· Baptism
· Holy Communion
What should I do if I want to be baptized?
Contact one of our church leaders. They will meet with you and listen to your faith journey so far and answer your questions about the meaning of baptism. The baptisms are always done in the context of congregational worship most often on Sunday service.
If I was baptized in a different denomination, do I have to be baptized again to join the Sudanese Christ Lutheran church?
No, we do not believe that anyone needs to be re-baptized no matter under what church auspices the baptism occurred. We believe that baptism in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is God's gift and not one owned by one group of Christians.
Can anyone participate in communion at Sudanese Christ Lutheran Church? Yes, we believe that Christ is truly present in this meal of bread and wine. All who share this belief and are baptized are welcome at the table. Small children who have not yet received communion instruction are welcome at the table to receive a blessing.
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water contained within God's command and united with God's Word. Which Word of God is this? The one which our Lord Christ spoke in the last chapter of Matthew: Go into the entire world, teaching all heathen nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit.''
What does Baptism give? What good is it?
It gives the forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the Devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, just as God's words and promises declare.
What are these words and promises of God?
Our Lord Christ spoke one of them in the last chapter of Mark: ``whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be damned.'
How can water do such great things?
Water doesn't make these things happen, of course. It is God's Word, which is with and in the water, because, without God's Word, the water is plain water and not baptism. But with God's Word it is a Baptism, a grace-filled water of life, a bath of new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul said to Titus in the third chapter: ``Through this bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that we, justified by the same grace are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying
What is the meaning of such a water Baptism?
It means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, in turn, a new person daily come forth and rises from death again. He will live forever before God in righteousness and purity.
Where is this written?
St. Paul says to the Romans in chapter six: We are buried with Christ through Baptism into death, so that, in the same way Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, thus also must we walk in a new life.''
What must I Do to Become a Christian?
Jesus said, “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26) What Must a Person Do to Become a Lutheran? To become a Lutheran, only Baptism and instruction in the Christian faith is required. If you are already baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it will be necessary only to attend a membership class in a Lutheran congregation and thus signify your desire to become a part of its community. Active members of other Lutheran congregations usually need only to transfer their membership.
What Sacraments Do Lutherans Accept?
Lutherans accept two Sacraments as God-given means for penetrating the lives of people with his grace. Although they are not the only means of God's self-revelation, Baptism and Holy Communion are visible acts of God's love.
In Baptism, and it can be seen more clearly in infant Baptism, God freely offers his grace and lovingly establishes a new community. It is in Baptism that people become members of Christ's Body on earth, the Church. In Holy Communion -- often called the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist -- those who come to the table receive in bread and wine the body and blood of their Lord. This gift is itself the real presence of God's forgiveness and mercy, nourishing believers in union with their Lord and with each other.
What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under bread and wine for us Christians to eat and to drink, established by Christ Himself.
Where is that written?
The holy apostles Matthew, Mark and Luke and St. Paul write this:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the night on which He was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to His disciples and said: ``Take! Eat! This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me!'' In the same way He also took the cup after supper, gave thanks, gave it to them, and said: Take and drink from it, all of you! This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you to forgive sins. This do, as often as you drink it, to remember Me!''
What good does this eating and drinking do?
These words tell us: ``given for you'' and ``Shed for you to forgive sins.'' Namely, that the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are given to us through these words in the sacrament. Because, where sins are forgiven, there is life and salvation as well.
How can physical eating and drinking do such great things?
Of course, eating and drinking do not do these things. These words, written here, do them: ``given for you'' and ``shed for you to forgive sins.'' These words, along with physical eating and drinking are the important part of the sacrament. Anyone who believes these words has what they say and what they record, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
Who, then, receives such a sacrament in a worthy way?
Of course, fasting and other physical preparations are excellent disciplines for the body. But anyone who believes these words, ``given for you,'' and ``Shed for you to forgive sins,'' is really worthy and well prepared. But whoever doubts or does not believe these words is not worthy and is unprepared, because the words, ``for you'' demand a heart that fully believes.
What do Lutherans believe about Baptism? Why do Lutherans baptize infants?
In Holy Baptism, God liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Born children of a fallen humanity, in the baptismal waters we become God’s reborn children and inherit eternal life. By water and the Holy Spirit we are made members of the Church, which is Christ’s body. As we live with him and with his people, we grow in faith, love and obedience to God’s will. ELCA Service of Holy Baptism (paraphrased) Lutheran Book of Worship pg 121.
The Church and infant baptism, ELCA Lutherans believe that Baptism is the Church’s entry rite. Baptism brings us into the Church, Christ’s living body on earth. As the First Century church baptized whole families, including infants, so do Lutherans. In fact, usually ELCA Lutherans bring their infants to the baptismal font within the first months – even weeks – of a child’s life. "The fact that circumcision (which occurred on an infant’s eighth day) was replaced by Baptism in Jewish-Christian circles may indicate that infant baptism was assumed from the first" ("Baptism" by Martin Marty). ELCA theologian Martin E. Marty says that our view of Baptism "... is not only compatible with but actually draws strength from the practice of infant baptism. If baptism is part of what God does, not of what we do, if it is God’s word that shapes, creates, reforms, reaches out, acts and enacts, then the priority does not fall on what we consciously bring. Logically and chronologically the gift of God in Baptism precedes what we take out of it. In Baptism it is Christ who brings the child, holds it in his arms, and receives it as a member of his body. ..." Dr. Marty goes on to say that because of the rich promise associated with Baptism, and because of what God’s inspiring Holy Spirit would surely know about an obedient church’s response to such a gift, one would almost expect biblical strictures against baptizing little children if the promise of baptism were not intended for all people of all ages in all nations to be baptized and thereafter walk in their Baptism. Upholding the ancient church’s practice of baptizing infants, Luther argued that if, "... Baptism is made dependent on faith, we (would) scarcely ever arrive at the assurance of having sufficient faith and thus at the validity of our Baptism. ... Baptism ... points to the fact that salvation comes only from God."
Sacramental baptism – Word and water,
Baptism is one of the two sacraments that mark Lutheran theology and practice, the other being The Eucharist (or Holy Communion). We believe both to have been instituted by Jesus. Martin Luther defined sacraments as actions whose outward signs point to God’s command and promise. They contain two things: the Word of God that makes the action or elements a sacrament, an outward sign - which in Baptism is the primordial element, the ‘stuff’ of life, water
Luther said, "... when the Word accompanies the water, Baptism is valid, even though faith be lacking. For my faith does not constitute Baptism, but receives it." ELCA theologian Joseph Sittler has said, "A person is drawn to water - to an ocean, a river or a stream - because there is something in him that knows that this if from whence he came. One thinks of the percentage of water in our bodies, the need for water to sustain earthly life, water’s cleansing properties, and the Genesis 1:2-3 account that at creation "a wind from God swept over the face of the water. Then God said, ‘let there be light; ...’" (Personal notes from a conversation with Joseph Sittler at a Lutheran Council in the USA staff retreat.) Dr. Marty says, "Just as the whole language of Calvary presupposes the Old Testament sacrifice of a lamb with blood, so the whole language of Baptism presupposes a biblical interest in water. The Christian says: Baptism is my departure out of chaos into the order of the forgiven life. It is my visitation by the Spirit which broods over the water of life. ... In this water I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, sharing his living water." "Word meant the activity and voice of God in the Old Testament. ... The Word, says Luther, is everything. Without it - and no Christian would deny this - the water is nothing and Baptism does not exist. ... Connection with the Word thus means that Baptism relates a person to the whole plan of God. ... This is why the ancient baptismal commands are of considerable importance to moderns who stand in the same need. ... ’In the name of the Father’ relates Baptism to the whole of creation - and its water; ‘in the name of the Son’ calls to mind the whole personal relation of the baptized community to God in Christ; and ‘in the name of the Holy Spirit’ means that God takes the initiative, turning the (Word) into Spirit and creating the church."
Why was Jesus baptized?
The Gospel accounts The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22). Mark, who provides no birth narratives, introduces us to Jesus at the Jordan River saying that he came from Nazareth and received John’s baptism. It is at this moment that the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove, and Jesus hears a voice from heaven saying, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." It is a seminal moment for Mark’s Gospel. The striking difference between the Mark and Matthew versions of Jesus’ baptism (which are very similar otherwise) is that in Matthew, the voice from heaven is heard also by the public. Together with Luke, in these accounts, the Spirit is made visible in the form of a dove. Luke’s account is the briefest, noting simply that "when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying ..." the heavens opened. What seems to be most important to Luke is not the baptism, but that as Jesus was praying the Spirit descended upon him and due alone heard the message from the heavenly voice. John’s Gospel differs from the other three in that John describes Jesus in the vicinity of John the Baptist’s Jordan River baptisms but does not record the baptism itself. Instead, he recounts the Baptist’s testimony that, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him ... and I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:25-34). Thus, John’s Gospel may imply – but does not specify – that Jesus was baptized by the Baptist.
The Matthew key, Matthew adds a conversation between Jesus and John the Baptist which is key for us. Jesus comes to be baptized, but John protests that it is he (John) who should be baptized by Jesus. In Jesus’ response to that protest, ELCA Lutherans understand why it was that Jesus received John’s baptism, which the evangelists identify as a "baptism of repentance" and the "forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 3:2 ff, Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3). Jesus says to John, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (See Related Resource #1).
Jesus’ baptism is tied to understanding righteousness, In the New Testament, righteousness is a relational concept. Righteousness presumes a covenant relationship that needs the active participation of both covenant partners. "Thus the one who upholds, and therefore participates in, this covenant relationship is designated 'righteous,' and, as in the Old Testament, those acts which preserve a covenant relationship, either between God and man or between man and man, are righteous, while those acts which break this relationship are unrighteous." God is righteous because God is faithful to promises made to his creation. God upholds the relationship. At the same time through sin, faithless/unrighteous humankind has broken its relationship with that faithful God. It is in Christ that God restores the relationship, and this restoration is God’s promise of salvation to humankind. Salvation depends solely on God’s act. God’s restoration of this covenant with humanity through Christ reveals righteousness. Jesus himself is called righteous, not because his acts conform to a moral norm – his opponents called him a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of immoral people (Luke 7:34) – but because by his obedient sacrificial death he brings humanity into a new relationship with God (Romans 3:21, 22a, Colossians 1:20). Acknowledging that God alone is righteous - and the source of all righteousness - undergirds Jesus’ understanding of the Baptist’s baptism in Matthew’s Gospel. He presents himself for baptism, as did others who accepted John’s baptism of repentance, as a declaration that God alone is "righteous." Jesus’ witness, as he receives John’s baptism, attests to God as the source of all fulfilled righteousness: "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Paul Achtemeier, Righteousness in the New Testament, Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, vol. R-Z-, page 91
biblical quotations from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
In church and world, ELCA Lutherans concur with Martin Luther that, “the Holy Spirit is among humans in a twofold way: "First through a universal activity, by which [the Holy Spirit] preserves them as well as God’s other creatures. ..." (Thus, the Spirit’s activity is not limited to the sphere of faith and the church, but that all activity in which God engages with reference to the world and humankind is mediated through the Spirit.) Secondly, the Holy Spirit "is gift from Christ" to believers. One can establish the principle that, for Luther, a relationship with God is possible only through the Spirit - understood in the strict sense as a person of the Trinity. He believed that there is not a single theological doctrine in which the activity of the Spirit is not fundamental. The activities of the Spirit are personal in nature: speaking, bearing witness, and uniting believers with one another in one body. Apart from the Spirit there is no activity of God in the world or in human life, no living Word, no grace of Baptism, no real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, no conversion or regeneration, no faith or fellowship in Christ. "The Gospel also ascribes to the Holy Spirit the creation and preservation of the Christian community, the church. Through this ‘communion of saints,’ who has been entrusted with the Word and the Sacraments, the Spirit creates faith and fellowship, and thus carries out God’s purpose for humankind." The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22).*
In Word and Sacrament, For Luther, the Spirit is the author of preaching the Gospel and, simultaneously, gift to humankind enclosed in the Word. He stressed both the Spirit as the creator of the new life and as indwelling witness. He professed that such thing as, "Raising one’s children, loving one’s wife and obeying the magistrate are fruits of the Spirit." At the same time, Luther taught and ELCA Lutherans profess that, within the church, the Spirit works through the Word and Sacraments, so ELCA Lutherans appreciate Word and the Sacraments as instruments of the Spirit which "feed" our faith. "In binding the Spirit to the external means of Word and Sacrament, Luther did not deny the inner working of the Spirit. However, he did understand these to be safeguards against the excesses of subjectivism and emotionalism, a kind of romanticizing or ecstatic internalization of the Spirit. He disputed the (Reformation era) fanatics' right to appeal to special inspirations apart from revelation or Word and Sacrament ... and noted that the Spirit’s proper work is precisely a strengthening in faith."* As Luther put it in his explanation to the third article of the Apostles' Creed, still professed by ELCA Lutherans: the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth. ... In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true." We pray, following the Words of Institution, as we prepare to receive The Lord’s Supper, Send now we pray, your Holy Spirit, the spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord’s body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light. Amen. Come, Holy Spirit. Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and every place and unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest until he comes as victorious Lord of all" (Lutheran Book of Worship).
Martin Luther’s Theology, Bernhard Lohse, Augsburg Fortress, 1999, pp. 237-238, including citation of Luther’s lectures on Galatians.
** http://en.allexperts.com/
