Dear Friends,

This week I want to conclude my piece on baptism by looking briefly at the baptismal formula, the use of chrism and the post-baptismal prayers. I know it has been a long journey, but I hope that you have found it helpful.

 First, let’s look at the baptismal formula. It is based on Matthew 28:19, which is the heart of the Great Commission that Jesus gave his disciples. “Go therefore  and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….” Its use during baptism is first recorded in the 4th century homilies of St. John Chrysostom, though it was probably in use well before then. In our 1979 Prayer Book the form is familiar:  “N. (the name of the candidate) I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Interestingly, in the Eastern Church the form is slightly different. It looks like this:  “N. (the name of the candidate) is baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” A subtle, yet interesting difference. The passive form that we see in the Eastern Church may make it more clear that it is God who acts in the sacrament, while the active form that our Prayer Book took from the Western Church stresses the ministerial role of the baptizing minister. In the words of the late liturgical theologian Leonel Mitchell,  “No matter the formula, it is through the words and actions of the minister that God acts in the sacraments, and Eastern and Western theology have usually arrived at the same conclusion through different linguistic approaches.”[i] I think it is fair to say that even though there is a subtle difference here, we end up in the same place.

Moving on, when the candidate(s) have been baptized, the bishop or celebrating priest, “In a place in full sight of the congregation” (BCP pg. 308) prays over the newly baptized. This prayer is quite beautiful, giving thanks that God has forgiven the sins of the newly baptized and raised them to the new life of grace “by water and the Holy Spirit.” The prayer asks God to sustain them in the Holy Spirit, give them an inquiring and discerning heart, courage to will and to persevere, and a spirit to know and to love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all of God’s works. You can read the text of this prayer in the Prayer Book on page 308, it is beautiful indeed.

Following this prayer, then comes the chrismation of the newly baptized. If you look on page 307 of the Prayer Book, you will see a prayer for the “Consecration of the Chrism.” This prayer is only to be used when the bishop presides at the baptism and desires to consecrate the holy oil used to mark the newly baptized as Christ’s own for ever. The Prayer Book expects the bishop to consecrate the chrism in the parishes where it will be used at the time of the bishop’s visitation and leave it in the parish for use by the parish priest at other baptisms during the year. In my experience, however, that rarely happens. Usually, the bishop consecrates a whole bunch of chrism during a gathering of the diocesan clergy at some sort of service at the cathedral and then allows the clergy to take the oil with them back to their parishes. This is done here in Vermont when the clergy gather at a service to renew our ordination vows usually during Holy Week. It is important to understand that only bishops may consecrate chrism. The Book of Occasional Services (BOS) used by all bishops and parish priests gives further directions for doing the consecration and includes an introductory address which the bishop may read before the prayer of consecration. This address summarizes much of the rationale for baptismal anointing:

Dear  Friends in Christ: In the  beginning, the  Spirit of God hovered over the creation; And, throughout history, God, by   the gift of   the Holy Spirit, has  empowered  his People to serve him. As a sign of that gift, the priests and kings of Israel were anointed with oil; and   our Lord Jesus Christ  was himself anointed  with the  Holy Spirit at his baptism as the Christ, God’s  own Messiah. At Baptism, Christians  are likewise anointed by that same Spirit to empower them for  God’s service. Let us now set apart this oil to be the sign of that anointing. (BOS 210).

The word “chrism” is from the Greek word for “anointing.” Chrism is the Western name for the oil which the Greeks call myron, a compound of olive oil and aromatic spices traditionally referred to as “balsam.[ii] The practice of anointing the newly baptized is ancient, it goes back to the end of the second century. It was part of the baptismal rite of the first Prayer Book of 1549, but it disappeared, interestingly, from Anglican practice with the more Protestant Prayer Book of 1552. It has been restored, however, in the 1979 Prayer Book for “optional” use.

The use of chrism, by a parish priest, because it has been consecrated by a bishop, has always been understood as a liturgical movement that binds the priest who presides at a baptism to the bishop. One thing that many Episcopalians don’t understand is that the bishop is the chief priest and pastor of the local church, not the rector or the priest in charge or the interim. It is normative for the bishop to be the chief celebrant of both baptism and eucharist (BCP 298). However, when the priest replaces the bishop in this role, which is most of the time, the use of chrism which the bishop has consecrated signifies that the presiding priest is acting with the consent of and in communion with his or her bishop who both consecrated the chrism and delivered it to the priest to use at baptism.[iii] Following the chrismation of the newly baptized by either the bishop, if he or she is present, or the presiding priest, the gathered community welcomes the newly baptized with this wonderful statement: “We receive you into the household of God, Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood” (BC Ppg. 308).

Following the chrismation, a lighted candle may be given to the newly baptized or their godparents (BCP 313). This is normal practice for us here at Zion. Usually this candle is lit from the Paschal Candle to reinforce the symbolism of the rite. Remember the Paschal Candle represents the light of Christ in our midst. The little candle given to the newly baptized or their godparents is used to call attention to an important aspect of what happens in the act of being baptized, namely that when we are baptized we come to participate in the light of the risen Christ that now shines in our hearts. “The Prayer Book does not suggest that this ceremony is a necessary part of baptism, but it both ancient and commonly done.”[iv]

Well that is about it for my very long piece on baptism. Thank you for reading it over all these weeks. I hope you have found it helpful to read and given you some new insight into the sacrament of Holy Baptism. I will begin something new beginning January 17. I hope to see many of you at Christmas services, but if not, blessed Christmas to you all. Remember it’s a 12-day feast, so live it up.

[i] Leonel L. Mitchell, Praying Shapes Believing, Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, PA; 1985; pp. 109.

[ii] Ibid. pp. 107

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Ibid. pp. 110