Baby Child Dedication

Introduction

Good morning!

Bringing Children into the presence of God to dedicate them is something that we see in Scripture dating back long before the birth of Jesus. We see that Mary and Joseph did this with Jesus in Luke 2:21-22, “21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived. 22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” They did this as an act of worship, dedication, and commitment before the Lord, their families, and other believers. Today, we do the same thing as we present our children before the Lord as an act of worship, dedication, and commitment to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Today is a day of commitment and dedication not only to the children but to the family as a whole! Today is a special day as each family will be given a certificate of dedication, a Bible, and some keepsakes that Paula always provides.

Today we have 10 children who are being dedicated:

1. James Everett DeShon – parents Grant and Sydney DeShon

2. Oliver Emory – Parents Rick and Jessica Emory

3. Bella Rose Heathman – Parents Brandon and Becky Heathman

4. Maggie and Oliver Moore – Parents Kevin and Amy Moore

5. Claire Isabella Patterson – Parents Steven and Stevie Patterson

6. Karrington Isla Grace Piatt – Parents Branden and Sarah Piatt

7. Bennett Dean Smith – Parents CJ and Rachel Smith

8. Harper Quinn Thompson – Parents Matt and Briana Thompson

9. Violet May Welch – Parents Trystan and Amanda Welch

What a blessing these children and parents are! Parents, it is your God-given responsibility to raise your children up in the Lord and in His Word. It is the privilege of the church to encourage you and assist you in this endeavor. Because of this, we unite as family and church on this day as we first give thanks to the Lord for the gift of life and the gift of these children and families. We also come together on this day to recognize our need for God’s help in the process of raising up these children in the way of the Lord. We need one another in this process as well as we work together in the days to come in order to instruct, teach, pray, and we pray, disciple these boys and girls. Parents, from your example they will first learn the importance of studying God’s Word, coming to church, and living a Christ-like life. An ounce of godly parents is worth a pound of clergy – parents, home is where discipleship must begin.

Parents, turn this way:

In presenting your child to the Lord, do you commit to teaching your child the truths of the Christian faith, to set a Christian example before them, to bring them up in the instruction and discipline of the Lord, and to encourage them to look to Jesus and one day, we pray, to accept Him as Savior and Lord? If so, please look at one another and say, “We Do.”

Parenting is a God-ordained task. Do you commit to using your home and this church to teach your child about Scripture and encourage obedience to God's Word? If so, please look at one another and say, “We Do.”

Church, today is a wonderful day of celebration, but today is not the end… it’s the beginning! Some of us will help these families by becoming like family. Others will help by being their teachers in Sunday school, Team Kid, Kidz Choir, VBS, or their counselors at Camp Joy. We all can help whenever we give our time, talent, and treasure to support the Kingdom Work of FBC Salem in the days to come! We cannot do this task before us by ourselves – we need one another!

I’m going to ask everyone in the congregation to stand at this time and repeat the words we see on the screen as we commit ourselves to these families and the Lord.

We commit ourselves as members of First Baptist Salem to join these parents in the teaching and training of these children so that they, we pray, would be led in due time to trust in Christ as Savior and Lord and to confess Him in baptism and church membership. We commit to praying for these families and to help make this church a place where spiritual development takes place as people grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Let’s pray!