![\"Baptism\"](\"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/BaptismNewBanner.jpg\")
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The Christian journey begins with a powerful, ancient act:\u00a0 a priest immerses the child in water and announces, \u201cI baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d (Matthew 28:19)<\/em><\/p>\n The Lord Jesus himself received baptism and chrismation in the river Jordan. He was baptized with water at the hands of John the Forerunner and thus showed his solidarity with sinful men (Matthew 3:16-18). \u00a0He expected his followers to be baptized the same way that he was, and so instructed his disciples (Matthew 28:1-9).<\/p>\n What is baptism?<\/strong> When should I baptize my child?<\/strong> A Christening in the Armenian Orthodox Church includes the three most important sacraments in one ceremony:\u00a0 Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation) and Holy Communion (Holy Eucharist).\u00a0 Baptism is the first sacrament, and is essential if we want to receive any other sacrament.<\/p>\n This momentous event embodies a wealth of meanings:\u00a0 of being washed or forgiven of sin, of being born again into a new way of life, of entering the life and community of the universal Church, of being anointed by the Holy Spirit, of renouncing self-centeredness, and of promising to live in Christ\u2019s love and service.<\/p>\n Christ himself was baptized by John, not because He was sinful and needed to repent, but because through His own baptism He showed that He was God\u2019s Beloved Son, the Savior, the Messiah, the \u201cLamb of God who takes upon himself the sins of the world.\u201d\u00a0 (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1-3, Acts 19:4)\u00a0 In the new covenant, baptism is the means by which we enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5) and joined with Christ (Romans 6:3) and granted the forgiveness of sins as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n What results from Baptism? A resurrection of righteousness:\u00a0 A dynamic and real life in Christ on earth now, joined with Him in His glorified humanity and indwelt by God Himself.\u00a0 Our life in Christ, our new birth and entrance into the Kingdom of God holds the promise of everlasting life.<\/p>\n An intimate and continual communion with God:\u00a0 We are raised to new life with the purpose of union and communion with God.\u00a0 Baptism is the beginning of eternal life.\u00a0 Peter writes how baptism saves us, \u201c\u2026It is not the mere removal of dirt from our bodies, but provides us with a \u2018good conscience toward God\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n GUIDELINES<\/strong><\/p>\n Please try to schedule your baptism ceremony at least two months in advance by calling the church office.\u00a0 The office will provide the parents additional details and forms at that time.\u00a0 According to the Armenian Church canons, a Baptism may only be performed once in a person\u2019s lifetime, provided such Baptism has been performed in a Christian Church and in the name of the Holy Trinity.\u00a0 At least one of the godparents must be a member of the Armenian Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n Download detailed Guidelines for your child\u2019s Baptism HERE<\/a>.
\nSimply put, baptism is our death, burial, and resurrection in union with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 It is a rite of passage, given by Christ to the Church as an entrance into the Kingdom of God and eternal life.\u00a0 The apostle Paul describes the promise of God in this sacrament when he writes, \u201cTherefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.\u201d (Romans 6:4)<\/p>\n
\nChurch canons advise baptism on the eighth day after birth.\u00a0 In any case, parents are advised to baptize their child as soon as possible within the first few months of birth.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A dying to sin daily in our lives:\u00a0 St. Paul writes to the Colossians (Col. 2:12) concerning baptism, \u201cTherefore put to death your members which are on the earth:\u00a0 fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.\u201d (Colossians 3:5)<\/p>\n
\nFill out a Baptismal Application online<\/a>\u00a0or download the form and bring it to the church office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Christian journey begins with a powerful, ancient act:\u00a0 a priest immerses the child in water and announces, \u201cI baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d (Matthew 28:19) The Lord Jesus himself received baptism and chrismation in the river Jordan. He was baptized with water at the hands of John Continue Reading<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2355,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2357","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2357"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3171,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2357\/revisions\/3171"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjameswatertown.org\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}