A friend of mine is very into the Baptismal Covenant that we use in the Episcopal Church. She has talked about it at different things that we have both been at. She brought forth a new way of doing it which I I find far more fulfilling to me than what is in the Book Of Common Prayer.
For many people in the different Christian denominations, we are Baptized (also known as Christening) as babies. For me that happened when I was about 2 or 3 months old. and if you were to ask me anything about that day I couldn’t tell you a thing other than who my godparents are.
As I was riding on the bus on my way to a meeting today, I began to think about Baptism. Suddenly I really began to wonder if we should go through the service again as adults? Yeah we go through the words during the Baptism of others, and we call it renewing of our Baptismal Vows, but that day is really about welcoming another into the Christian Family, not really about our own Baptismal awakening.
Some churches do have a service once a year when the Baptismal service is apart of the service for all, but in a way we aren’t welcoming each other into the Christian Family. Yes for some doing it means a lot to them, but I think that for many they really don’t think about what they are really saying or getting from those times. I wondered and wondered more and more about about what we should do.
One of the things that did cross my mind is Confirmation. For many we were confirmed as preteens and teens, and I do look at it as a time when we do confirm ourselves in saying what was said for us many years ago, but if you were to ask people to talk about Confirmation and what it means, one would get many different descriptions from people.
But then I began to wonder, “What would the church think about someone who was Baptized as a child doing it again as an adult? Think about it. You have gone through much in your life and gained much experiences and spiritual growth, why not be Baptized again where you can confirm before God and the people that you truly do believe and desire to do as a Christian? People go and renew vows for Marriage and other things, but how many people do you know who renewed their Baptism Vows where water is poured upon them like it had been when they were a child. How many people stand before their congregation and get it done again letting the people know that they Truly want to follow the teachings of Christ and the teachings of the Bible? Would you do it? How would you feel if someone that you knew did it at a service one day?