Pastor Jess
  • Pastor Jess
  • Open Space
    • Open Space Resources
    • Consulting: Open Space Bethlehem, DeKalb, IL
  • Spirited Speakeasy
  • Congregational Renewal Stories and Resources
  • Sermon Podcast On A Journey with Jesus
    • Video Sermons
    • Kid's Time (Audio and Video)
  • When Jesus Wears Makeup
  • About
    • Events >
      • Takiya's Birthday Bash
    • Publications
    • Consulting
    • Contact
  • Consent Culture Pledge
    • Consent Culture Pledge Discussion Blog
  • Store
    • Family Systems Workshops
    • Digital Downloads
    • Consulting Time
    • Support This Blog
  • Support This Blog
  • Open Heart faith gathering
    • Open Heart faith gathering Blog
    • (re) form sign up
  • Faith on Foot Teams
    • Street Team Sign-Up
    • Backpack Team Sign-Up
    • Community Engagement Team Sign-Up

congregational renewal

Picture

Thanksgiving for Baptism

4/25/2019

5 Comments

 
In the Lutheran tradition, we often start worship with either Confession and Forgiveness or Thanksgiving for Baptism.  I think that any time we can acknowledge our messiness and imperfections in church is good.  It is such a relief to start worship knowing I"m in a room full of imperfect people who are also sinners and have also made mistakes.  Publicly sharing that together is a great way to start our time with God.  It is great to understand how messy we are, how the world hurts us, and that we need God in our lives.  Enjoy this liturgy.  
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
 
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,
the fountain of living water,
the rock who gave us birth,
our light and our salvation.
C: Amen.
P: People of God, in the baptismal waters we travel with Christ from death to life. Our past, our sin, our failure, our doubt, and our shame are drowned and gone here.
C:  You, O God, wash us clean.
P: Our fear, our confusion, our self-righteousness, our despair  -- ALL are washed away by grace.
C:  You, O God, wash us clean.
P: Our pride, our hypocrisy, and other people’s opinions of us no longer have the power to define us.
C:  You, O God, give us new life.
P: The Spirit lives and moves through us now, a great and joyful mystery, so we may bring love and mercy into the world as the body of Christ.
C: You, O God, give us new life. 
P: Rejoice that God has claimed us in this baptismal grace, not by our own doing or believing but by God’s mercy alone. 
C: You, O God, give us new life. 
P:  And so, as we begin worship, we give thanks to God for the gracious gift of baptism that joins us together in Christ by the Spirit’s power. Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism,
we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness.
We praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
To you be given honor and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
C: Amen.

Resource used and edited with permission of Pr. Michael Coffey.  http://mccoffey.blogspot.com/2012/08/thanksgiving-for-baptism-rite.html

5 Comments
Rebecca Gauchet
5/9/2020 08:50:52 pm

Could we use this resource at our ELCA congregation in Sylvania Ohio for our youth-led worship service at the end of the month? We would cite you and Pr. Michael Coffey as the originators.

Reply
Pastor Jess
5/13/2020 10:26:04 am

Sure! That would be awesome. This has meant so much to me and to many parishioners.

Reply
Rev. Elizabeth Lee link
1/6/2021 03:50:21 pm

My congregation is Cross Lutheran Church in Burlington, WI. May we use this Thanksgiving of Baptism for our virtual worship on 1/1/2021. Thank you for considering this!

Reply
Vicar Heather Yerion Keck
4/8/2021 10:33:50 am

I have look at the ministry you are doing an I am inspired. I am doing my internship year and had to wait an extra year to find a site that would take a lesbian intern. It gives me hope that there are possibilities for me when I am done in May of 2022. I would like to use this for a service I am planning would this be acceptable?
Thank your for all that you do.

Reply
Kristy Giere link
9/10/2022 05:42:07 pm

Hello, would it be possible to use this for worship on Sunday, Sept. 18? Our congregation is Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN. Thank you!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Pastor Jess is all about sharing the life-saving love of Jesus with the world. How she does it is up to the Holy Spirit. 

    Archives

    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017

    Categories

    All
    Being "Nice" Christians
    Bible
    Boundaries
    Bullying
    Celebration
    Changing Church Culture
    Getting Started
    Having The Conversation
    Healthy Family Systems
    Holy Days
    Invitation
    Newsletter Articles
    Part One
    Part Two
    Questions
    Radical Jesus
    Working On It

    RSS Feed

Support This Blog and Website Fees

Picture
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed by Rev. Jessica A. Harren under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Find Me All These Places:

Contact Me

About Me

  • Pastor Jess
  • Open Space
    • Open Space Resources
    • Consulting: Open Space Bethlehem, DeKalb, IL
  • Spirited Speakeasy
  • Congregational Renewal Stories and Resources
  • Sermon Podcast On A Journey with Jesus
    • Video Sermons
    • Kid's Time (Audio and Video)
  • When Jesus Wears Makeup
  • About
    • Events >
      • Takiya's Birthday Bash
    • Publications
    • Consulting
    • Contact
  • Consent Culture Pledge
    • Consent Culture Pledge Discussion Blog
  • Store
    • Family Systems Workshops
    • Digital Downloads
    • Consulting Time
    • Support This Blog
  • Support This Blog
  • Open Heart faith gathering
    • Open Heart faith gathering Blog
    • (re) form sign up
  • Faith on Foot Teams
    • Street Team Sign-Up
    • Backpack Team Sign-Up
    • Community Engagement Team Sign-Up