(A report from the Sydney Diocesan Doctrine Commission)
Blog
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Prayers for candidates and sponsors
5.1 Almighty God, our heavenly Father, whose Son Jesus Christ shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home: bless our homes, we pray. Help parents to impart the knowledge of you and of your love; and children to respond with love and obedience. May our homes be blessed with peace and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.2 O God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the church is governed and sanctified: preserve in the new-born children of your family the fulness of your grace. Grant that, having died and been buried with Christ, they may know the power of his risen life in their daily living. Keep us all fervent in the faith, and strong to endure to the end in your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.3 Lord God our Father, maker of heaven and earth, we thank you that you have been pleased to give this person new birth with your Holy Spirit, to adopt him for your own, and to receive him into the fellowship of your Church. Being buried with Christ in his death, may he die to sin, walk in newness of life, and be united with Christ in his resurrection. May he grow in the faith into which he has been baptised, and come to profess it for himself; and may all things belonging to the Spirit live and grow in him. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.4 Heavenly Father, we pray for the parents of this child; give them the spirit of wisdom and love, that their children may grow up to love and reverence you and their home may share in the joy of your eternal kingdom. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.5 God of truth and love, we pray for the godparents of him whom we have baptised in your name, that they may desire to share with their godchild what you have revealed to us in your holy gospel. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.6 Almighty God, we thank you for our fellowship in the household of faith with all those who have been baptised in your name. Help us to live in obedience to the promises made in our baptism and hasten that day when the whole creation shall be made perfect in your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book
5.7 Gracious God,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have brought us from death to life,
and we dedicate ourselves to you.
Produce in us the fruit of your Spirit.
Equip us to serve your people and advance your gospel in the world.
Enable us to live holy and righteous lives and to please you in all that we do;
in the name of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.Sunday Services (modified)5.8 Heavenly Father, we pray for the parents and godparents of these children.
Give them the spirit of wisdom and love, that they may teach them by word and example to know you.
Grant us in our homes the joy that comes from knowing you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Sunday Services5.9 Merciful God,
in your infinite love you have made a new covenant with us
in your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
promising to be our God and the God of our children.
Enable all who are baptised in your name
to live as a covenant people.
Fulfil your promises to this person, we pray,
and grant that he/she may grow in faith and in your service
until his/her life’s end;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Prayer Book for Australia
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Forms of baptism, reception and dedication
The form of baptism is the same in each case, namely dipping or immersing in water or pouring water over the person in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19). However, the options below vary in the degree to which the congregation is involved in welcoming the candidates. 4.1 and 4.2 are the most simple, with all the words being spoken by the minister. 4.3 and 4.4 are more expansive.
4.1
N, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We receive this person into the congregation of Christ’s flock and sign him with the sign of the cross, to show that he will not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and to fight bravely under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant until his life’s end. Amen.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for birth from above and for the remission of sins. May almighty God, according to his gracious promise, finish the work of salvation begun in you, bringing you to the joyful resurrection and to the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book (Order 1)
4.2
N, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We receive you into the congregation of Christ’s flock and sign you with the sign of the cross, to show that you are to be true to Christ crucified until your life’s end. Amen.
We praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for new spiritual life. May God fulfil his promise and complete his saving work in you. May he bring you into all the joys of his eternal kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sunday Services
4.3
N, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God has called you into his Church.
We therefore receive and welcome you
as a fellow member of the body of Christ,
as a child of the same heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor with us of the kingdom of God.I sign you with the sign of the cross
to show that you are to be true to Christ crucified
and that you are not to be ashamed
to confess your faith in him.
Fight bravely under his banner
against sin, the world, and the devil,
and continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant
to your life’s end.God has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.An Australian Prayer Book (Order 2)
4.4
N, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
N, I sign you with the sign of the cross to show that you are marked as Christ’s own for ever.
Live as a disciple of Christ:
fight the good fight,
finish the race,
keep the faith.
Confess Christ crucified,
proclaim his resurrection,
look for his coming in glory.God has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.God has called you into his Church.
We therefore receive and welcome you
as a member with us of the body of Christ,
as a child of the one heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor of the kingdom of God.A Prayer Book for Australia
4.5 N,I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We receive you into the congregation of Christ’s flock and sign you with the sign of the cross, to show that you are to be true to Christ crucified until your life’s end. Amen.
Praise God for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of his Holy Spirit. May he fulfil his promise and complete his saving work in you, bringing you into the joys of his eternal kingdom. Amen.
Sunday Services (modified) -
Bible Reading Quickstart
1 Timothy 4:13 teaches that the public reading of Scripture is an important ministry in its own right. The Bible reading ought to be on the focal points of our weekly gatherings. As such, the Bible reader should be well prepared and have practiced the reading in advance. Prior to the hearing of the Bible, it is often appropriate to pray a prayer for the hearing of God’s word. For more information, see Reading the Bible together and
Prayers in preparation for the ministry of God’s Word.See also this article on the marginalisation of Scripture.
For Reading Out Loud by Clifford Warne and Paul White
For Reading Out Loud – Understanding what you read
Emphasis
Phrasing and PausesWrong Ideas about Phrasing
Restricting Phrases
Non-restricting Phrases
The Pause – A valuable tool -
Prayer Quickstart
Prayer should be an important part of everyday life for believers, and the best motivation and guide for this is the reading of the Bible. When our thoughts are focussed on God and his will for us, we can turn the Bible’s teaching into prayer for ourselves, our families, neighbours and friends.
But praying together with other Christians—one to one or in groups—can be a particular encouragement, as we hear others relating to God in prayer and say ‘Amen’ to their concerns.
Praying together as congregations is important for the spiritual life and growth of individuals but also as a means of edifying the church. Relationship issues, goals for ministry and concerns about the health and welfare of other people make us look beyond our own personal needs to God’s purpose for the church.
We should use biblical models for our prayers, taking care to understand them in their biblical and theological context (e.g. Mt. 6:9-15; 9:38; Eph. 3:14-21; 6:18-20; Col. 1:9-14; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; Heb. 4:15; Jas 1:5-8; 5:13-16; 1 Jn 1:8-10). We can also learn from liturgies and other books of prayer that reflect biblical patterns and concerns.
Prayers in preparation for the ministry of God’s Word
Concluding prayers and blessings
Prayer Templates (Service Builder)
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Music Quickstart
- What kind of songs should we be singing?
- Is there a case for mixing more traditional hymns with contemporary songs?
- Who should choose the songs we sing together and where should they be placed in a service?
- What drives the choice of music in your church?
Discussion starter:
‘Shout to the Lord’ is very popular in some circles, but it is widely panned by others. Some say there is an inappropriate emotional intensity and personal focus in this song – ‘its all about me and my Jesus’. But there are parallels to almost every phrase or thought in the song somewhere in the book of Psalms (e.g. 63, 138) or in other songs in the OT.
- So how valid are the criticisms?
- What may be driving these criticisms?
1. The role of singing in the Bible
2. Singing and corporate worship
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Service Leader Quickstart
The Role of the Service Leader
Leading services is a ministry, and therefore it has various things in common with other ministries. We should strive to do it as well as we can, in order to glorify God and bless others by our service…Advice for those preparing services
When you create a new service, we suggest that you evaluate it by asking yourself the following questions … Service Checklist
Some Resources you can use in your Services
Understanding What We Do When We Gather as God’s People
The links below will help you to think through what the Bible teaches about our gathering together as God’s people. Such reflection is an essential step in the process of evaluating what we do in our congregations, so that we might glorify God and edify his church more effectively.
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Big Brother is watching you…
We are a little concerned that you would be looking for resources for a Pet Blessings!Your id has been logged and sent to the Archbishop’s examining chaplains for review…
Just kidding!!
