Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals

Marriage

Marriage is a gift of God our creator. It is a symbol of God’s unending love for his people, and of the union between Christ and his Church … No one should enter it lightly or selfishly, but responsibly and joyfully, with mutual respect and the promise to be faithful.

(A Prayer Book for Australia)

Marriage is a most important decision for a couple and the Anglican marriage service seeks to express both the solemnity and the joy of this decision. Anglicans believe that in the marriage service God joins a man and a woman in physical and spiritual union. This union reflects that union which exists between Christ and his Church.

The Anglican tradition emphasises that marriage is a life-long commitment and that the couple can expect to be blessed by the gift of children.

Baptism

Baptism is the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he had risen from the dead, he commanded his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

(A Prayer Book for Australia)

Baptism is the initiation of a new believer and is a community event of welcome. In the Anglican tradition baptism has two essential features. It always involves water, either poured on the head or by immersion of the believer, symbolising the washing away of sin and the past, and the taking on of a new life. The words invoking the Holy Trinity are used in fulfilment of our Lord’s command.

Anglicans welcome infant baptism where the promises about the faith are made by sponsors, usually parents and god-parents.

Baptism shows that it is by the death and resurrection of Jesus that a person receives new life in God.

Funerals

Human beings have sensed the mystery of death, and the pain of grief, since time immemorial… the funeral service is the rite by which we lay a person’s body to rest. The funeral service may help the process of grieving by enabling us to acknowledge our loss, give thanks for the life of the person who has died, make our last farewell, and begin to take up life once more.

(A Prayer Book for Australia)

The Anglican funeral service proclaims the Christian hope in the face of death – Jesus Christ, whose resurrection is the promise of our own. The service commences with people gathering in the presence of God and remembering the person who has died. The death and resurrection of Christ is proclaimed, thanks are given for the life now ended, and prayer is made for those who grieve. The dead person is then committed to God’s care.

If you wish to learn more or discuss any of the above, please feel welcome to contact one of the parishes using the parish locater feature on the homepage of the website.