Renew baptismal vows regularly
by Elsie Rempel, Mennonite Church Canada
It was with great interest and appreciation that I read John A. Lapp’s article (Jan. 8), and the reader responses to “Musings on Baptism.” As I have researched and reflected on the topic of Mennonites, children and Communion over the last few years, I have also learned about the role and value of infant baptism in other Christian denominations. I have come to appreciate the symbolism of inclusion into the family of God and of the dedication by the parents and godparents to the faith formation of the child in their ritual of infant baptism.
I have also discovered that the ritual of children’s dedication in Mennonite church life, that symbolizes these same good and important elements, has a longer and stronger history in our denomination than many of us presume to be the case.
Faith-forming rituals have not always been appreciated adequately among us, but as we learn more about how children learn and about the lively nature of children’s faith, our appreciation for rituals, as examples of enacted faith, is growing. Thanks be to God, because enacted faith—faith that includes physical actions, symbols and sounds, as well as words—communicates powerfully to prerational children. Participating in or observing enacted faith rituals helps them form an identity that is rooted in God and the church community rather than in secular society.
I have participated in Presbyterian, Lutheran and United Church conversations about baptism that included challenges to the adults in the group to live into the promises made on their behalf at their baptisms and have seen how this ritual grows in meaning for them.
We could learn from these denominations by emphasizing the renewal of our baptismal vows more regularly and fervently.
By Elsie Rempel, director Christian education and nurture, Mennonite Church Canada
Associated Issue: Mennonite but not Anabaptist - Jan.8, 2008
Associated Article: Mennonite but not Anabaptist
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