“We Believe in God: A Sung Baptismal Setting of The Apostles’ Creed”

by Buz Wilcoxon

Buz Wilcoxon is senior pastor of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama.

This baptismal hymn reflects the ancient relationship between The Apostles’ Creed and the practice of baptism. The Apostles’ Creed grew out of the ancient baptismal practices of the early church and became a baptismal liturgy in the early centuries of the faith. Before each of three immersions in the water, adult baptizands were asked, “In whom do you believe?” and answered by reciting a portion of The Apostles’ Creed addressing each member of the Trinity. Still today, this creed holds a vital place in our baptismal liturgy.

With three stanzas, this hymn echoes the baptismal pattern. The text also includes references to the meanings of baptism including baptism as new birth, washing of sin, dying, and rising with Christ, and the sealing of God’s covenant love.

Introduction – 56.2

56.2, Introductory

The story of Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 begins when an angel of the Lord calls Philip to set out on “the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza (This is a wilderness road)” (Acts 8:26). Luke does warn us, doesn’t he? I can hear the moody background music between the parentheses. This won’t be a story about the familiar baptismal font and rehearsed liturgy of Sunday morning.

Naming God at Baptism

56.2, Article, Baptism

We want to know the name of God. It makes sense that religious people try to ensure that when they address their God in praise or petition, whether during rituals in the assembly or in the personal prayer of their hearts, they are calling on God using the right name. We want to honor the deity of our choice; we wish to stand within a hallowed tradition; we are glad to unite with others of our faith community.

Why Baptism Matters for the Work of Dismantling Racism

56.2, Article, Baptism, Liturgy

Perhaps my favorite definition of the word sacrament is “the visible sign of an invisible grace.” Coined during the Council of Trent by Augustine of Hippo, the North African theologian on whose theology much of Western Christianity laid its foundations, it remains one of the most used definitions in both the Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant traditions.

Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts

Related Posts

“We Believe in God: A Sung Baptismal Setting of The Apostles’ Creed”

Introduction – 56.2

Naming God at Baptism

Why Baptism Matters for the Work of Dismantling Racism