Baptisim and Lord's Supper
Protestants have generally identified two acts of worship given by Jesus as "Sacraments." These two acts are baptism and the Lord's Supper. A sacrament usually has two aspects. It is first of all symbolic. The symbolism in both of these acts is clear. Baptism represents symbolically our lives being immersed in His death, burial and resurrection. Communion (the Lord's Supper) symbolically represents the actual body and blood of Christ, which was shed for us, and the promise of this actual person Christ being with us in the past, present and future.
The other aspect of a sacrament is the promise of the actual presence of God in Christ through the Spirit as we participate in these symbolic actions. Simply put, Christ chooses to be present in our baptism and as we take communion. It is not a magical action, but it is a mystical one. The church historically has tried over and again to explain how it's possible for Christ to be present to us in the Sacraments. We are content to call it a mystery.
Baptism.
At Priest Lake, we practice "confessor's baptism." We believe that a profession of faith from a child or adult and repentance are a part of the meaning of baptism. That said, we accept members at Priest Lake who were baptized as infants and feel that it would be a violation of their baptism to be baptized "again." Since, for us, baptism is a gift of God to the church and not a sign of who is in and out, we respect the views of those who disagree with us.
The Lord's Supper.
We take communion at PLCF every Sunday. Unlike baptism, which is a once-for-all event, the Lord's Supper appears to have been practiced regularly in the early church. We leave it up to parents to determine if they allow their unbaptized children to participate in communion. The Bible is silent about this issue, and we encourage each family to follow its convictions. Our communion is open to visitors and nonmembers if they have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our practice is to come up around the table and take communion together as friends and family. It is also a time for us to pray for the needs of others as we bring their sufferings before the Suffering One.
