Infant Baptism
Infant Baptism – it’s all about grace
In infant baptism, we visibly proclaim the central tenet of our Reformed faith: God’s grace towards humanity.
The baptism of a baby signals that God acts on our behalf even before we are able to respond.
​
When we baptize an infant, we testify that God’s grace acts on our behalf before we are capable of responding.
The child plays no role except to be there, and must later be told what happened. Baptism is a clear presentation of work being done on the child’s behalf, for no other reason that that the child is loved — by the parents, by the congregation and most importantly by God.
Reformed theology about baptism
John Calvin wrote that the sacraments (including baptism) are “a testimony of divine grace toward us.” God’s grace is seen most clearly in God’s action in Jesus Christ. In Romans 5:8 the Apostle Paul talks about this activity of God: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Paul makes the bold claim that God’s grace acts on our behalf even when we have not earned, merited or deserved it. For as Paul
states in Romans 3:23, “. . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We deserve only God’s rejection of our sin. But in love God reaches out to us through Christ. This is one of the core affirmations of Scripture (see also Hosea 11, Isaiah 40 and 1John 4:18–19) and a hallmark of Presbyterian and Reformed theology.
Loved Beyond Measure; Living in Grace
We are called by the Holy Spirit to be the Church of Christ. By that Spirit, we participate in God's grace when we gather together, hear God's word proclaimed and participate in the sacraments of Baptism and The Lord's Supper. Infant Baptism is not an end to itself. In promising to share with the child the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, the parents and congregation hope that the child eventually will come to trust those claims and promises, and publicly profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Water cleanses; purifies; refreshes; sustains:
Jesus Christ is living water
Baptism is done as part of the worship service
The child’s parents and the congregation make promises to nurture the baptized child in the Christian faith. The children present participate in the service reciting the refrain "Water Cleanses, Water Purifies, Water Refreshes. Water Sustains. Jesus Christ is our Living Water" - reminding them of God's grace in their lives as well.
A reminder of God's Grace
Family Friendly Worship
Parents are welcome to bring infants into the worship service. However, if you feel a need to retreat, our church nursery is located adjacent to the sanctuary where parents may take an infant up to 2 years old to feed, change a diaper, or rock to sleep and still be able to view a live stream of the worship service.
Our nursery retreat