Baptism by immersion in my pool!

[PreachersWife2004]

I love the way you worded this!! I've been pondering for a few days now on how to say something just like this, but couldn't make it sound as if it weren't a slap in the face somehow. You did a good job of avoiding what I would have done!

After years of sticking my foot in my mouth in other forums, I've sort of learned how to post with grace. And even then, I don't always say things in the best way possible!

When I do it right, it's just God working in me!

 

[Aibrean]

Me, my brother, and my fiance are taking (well almost done now) membership classes and plan to get baptized soon. While we are all believers, it's good to know the background of the church and how they view everything. We can get baptized at any time though, that's clear knowledge at the very beginning of the class.

While we all three had different events that led to not getting baptized when we were younger, we are all happy that God has led us to a place that we love

 

[DaSeminarian]

I think we might do it a little differently.

Last month my husband baptized a father and his son. The following week the son was confirmed but not the dad. The dad and mom are currently going through the membership classes.

So the father and mother do not take communion yet but the son does, even though the mom and dad are both baptized.

But what is confirmation for the youth? Is it not affirming or acknowledging one's baptism as the initiator to the Christian faith? An adult who has never been baptized can receive at the same time Baptism and confirmation and be able to receive the Lord's Supper when it is offered.

Confirmation is not a sacrament but a ritual in which those baptized as infants are received as adult members in the body of Christ. An Adult should be catechized and then Baptized and they will be on the same level. I do not see a need for a separate ceremony.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Baptism and confirmation can be two separate things. Confirmation is the affirmation of a baptism.

I was baptized as a baby and then I affirmed that faith when I was confirmed.

Of course you can have a confirmation AND a baptism at the same time...I didn't say there was anything wrong with that. I merely asked why one would wait to be baptized.

In the case that my husband has, the father wished to be baptized as soon as possible, but still needed to continue in the classes for membership.

ETA: One thing to bear in mind here is that WELS practices close communion. You have to be a member of a WELS, ELS or another Lutheran synod that is in fellowship with the WELS before you can receive communion at our church.

 

[TCat]

Finally set a date for the baptism, shees, everyone has been gone all summer.
We will be gathering in my backyard on Aug. 11 for her baptism, I'll let you know how is goes!

 

[Lupinus]

Haven't read all nine pages...to tired lol.

But my thoughts-
A baptisim is God's work using water to carry his word so the amount really doesn't matter. How much physical space does a word use? It can be a drop or a pool, it's enough to carry his word. So long as your friend gets the right view on baptisim and understands it I don't see a problem with them having a personal preference in wanting to be dunked. In fact I think dunking it a very good way, but agian the amount of water has nothing to do with it.

As to it not being done in a Church? I seem to recall that God is there where his believers gather. (Sorry, half asleep and don't remember the passage or wording)

My only concern with this would be it being incorperated into some sort of party. A baptisim and then a party as two different events is fine, but I don't think they should be the same event.

 

[TCat]

What better thing to celebrate with family, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ?

 

[DaRev]

There's a difference between celebrating a baptism and turning a baptism into a party.

 

[Lupinus]

What Rev said. By turning it into a party/celebration it adds a distincly expressing faith view to it, and baptism hasn't got a whole lot if anything to do with expressing ones faith.

 

[TCat]

I think we are thinking that a baptism was similar to welcoming the prodigal home, finding the lost coin, gathering the lost sheep.
Seems a wonderful time to be celebrating, I guess I thought the angels would be rejoicing along with us as this one who was lost is now found.

 

[DaRev]

I have no doubt of that. The danger is that some there may not see the significance of the event because they'll see it only as a pool party.

 

[TCat]

Actually, when i think about it, I doubt that everyone who witnesses a baptism in a church during worhsip service understands the significance of it either.

Thankfully baptism is not about our faith but about what God is doing thru His means of grace. Right?
And thankfully eveyone who is coming to the baptism are long term, active Christians. Most are involved in ministry of some kind or another, and I think that every single one of them is along time Lutheran. So I doubt this "party" is going to be misconstured.

Again, having a pool party is no big deal, I doubt anyone will be swimming, it's just to darn hot to be outdoors any longer than necessary and a pool is no novelty to anyone around here. In fact last week we celebrated my DD 3rd B-day, everyone knew we had a pool and NO ONE wanted to swim or be outside. It made for a crowded living room but we had a nice time anyway.

 

[DaRev]

Actually, when i think about it, I doubt that everyone who witnesses a baptism in a church during worhsip service understands the significance of it either.

If they don't understand it in the church then i would say something is wrong. If it's done right with the proper reverence it can be easily understood.

But I really don't want to argue about this. It isn't something that I would do. But I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is moving and will move in this person. Praise be to God for that.

 

[dinkime]

every baptism is a celebration of another one of God's children recieving the Holy Spirit -- whether it is at a church, a hospital, a river or a pool --

 

[BigNorsk]

The thing I don't like about Baptist style immersions is that they usually only immerse once. I prefer Orthodox style with three immersions as you go through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That stresses the Trinity.

Or you could use the pool to be baptized like the paintings in the catacombs show as the usual way in those days and the probably way that Jesus' baptism way done. Many places did not have deep enough water for immersion. If they did things called crocodiles and hippos made immersion a dangerous choice, better to move into the shallow moving water and perform it the way that appears to have been the norm.

Walk down into the water and then stand there and take a basin and dip it three times into the water and pour it generously over the head. If no basin is available, use your hand, but I kind of like a lot of water.

That really speaks very well to the washing of renewal as well as having the Holy Spirit poured out upon the person.

Or you could even get some hyssop branches to sprinkle with and really stress the washing away of sins as it has been done for a long time. But you might not like that in the pool.

Marv

 

[DaSeminarian]

The thing I don't like about Baptist style immersions is that they usually only immerse once. I prefer Orthodox style with three immersions as you go through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That stresses the Trinity.

Or you could use the pool to be baptized like the paintings in the catacombs show as the usual way in those days and the probably way that Jesus' baptism way done. Many places did not have deep enough water for immersion. If they did things called crocodiles and hippos made immersion a dangerous choice, better to move into the shallow moving water and perform it the way that appears to have been the norm.

Walk down into the water and then stand there and take a basin and dip it three times into the water and pour it generously over the head. If no basin is available, use your hand, but I kind of like a lot of water.

That really speaks very well to the washing of renewal as well as having the Holy Spirit poured out upon the person.

Or you could even get some hyssop branches to sprinkle with and really stress the washing away of sins as it has been done for a long time. But you might not like that in the pool.

Marv

Marv,

first, immersion is not submersion. Many of the Baptist baptismal pools allow for the believer to be submerged in water. The word immersion means to merely be wet. One stands in the water while they are showered or sprinkled with water to get the whole body wet.

There is a difference. When I hear a Baptist speak of immersion they are really talking about submersion. I know because I went through it just to join a church many years ago. The baptism had nothing to do with salvation, but was a initiator to membership in that particular congregation.

 

[KEPLER]

Poor Grandma Schmidt, she doesn't understand what is going on in her church with the young people these days. No wonder homose*uals have parades, mothers now abort, list goes on and on. It all starts with the church in her mind. When it goes to pot, everything else follows. Well, she does have history on her side. She is that kindly smiling lady at church who will never say a word. But she wonders what in heck is going on when we have to have baptism in pools just to make some people happy.

Grandma Schmidt won't be coming to the pool party. You just left out an important part of the church. You have raised a whole bunch of questions in the minds of the older people who have had to endure countless changes and your pastor will be in the center of those questions for allowing this kind of nonsense. So much for "me and my God approach" and the 30 friends. What about the rest of the church she is joining whom this shepherd is also to be leading? And yet somehow this registers to many here as a legitimate service to this congregation.

Peace,
Cos

Wow...talk about putting the worst construction on something...

 

[KEPLER]

There's a difference between celebrating a baptism and turning a baptism into a party.

Shepherd: "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'

DaRev: "There will be no rejoicing. You shouldn't have lost that sheep in the first place!"

Housewife: "And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'

DaRev: "No rejoicing! Don't you have laundry to do...or something?!"

Father: "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate."

DaRev: "There's a difference between having a prodigal come home and turning the homecoming into a party."

 

[DaRev]

Shepherd: "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'

DaRev: "There will be no rejoicing. You shouldn't have lost that sheep in the first place!"

Housewife: "And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'

DaRev: "No rejoicing! Don't you have laundry to do...or something?!"

Father: "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate."

DaRev: "There's a difference between having a prodigal come home and turning the homecoming into a party."

That was uncalled for.

I suppose you just loved the clown service that the Episcopalians did?

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Take heart DaRev...

There are those of us who possess enough brains to understand where you're coming from and the point that you are trying to make.