The Sacraments as Means of Grace

Here’s an excerpt from The Sacraments as Means of Grace, William Barcley's contribution to the June issue of Tabletalk:

I grew up in a large Baptist church where baptisms were frequent and the Lord’s Supper was rare. Baptism was always a celebratory event—sometimes people even cheered. The Lord’s Supper, on the other hand, was solemn, quiet, and, to a young boy, dull. I never understood the purpose of having to sit still for an extra fifteen to twenty minutes. Couldn’t the pastor just say, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins,” and be done with it? I never really understood the purpose of baptism either, except that Jesus had commanded it. When I was baptized at age twelve, it was simply a rite of passage to me.

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