Dedication or Christening

One of the joys I have in being a minister is to dedicate (bless) infants. We do this because we believe in the loving example that Mary and Joseph set us 2000 years ago when they entered the temple courts in Jerusalem with the infant Jesus (Luke 2:21-40). In those days it was customary, and a legal requirement, for all Jewish infants to be dedicated to God. They would be blessed in the temple (the house of God) by a Rabbi or Priest in the presence of family and in the sight of God, .

Mary and Joseph, chosen to be Jesus’ surrogate parents, trusted and obeyed God to fulfil His future salvation plan. But they also did what was legally required of them as responsible and loving parents. Jesus Christ is a very special person. He is God’s son, who came down as a tiny baby as an act of God's love to save us from the bad things (sin) we sometimes do and to show how we should live and love one another. An infant dedication is not a christening or baptism because we believe that believer’s baptism by full immersion should be up the individual to decide whether it is for them when they are old enough. Nonetheless it recognises the important commitment to God and to one another that is being made.

In this special act of dedication all are invited to participate through the spoken promises made to show that God’s love is for each of us. It does not matter who we are, how old we are or where we come from. We just have to believe and trust that it is true and then choose to accept it for ourselves. 

Smile!😊God loves you! 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert and the Headcorn Baptist Church family.

Photo by Multimedios Del Sureste from Pixabay

The best book to read is the Bible

Recently my Dacia car told me it was unwell when an orange warning light appeared on the dashboard. Being not mechanically minded, I consulted the car’s manual, and it told me there was malfunction and to visit a garage as soon as possible. 

When things go wrong it’s well to have a go-to place to get help and this is where the Bible comes in. We read the Bible because we believe that it is God’s maintenance manual giving helpful hints for our everyday lives. 

To some the Bible is a made-up fairy tale, to others it’s a book full of boring rules, and some regard it as an irrelevant, outdated history book. But this is not true. The Bible was written to tell the story of everyday people living their lives amidst highs and lows, just like you and me. To provide help and wisdom in all aspects of our lives e.g. marriage, parenting, redundancy, retirement, illness and death. It was written to bring hope, peace, joy and love through the life and ministry of God’s son, Jesus Christ, in those times when we are feeling anxious or worried of what the future may hold. 

Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God, 

gave me great comfort as my mum received end of life care. It calmed my fears and anxieties during her sudden, unexpected illness and brought peace as I grieved her passing. Christians are not immune from bad stuff happening but our faith in God through Jesus and reading the Bible helps us to cope. We believe, as the lovely children’s worship song goes: 

The best book to read is the Bible, 
the best book to read is the Bible, 
if you read it every day, 
it will help you on your way, 
Oh the best book to read is the Bible. 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert.

We have a pool inside the church...

In the hilarious BBC television sit-com "Keeping Up Appearances" super snob, Hyacinth Bucket, would often mention her sister Violet’s Mercedes, swimming pool and room for a pony to her friends and neighbours. 

Now while we certainly don’t have a Mercedes or room for a pony, we do have a pool inside the church. But this is not for swimming in although it can be heated. It is a baptistry used to baptise adults and young people by full immersion. 

So, what is baptism? Baptism is a public profession of faith and belief in Jesus Christ. It is an outward sign of the inner working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the new Christian. As the candidate goes under the water, their old life and sins (the bad stuff) are washed away and as they come up out of the water, they begin a new life and a new walk with Jesus, forgiven, cleansed and loved by God. 

Although Baptism is not an essential requisite to visiting or joining the church or becoming a Christian, we believe that it is a great witness to those family and friends who come along to support the candidates. 

We do it because Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan to set a good leadership example of not asking others to do something without being prepared to do it himself. Jesus said it was right and fitting. (Matthew 3:13-17.) We also do it because, as a local Baptist church, we are commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19.) 

Want to learn more? 

Please and come on join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30am for worship followed by tea and coffee. We would love to see you and a warm and friendly welcome awaits you. 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert.