are united in one communion with Jesus, a spiritual union with Jesus. In this way our faith can lay hold of Jesus and all his blessings for us: cleansing from sin, renewal in the Spirit, equipping for service and membership of the church.

Baptism as consecration – Rom 6:22
It is those blessings that are meant to lead us to a new life – a life characterised by holiness, a life characterised by Christ-likeness, a life as a valued and worthy member of God’s church, his gathered people today.

Conclusion and application
The church from the days of that first sermon by Peter has seen baptism as an integral part of acknowledging faith in Christ, as the outward sign of God’s inward grace. Baptism does not save us nor make us holy, but it is how we show that we professed faith in Jesus and it reminds us to be holy people.

As adults, if we wish to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then we should seek baptism to publicly acknowledge our confession of faith. Do you need to seek to be baptised?

As adults, who have been baptised, we need to recall that the church from earliest times has wanted to lay hands on you to receive the Holy Spirit, to complete the process of your baptism. Do you need to seek confirmation?

As for our children, their baptism has brought them into the life and membership of the church. Offering such baptised children the bread and the wine is to acknowledge publicly their membership with us in God’s church, and their faith in Jesus Christ, however inadequately expressed.

Allowing baptised children to receive communion before confirmation will welcome our children wholeheartedly into the church, and cherish the way they belong to the kingdom.

CW collect for Baptism – p.350
Heavenly Father,
by the power of your Holy Spirit
you give to your faithful people new life in the water of baptism.
Guide and strengthen us by the same Spirit,
that we who are born again may serve you in faith and love,
and grow into the full stature of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen