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About the Household Faith Series
Calvary’s Household Faith Series is a collection of lessons on a series of important faith formation topics designed for parents to lead their children through as they teach them the faith. God has given every parent the gift of being the greatest influence on the faith life of their children. The church’s role is to partner with them as they pass on the faith to their children. This Series is an attempt to do that by equipping parents with the necessary resources and lessons.
The Household Faith Series includes
First Communion Preparation
Remembering Baptism
Reading the Bible
Learning to Pray
Confessing the Creed
Learning the Liturgy
About Remembering Baptism
Remembering Baptism consists of five lessons following the questions and answers Martin Luther puts forth on Baptism and the Apostles’ Creed in his Small Catechism.
These lessons seek to help parents whose children are baptized or who are preparing them for baptism learn what Holy Baptism is, what its benefits are, how Holy Baptism can do what it does, and what it means for the new life of the baptized. It also aims to teach them about various aspects surrounding Holy Baptism, like infant baptism and baptismal sponsors.
Each lesson makes use of readings from the Bible and Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, videos, important vocabulary words to know, and questions to reinforce and solidify learning.
In the end, we hope these lessons will help those who are baptized learn more about what happened at their baptism and help those preparing for baptism understand how God works through the water and word of Holy Baptism.
Lesson Two: The Name in Which We Baptize
Review the following before you begin Things you’ll need for this lesson:
Bibles for those going through the lesson
A copy of Luther’s Small Catechism. If you don’t have or can’t find a physical copy, you can download the Small Catechism app in your smart device’s app store or go to https://catechism.cph.org/ to view it online.
An electronic device that can play YouTube videos. We’ll be using videos from BibleProject.
A pen or pencil for recording your student’s answers at the end of the lesson
LEARNER GOAL: At the end of this lesson, students should know the basics outline of the Apostles’ Creed and what it teaches about the God whose name we baptize in.
NOTE TO PARENTS: This lesson will be structured a little differently and may take longer than the other lessons. Instead of one catechism reading, there will be three. Instead of two videos and two corresponding Bible readings, there will be three of each. This lesson covers the Apostles’ Creed and Luther’s explanations found in the Small Catechism. That said, it will serve as a general overview of the Creed with the goal of connecting it to Holy Baptism. The Creed and Luther’s explanations are a deep well of teaching and comfort and are worth returning to and drawing from again and again.
Introduction
PARENTS SAY: God puts his name on us in Holy Baptism. In the first lesson, we learned what it means to be baptized in God’s name, that it is God himself who baptizes us. But who is this God who baptizes us in his name through the hands and speech of another (usually a pastor)? And what does it look like for God to be with us always as Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20?
In this lesson, we’ll learn the answers to these questions and more by looking at the Apostles’ Creed and Luther’s explanations of it in his Small Catechism.
When teaching the Apostles’ Creed, Luther divided it into three parts, often referred to as articles. His explanations of each article or part teach us who God is, what he has done and continues to do for us, and what he has given and continues to give us.
Small Catechism Reading
Open your copy of Luther’s Small Catechism (or go to https://catechism.cph.org/) and turn to the second chief part entitled, “The Creed” or “The Apostles’ Creed” and read the first article, “Creation” which begins, “I believe in God the Father…” Then read Luther’s explanation to the question, “What does this mean?”
Review the vocabulary word below, then ask the following questions:
VOCABULARY: Creed A statement of belief; from the Latin word “credo” which means “I believe”
According to the first article and its explanation:
What has God the Father done for us and given to us?
What does God the Father continue to do for us?
Why does God the Father do all this for us?
Video - God
Watch the God video on the BibleProject Youtube page (https://youtu.be/eAvYmE2YYIU). This video will explore the complex identity of God displayed in the storyline of the Bible, and (surprise!) it all leads to Jesus.
Discuss what you saw in the video. If you need to, you can use some of the following questions:
According to the video, what is the Bible’s claim about God?
What is a common way that God appears in the Bible and breaks our categories?
How do the gospels portray Jesus?
How did Jesus refer to and experience God?
What did Jesus promise would happen through the Spirit of God?
What was something new that you learned?
Parents, feel free to share something you learned
Was there anything in the video that was weird, confusing, or that you didn’t understand?
Parents, don’t hesitate to share something that was weird or confusing to you or that you didn’t understand.
Also, feel free to write down these questions and try to find the answers throughout the week.
Bible Reading - Matthew 6:25-34
Grab your Bibles and turn to Matthew 6:25-34. Read it aloud (consider taking turns with those with you); then, discuss what you read. Use some of the following questions:
What does Jesus say about God the Father in this passage?
What does Jesus tell us to do and not do in this passage?
Why does Jesus tell us to seek God’s kingdom first and not to worry or be anxious about clothing, food, and what tomorrow brings?
PARENTS SAY: Knowing who God is and what he is like can be hard and overwhelming. Luther, in his Small Catechism, following Jesus’s words in Matthew 6 (which we just read and talked about) and other places in Scripture, teaches us that God is our good and gracious Father who seeks our good. He knows our needs and meets them. We’ll see this even more in the next part of the Apostles’ Creed.
Small Catechism Reading
Open your copy of Luther’s Small Catechism (or go to https://catechism.cph.org/) and turn to the second chief part entitled, “The Creed” or “The Apostles’ Creed” and read the second article, “Redemption” which begins, “I believe in Jesus Christ…” Then read Luther’s explanation to the question, “What does this mean?”
Review the vocabulary word below, then ask the following questions:
VOCABULARY: Redemption To buy something back that was lost, as in to rescue or save
According to the second article and its explanation:
Who is God the Son and who is he to us?
What has God the Son done for us and how did he do it?
Why did God the Son do this for us?
Video - John 1 — Word Becomes Human
Watch the John 1 — Word Becomes Human video on the BibleProject Youtube page (https://youtu.be/XgslCbXOOIE). This video will cover how John begins his Gospel account by introducing Jesus as the Word of God, echoing the opening chapters of Genesis, where God created life through his spoken word. And when the world needed a new beginning, God's divine word spoke again. This time, the word became a human named Jesus.
Discuss what you saw in the video. If you need to, you can use some of the following questions:
How does the Gospel of John begin?
What does John claim we need to do to understand who Jesus is?
What two books of the Bible does John draw imagery from in chapter 1?
How did the eternal word of God enter into creation?
Who has made known the God whom no one has ever seen?
What was something new that you learned?
Parents, feel free to share something you learned
Was there anything in the video that was weird, confusing, or that you didn’t understand?
Parents, don’t hesitate to share something that was weird or confusing to you or that you didn’t understand.
Also, feel free to write down these questions and try to find the answers throughout the week.
Bible Reading - Mark 10:35-45
Grab your Bibles and turn to Mark 10:35-45. Read it aloud (consider taking turns with those with you); then, discuss what you read. Use some of the following questions:
What happened in this passage?
What is Jesus talking about when he says, “the cup that I drink” and “the baptism with which I am baptized”?
What did Jesus say he came to do? hint: see verse 45
PARENTS SAY: John begins his gospel by telling us that Jesus, the Son of God, came to make God known to us. Luther, in his Small Catechism, shows us how Jesus came to do that. He came to serve us and fulfill our greatest need, the forgiveness of our sins. He gave his life as a ransom for us. He brings us from the kingdom of the devil where sin and death reign to his kingdom where forgiveness and mercy triumph.
Small Catechism Reading
Open your copy of Luther’s Small Catechism (or go to https://catechism.cph.org/) and turn to the second chief part entitled, “The Creed” or “The Apostles’ Creed” and read the third article, “Sanctification” which begins, “I believe in the Holy Spirit…” Then read Luther’s explanation to the question, “What does this mean?”
Review the vocabulary word below, then ask the following questions:
VOCABULARY: Sanctification to be “made holy” or “set apart”
According to the third article and its explanation:
According to Luther’s explanation of this article, what can’t we do?
What does God the Holy Spirit do and how does he do it?
What will God the Holy Spirit do on the last day and for whom will he do it?
Video - Holy Spirit
Watch the Holy Spirit video on the BibleProject Youtube page (https://youtu.be/oNNZO9i1Gjc). This video will explore the original meaning of the biblical concept of “spirit” and what it means that God’s Spirit is personally present in all of creation.
Discuss what you saw in the video. If you need to, you can use some of the following questions:
Where do you start to know who the Holy Spirit is?
In what different ways can the Hebrew word ruakh be translated and understood?
In what ways is God’s Spirit at work in Jesus’s ministry?
How does the story of the Bible end?
What was something new that you learned?
Parents, feel free to share something you learned
Was there anything in the video that was weird, confusing, or that you didn’t understand?
Parents, don’t hesitate to share something that was weird or confusing to you or that you didn’t understand.
Also, feel free to write down these questions and try to find the answers throughout the week.
Bible Reading - John 15:26 & 16:13-15
Grab your Bibles and turn to John 15:26 and 16:13-15. Read it aloud (consider taking turns with those with you); then, discuss what you read. Use some of the following questions:
What does Jesus call the Holy Spirit in these two passages?
What does Jesus say the Holy Spirit will do and say in these passages?
PARENTS SAY: In the third article of the Apostles’ Creed we confess that we cannot believe. Not on our own. We need help. This is where the Holy Spirit, the Helper, helps us. He tells us about Jesus’s death and resurrection for us. He tells us that our sins are forgiven and that eternal life is ours. He calls us by this gospel to faith in Jesus. He does so through God’s word and his sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
In Holy Baptism, God puts his name on us, and with his name comes all of him. The articles of the Apostles’ Creed and Luther’s explanations teach us that God gives us not only all that we need for this body and life, but all of himself in Jesus. He gives us everything we need to believe in him: the forgiveness of sins, faith and trust in him, and salvation that leads to life everlasting.
Some questions to see what you learned
Review the following questions with your child to see what they learned and reinforce the information; grab a pen or pencil to record their answers
What does the Apostles’ Creed teach us about God?
What does the Apostles’ Creed teach us about us and what we need?
What do the words “creed,” “redemption,” and “sanctification” mean?
What does the Apostles’ Creed show us about God's works for us in baptism?
Closing Prayer
Close your time of study with the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you because you have given us not only all that we need for this body and life but all of you in Christ and all that we need to believe in you. Amen.