The word baptism comes from a Greek work, baptizo, meaning ‘I wash’

Often the word ‘christening’ is used. This comes from one small part of the baptism service where the person being baptized receives on the forehead the ‘oil of chrism’. At this point they are ‘Christed’ - hence christening.  See below about the oil of chrism

Baptism is one of the 2 ‘great sacraments’ referred to in the New Testament. The other is the Eucharist. See the document on the Eucharist

A sacrament is defined as ‘an outward visible sign of an inner invisible grace’- in other words we use real things as a sign of what God is doing spiritually and effectively in our lives

At the beginning of all 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) refer to the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan by John the Baptizer – see for example Mark chapter 1, verses 9-11.

John the Baptizer was baptizing people as a way of repenting from their sins –so he was literally ‘washing’ sin, and so the water was a way of cleaning people spiritually as well as physically.

When Jesus came to him to be baptized, John recognizes something different about Jesus. He proclaims him as the Lamb of God (in John’s gospel), and when Jesus is baptized something special happens.

This specialness we call revelation ie God reveals himself to us through the baptism of Jesus. If you read Mark 1, 9-11 you will read that the voice of God the Father, Jesus, proclaimed as his Son, and the Holy Spirit (as a dove) are all in action here. So the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are being revealed, or shown to us. The Trinity will come up again later. See below

So rather than being baptized for the washing of sin (as with John’s baptism), when we are baptized into Christ’s baptism, we are entering something far more profound. Namely, we are being baptized into sharing Jesus’s life, as Son of God.

We are baptized into his death and into his resurrection.

These are key words in the baptism.

As a sign of his death the cross will be made on the person’s head. This will be done with oil, and is called anointing. This is the first anointing in the service, and is associated with an ancient practice where the (adult) baptism candidate would be exorcised from sin. The oil is pure olive oil. If it is an infant baptism the parents and God-parents will also make the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead. The cross reminds us of our participation in the death of Jesus.

As a sign of his resurrection, the person being baptized (called the candidate) passes through the waters of the font, as Jesus passed through the deep waters of death, into new life. The Easter candle is a sign of the light of Christ’s resurrection.

To understand this from the bible, read Romans chapter 6

In the baptism service we use the image of freedom from slavery, though it might be in different forms eg darkness into light; danger to safety; slavery to freedom.

There are very vivid texts to help us in the Old Testament, such as Noah and the flood, or Moses and the Red Sea. The baptism service makes use of such images, for in baptism we are talking about passing from our ‘earthly and imperfect’ condition to salvation in Jesus Christ, ie being made right through giving our lives to Jesus.

Promises have to be made by parents and God-parents see the promises on another page in the website

Like any promise we make – it should be kept. The promises are about the parents and God-parents basically turning towards Christ, and a commitment to nurturing your child in the Christian church. This is practice not just words! So a response is anticipated from parents and God-parents.

However, the Sacrament of Baptism is also about the outpouring of the love of God, and nothing we can do, or have to do, can let us deserve this. We simply call this grace.

When we reach the point in the service when we baptize the candidate we once again encounter the Trinity.(Remember the baptism of Jesus). At the end of St. Matthew’s gospel Jesus tells us to go out and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. So the Trinity is a central theme in baptism. We are baptized into the life of God, who is Trinity. The congregation is asked to recite a creed – a statement of belief, and once this has been said the priest continues with the actual baptism, baptizing ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ – the Trinity.

After this there is a second anointing. This time it is with the ‘oil of Chrism’, perfumed olive oil, and it represent the ‘sweet scent’ of life in Christ, and is a way of completion, showing the presence of the  Holy Spirit.

At the end of the service a small baptism candle is given – it shows that the person baptized is in the light of Christ, and must take that light into the darkness of the world.

Baptism is only the beginning of the Christian journey for the individual, however it is also a completion, for baptism cannot be repeated.