Sermon – June 22nd , 2025

What is baptism? Baptism is the initiation ceremony into the Christian faith. It is an initiatory sign through which you enter into the community of believers, through which you are called a child of God, and engrafted into Christ. Through baptism, you are united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. You go down into the water—buried with Christ—and when you rise, you rise with Him to live a new life. In this act, your sins are forgiven, covered, and erased. As you come up out of the water, you enter into new life and a new relationship with God and with God’s new community. Paul says in Galatians, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” — Galatians 3:27. Calvin says, “Baptism is the moment of faith in which adoption is realized.”