Dear People of St. David’s,
I believe I have mentioned this to you before, but baptism is by far my favorite thing I get to do as a priest. I love it! I think part of my love for baptism stems from my mother. She made it seem as if my sister and I were baptized as soon as we came out of the womb. Whenever she spoke about our baptisms she would say, “That’s when you received the Holy Spirit!” She always had a smile on her face when she told us our stories of baptism.
A few Sundays ago, I was able to perform my first baptism as a father. It had extra meaning as I held this baby and baptized them with water and the Holy Spirit. To be able to welcome this new child into a life of Christ with the congregation of St. David’s supporting them, was a true gift for the candidate and me. Over a month ago my wife and I welcomed our son into the world through the gift of birth. I feel as though I have an added perspective as to just how miraculous life can be, and how it should be celebrated.
Baptism is a joyous occasion when we commemorate the new life this person will have as a follower of Jesus. Whenever someone is committing themselves to Christ and joining our community, we should rejoice! On baptism Sundays, we get to participate in a bond that God establishes with the candidate that is indissoluble. NOTHING can break it. It is an important reminder for us folks who were baptized a long time ago; no matter where we have been or what we have done, God still loves us.
Baptism is typically done when we are incredibly young (but not always!), and as we grow in our faith and in the church, we have the opportunity to make mature commitments of our faith. We do this through confirmation and reception. The Book of Common Prayer describes candidates for confirmation as folks who want to, “…express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop” (BCP, p. 860). Reception on the other hand, is for individuals who have already made a mature commitment of faith in another Christian fellowship and wish to be affiliated with The Episcopal Church instead. The bishop lays their hands on the candidate and says, “We recognize you as a member of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and we receive you into the fellowship of this Communion” (BCP, p. 418).
Confirmation and reception should be celebrated, just as we celebrate baptism! If you are an adult interested in confirmation or reception in The Episcopal Church, you will not want to miss this four-week class taught by me and the Rev. Sarah Dunn beginning this Sunday. We will explore the basics of our tradition and prepare the participants for the bishop’s visitation on June 16th. Here is the schedule:
- May 12th: 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
- May 19th: 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
- June 2nd: 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – time change due to summer worship schedule.
- June 9th: 11:30 am – 12:15 pm – time change due to summer worship schedule.
Sign up by clicking here.
See you all in church!
Blessings,
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba
Associate Rector
Published May 9, 2024