Monday, July 28, 2008

Talk - Baptism (for 8 year olds)


Here is a talk that I have used when I have spoken at Stake Baptisms for 8 year olds.

[Address person being baptized] Do you know that you are just about to participate in your very first saving ordinance and make your very first official promise to Heavenly Father?

Today when you are baptized you will promise Heavenly Father that you will do your best to remember and follow Jesus and keep all of His commandments. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that whenever we make a promise to Him, He makes a promise right back to us.

Today Heavenly Father also will make you a promise. He promises you that He will forgive you if you make mistakes and do something wrong if you repent. He also promises that you can have the gift of the Holy Ghost with you and that you can obtain eternal life someday.

When we make a promise to Heavenly Father and He makes one right back to us, those promises are called covenants. Heavenly Father never breaks His promises to us, and we need to try every single day never to break our promises to Him.

Let’s go over once again what you will promise today:
1. To take upon you the name of Christ (D&C 18:21-25)
2. To bear one another’s burdens that they might be light (Mosiah 18:8)
3. To stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places even until death. (Mosiah 18:9)
4. To obey the commandments of God and to serve him (Mosiah 18:10)

God promises:
1. To accept you as a member of his Church
2. To forgive your sins if you repent
3. To give you the gift of the Holy Ghost
4. To bring you into the kingdom of God in heaven as you strive to be obedient

Even though you are only eight years old you know how hard it is not to make mistakes, don’t you. Mistakes like not telling the whole truth, or being mean to someone and laughing about it. It is hard for everyone to choose the right every single minute of every single day. Heavenly Father knows that. So on this day He gives you another great gift - the gift of the Holy Ghost. Someone else will talk about this wonderful gift after you are baptized. The Holy Ghost will help you choose the right.

Jesus also needed to be baptized. Even though Jesus had never sinned, he still needed to be baptized so that He could be a good example to others.

[Show the picture of Jesus and John the Baptist]

Every Sunday you have a chance to remember the covenant you made this day. That is what people do when they bow their heads during the Sacrament. You can remember the promises that you made to Heavenly Father and the promises He made to you. You can think about what kind of person you were during the week between Sundays and if you have been honest, kind, obedient and loving. You can also make a decision on how to do better the next week. But most importantly you can remember that Jesus died and was resurrected that we all might live again some day. And that He suffered in Gethesmane to atone for our sins and understand exactly what we experience and be there as a true friend to support us.

Remember that this is the first day of the rest of your life. It is my prayer that you will always remember the promises you'll make to Heavenly Father and the promises He will make to you.

58 comments:

Stephanie said...

thanks for all the great info and talks on baptism, so very helpful. you have lifted a weight off my shoulders. thanks so much.

miss kristen said...

I came across this blog by accident as I was looking for ideas for a baptism talk I'm giving tomorrow for my friend's boys. I hope you don't mind if I use this as the base for mine. :)

Hilarie said...

Fabulous! I was asked to speak at a baptism last minute and this talk is just perfect. Thanks for saving the day!

Bruce and Mitzi said...

I love that! I was just searching for some help for a baptism talk I have to give tomorrow, and I so appreciate the points you brought out. Thanks for sharing your great ideas!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much! I need to do a talk tomorrow and this will definantly help!

linda said...

Thank you so much for posting that. Our daughter is giving a talk for our son's baptism and this will really help her.

regina said...

Thanks for the information

Sarah said...

I am another one that was asked to do a baptism talk last minute--for tomorrow actually. Thanks for your beautiful talk!

Sharon Wales said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your talk. It's an outstanding talk and it helped me a great deal with my talk for my daughter's baptism. Now I can relax and get everything else ready. Thanks again!

Anderson Family said...

Awesome! Thanks for the help!

The Butler Bunch said...

Thank you for the great talk. My 14 yr old son is speaking at my daughters baptism and this is just what he needs.

Burninator said...

Excellent talk.
One nitpicky point.
Children who are just turning eight do not have any sins to be forgiven.

If their baptism is within a reasonable amount of time after age eight, they do not have any past mistakes for which they need forgiveness.

So, emphasizing that they can be forgiven of future mistakes is the correct tack.

Thanks for the post.

Pam said...

Good point Burninator. I edited the talk a bit.

Anonymous said...

YOU ARE AWESOME!

Chloe Rose said...

I just barely got asked to give a talk in two hours! This talk totally helped. THANK YOU!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this wonderful talk. I am giving a talk at my nieces baptism tomorrow and have had a super hectic day. Then, I found this wonderful talk, It has helped me pull my ideas together

Thanks again,
Genene

Torrie said...

thanks millions for this outline of a talk, I'm using for the baptism talk at my daughters baptism tomorrow, only got called yesterday so it was nice to find this, thanks again

Jen said...

LIke all the others - I'm so exicted to have found your talk! I'm speaking at my daughters baptism this Saturday and you've saved my life. REally! I've been making the dress and the family is coming and its the fourth of July! Thanks again! Smiles, JEN

Camie at "Home is where they love you" said...

Thank you...this was beautiful.

Kellie said...

I appreciate it. I'll be using some of your killer talk tomorrow! Thanks!!

Primary Talks said...

These are great Primary talks! Thank you!

Kimberly Allen said...

Thanks for the great ideas!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this post. My 10 year old daughter is giving the baptism talk at our son's baptism next week and I wasn't sure what to do. This will help so much!

Jill said...

Thank you a ton for sharing this talk. I have to speak on baptism at my child's baptism tomorrow, it's midnight, and you saved me oodles of time so I can go to bed. Thanks from a procrastinating mom:)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! I am only 12 but I was asked to give a talk on baptism to my friends family's 8 year old son! Your talk gave me ideas on what to talk about.

Anonymous said...

This talk is AMAZING!! It has given me so many ideas!! I have to give at my little sisters baptism and this talk is just perfect!! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!!
- Briana

Anonymous said...

This is what ive been looking for!! Ihave soo many idead now just from reading this!! Thank you very very much!! :D

Anonymous said...

Pam,
Thank you for sharing your organizational skills! Technology can be wonderful! I, too, have been asked to speak at a baptism and this helps me to organized my thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing!

Unknown said...

Excellent talk and wonderfully written. I am using this beautiful talk as an outline for the talk at the baptism of a convert. Thank you for your help, it is appreciated very, very much!

-Ryan

Judy said...

I was just asked to speak at my granddaughter's baptism the first of next month. I teach the children turning 8 so I have lots of information, but this talk is fantastic. The thing I especially like is the way you wrote it on a level 8-year-olds can really understand. Thanks so much for this talk. You've given me info that will make her proud of her grandma. I will also use some of it in my class.

Michelle Marie Walton said...

Thanks for the great talk! Love, Michelle Walton

James said...

One comment - I think you should emphasize that taking the sacrament every Sunday is like being rebaptized (made clean again) if we repent. I think that's important to emphasize.

17Gkids said...

Thank you so much for the great talk. I got called yesterday late to do a baptism talk for my grandson. Have been working all week and have to fly today to get there. You are a life saver. You deserve many blessings in your life.

thefinderofthings said...

Thank you thank you thank you. I was stumped as to how to proceed with this topic. Your talk helped turn on all the lightbulbs in my brain!

Amber Carter said...

I love you Pam!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, you cover all the points. I have to give a talk tomorrow and will be using this.

Anonymous said...

Thanks!! I was asked to give a talk at the last minute and I am going to use this. I appreciate this so much!

Anonymous said...

Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

This is written so beautifully thank you!

Anonymous said...

The talk was pretty well done. Like Burninator, I have just a picky point that I hear all the time at baptisms, that is not quite correct. "Going under the water" really does not wash anything away, particularly sins. That is the job of the Holy Ghost, and it is done by loss of guilt and cleansing you every whit as you continue not to sin again.

Pam said...

Good point. I edited the talk and clarified that. Thanks so much!

Martha said...

Thank you for sharing this. I haven't ever had to talk at a childs' baptism before--and TODAY, my adorable 8 year-old niece asked me to speak at her baptism--TOMORROW!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! This helped me for my younger brothers baptism talk.;)

Marsha said...

I echo all the other thanks. My son just called last minute for me to give the baptism talk. With no time or resources this was a special blessing to me.

Anonymous said...

I was looking for ideas for a baptism talk I'm giving tomorrow for my brother. I hope you don't mind if I use this as the base for mine. :)

Pam said...

Awesome! Glad you could use it as a base for your talk. Hope your brother's baptism went great :)

Jaimie said...

Thank you so much! You saved me! Who in their right mind asks the mom of the 8 year old to speak? Between cleaning and hosting company, planning meals, baptism dress...and I got strep throat among it all! I ended up having to give your talk word for word almost. Everyone complimented me. Thank you so much for posting.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much this helped me prepare for my talk at my younger brothers baptism!! And it also reminded me of my convents with the Lord.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! This has been very helpful!

Randy Bartholomew said...

Thank you for a great talk. I edited it a bit also, but it has a great framework. I'm glad I found it.

Nichole said...

Thank you so much! I was so anxious to write a talk for my niece's baptism. This helped me a ton! Thank you!

Mona Rongo said...

Thank you so much! I was ask to give a talk on my daughters baptism day, and I came across this and found it so very interesting. I hope you don't mine me sharing this at church for my daughter. Thank you. This is beautiful.

Unknown said...

Thankyou so much for sharing this, I am soon doing a talk for my son's baptism and this is perfectly put. Adding in a few personal touches and I'm ready to go. This will be my first ever talk...eek so nurvious

Anonymous said...

It was so helpful my sisters baptism is tomorrow and this outline was so helpful to have while writing good luck :)

Sheri from Hawai'i said...

Thank you so much!
I'm trying to help my older son prepare a talk for his brother's baptism!
This is PERFECT!!! Love it!!!

Anonymous said...

Did you read it or memorize it? I was to talk and I'm so nervous.

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing ����

Unknown said...

Wow this was so helpful to me my brother so happy with me and this talk it was a little miracle in my life. I am only 13 and could not do anything with my talk but you made it so interesting. Thank you love you for this.