What's your story? If your child has been baptized, would they remember anything about the day? Most probably not, if they were infants or small children. What can you tell them about it? Who was there? What church? How was it done (a little water sprinkled, a good amount poured, were they immersed in the font itself?) Did they put up a fuss or sleep through it? What was the weather like? Who are their godparents? You can help them learn the story of how they came to be a Christian.
And you can also help them learn a little about what happens at baptism. Think about the four main symbols: water, oil, light, white garment.
Water: If you talk with your child about each of these in turn, we might discover that water refreshes, cleanses, and helps things grow. Baptism gives us new life and washes away our sin. (As adults we also speak of the 'water of new birth' that make us a new creation in Christ).
Oil: If you think about oil as lotion, suntan lotion protects us from the sun, body lotion soothes rough skin, but even cooking oil protects the pan, keeps things from sticking and burning! The oil we use at baptism (and confirmation, and ordinations) is a special one, called Chrism. It smells really nice- when the Bishop blesses it during Holy Week, he adds a perfume called balsam to the olive oil. This Chrism sinks into our skin, leaving a mark that you really can't wash off: for your whole life, you are a Christian! And while God loves and protects every person, baptized or not, in a special way, we are given strength to resist sin through this anointing.
Light: When the power goes out, it can be hard to walk around your house without stubbing your toe! Light can guide us, helps us to see. A flame has energy and power. A candle is lit from the big Paschal (Easter) Candle (which represents Christ, the Light of the World. A new one is blessed every year at the Easter Vigil.) as a reminder that the child is enlightened by Christ, and is to keep the flame or faith alive in their hearts.
White garment: When they go out to play, are their clothes typically white (or do they stay that way for long?!)? White shows us that something is clean and spotless, and sometimes reserved for special occasions. Listen to the prayer at baptism: See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven. What does it mean to have dignity? How does a person with dignity (not uppity, not snooty, but dignified!) act?
Talking about those symbols, and watching for them together during the service, is a good way to start understanding a bit about what baptism means. But symbols by their nature have so many meanings- they take a lifetime (or more) to understand!
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