May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,
and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father,
who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colossians 1.11-14)
Some churches use the word christening to describe the baptismal service. The service of baptism recalls the baptism of Jesus who himself was plunged into the waters of the River Jordan by his cousin John the Baptist at the start of the years when he began to teach.
Local clergy are always happy to discuss baptisms which can take place at any age. The service is usually part of the regular worship of the church, most likely on a Sunday morning. As Episcopalians, we believe that baptism is a rite of initiation into the Christian community and so we celebrate it in community.
Baptism is held in common by many of the Christian denominations and so baptism in the Scottish Episcopal Church is regarded as equivalent to baptism in many other traditions. The Scottish Episcopal Church won’t baptise anyone who has previously been baptised in another tradition so long as the person was baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit using water.
If you are finding a way into the church from another background your local priest will advise on different ways to mark this if you want to do so publicly.
Often parents choose godparents to share the responsibility for bringing up a child. The important thing is to try to involve people who will have the child’s best interests at heart, ideally someone who can make connections with the local church.
View the liturgy for baptism.
