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Baptism Today we rejoice in the Lord because we will witness the baptism of a baby boy. His parents have heard and obeyed the call of the Lord Jesus Christ to let this little child come to him and be baptized with water in the name of the triune God. It is fitting that this baptism is taking place today on the Sunday after Ascension day. Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. The apostle Peter connects Christian baptism with the Ascension of Jesus. In 1 Peter 3 he says, Baptism, which corresponds to the flood-water, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as a dramatized prayer request to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Peter's point is that just Noah and his household were saved from the flood by being lifted up above the waters in the ark, so we and our households may be saved by being lifted up in the true and better ark which is Jesus Christ. To be clear: Baptism saves us, but it is not our savior. It is a means of grace that God uses to put us in the Savior and to lift us up on the cross, to lift us up from death to life, and to lift us up from earth to heaven with Jesus. Now, as you witness this Christian baptism, I encourage you to remember your baptism and renew your devotion to the Lord. If you have never received baptism, and you believe Jesus is the Son of God, crucified for your sins and raised from the dead for your life, I urge to you to receive the grace of baptism without delay. Levi, hear the good news: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners — He is your refuge and strength. Jesus was crucified for sins — His blood cleanses; His wounds heal. Jesus was raised to life — His love is stronger than death. Jesus promises to be with you always, even to the end of the world — He will never leave you or forsake you. It will take you a lifetime to learn, know, and understand the good news of God’s glorious grace. Even then you will only know a tiny little bit of all that can be known. But that’s okay. In Christ, faith working through love is the only thing that counts. So, put your trust in Jesus and love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Vows Now, I must ask the parents of these children to answer the following questions: Rob and Rebecca, 1. Do you acknowledge your child’s need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit? 2. Do you claim God’s covenant promises in his behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, as you do for your own? 3. Do you now unreservedly devote your child to God? 4. Do you promise, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that you will endeavor to set before him a godly example, that you will pray with him and for him, that you will teach them the doctrines of our holy religion, and that you will strive, by all the means of God’s appointment, to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Now, I want to ask the congregation to stand — and answer the following question: Do you, as a congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, undertake the responsibility of assisting these parents in the Christian nurture of their child? If so, signify by saying “Amen!” Water Baptism Levi Aldridge, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.