Parent/Child Dedication 2026

In light of the day’s order and events, we have chosen not to have any verbal announcements today, but commend you to look at the bulletin for pertinent information about upcoming events.

The one thing I did want to take a moment and make you aware of was The Celebration of Life Service arrangements for Glen Ritter. They will be held on Saturday, March 14 at Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson. There will be a visitation time beginning at 9:00am with the service to follow. We do ask that you continue to pray for Lin.

Today is a dedication service.

Often this is called a “child dedication service” but in truth, it is really a parent dedication service. It is the parents who are making commitments to the Lord as they seek to honor Him in the raising of their families.

Today, three families have come with the desire to dedicate their children to the Lord.

And what they mean, what we mean is this: The parents are coming in acknowledgement that their children are a blessing from the Lord and dedicating themselves to raise their children to love and fear God.

No, we are not dedicating these children to lifelong service in the “temple/church.”

No, they are not taking Nazarite vows today.

But the parents are really coming to commit to give their children to the Lord by faithfully teaching and shepherding their hearts back to him through the faithful instruction in the word.

Therefore, there is no better place to begin than with THE WORD.

Today is about community involvement. As we begin, we will ask for your involvement through reading of scripture.

Later, we will ask for your involvement in prayer.

We will ask for your commitment to pray for and support these families, and I will call upon you to publicly acknowledge that.

At the conclusion of today, we will be asking for your continued involvement to love, support, and help these families.

To get us started, I need 7 volunteers please, to read scripture.

Scripture Reading

I will begin. After me, have them read in the order listed below.

Opening (ME) – Deuteronomy 6:4–9

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Pause briefly and say: This is where it begins. Parenting is not first about behavior management or life skills.

**Pause**

It is about loving God supremely and teaching that love diligently. Before children are ever told what to do, parents are told who to love.

Transition: Children are not interruptions to that calling. They are gifts within it.

2️⃣ Reader – Psalm 127

Psalm 127 ESV

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

After the reading: Children are not accidents. They are not inconveniences. They are a heritage from the Lord — entrusted arrows placed intentionally into the hands of parents.

Transition: But arrows are not meant to stay in the quiver. They are shaped, aimed, and released with purpose.

3️⃣ Reader – Psalm 78:1–8

Psalm 78:1–8 ESV

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

After the reading:God never intended faith to die with one generation. The mighty works of the Lord are to be declared, rehearsed, remembered, and passed on — so that children would set their hope in God.

Transition: And this responsibility is not vague or symbolic. Scripture speaks directly to the role of parents.

4️⃣ Reader – Joshua 24:14-15

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

After the reading: Notice the intentionality. Commanding the household. Choosing whom the house will serve. Parenting is spiritual leadership. It requires resolve.

Transition: And while parents carry this responsibility, we must never forget Christ’s posture toward children.

5️⃣ Reader – Mark 10:13–16

Mark 10:13–16 ESV

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

After the reading: Jesus does not brush children aside. He welcomes them, blesses them, and holds them close. Any effort to raise children toward God rests first on the heart of Christ for them.

Transition: In the New Covenant, that calling remains clear.

6️⃣ Reader – Ephesians 6:1-4

Ephesians 6:1–4 ESV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

After the reading: Fathers are called to nurture, not provoke. To instruct, not exasperate. Discipline and tenderness must walk together.

Transition: And we have seen this pattern bear fruit across generations.

7️⃣ Reader – 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14–15

2 Timothy 1:5 ESV

5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

After the reading: A grandmother’s faith. A mother’s faith. A child who comes to know the Scriptures from childhood. This is generational discipleship — steady, faithful, ordinary obedience over time.

Transition: And what is the great joy of such faithfulness?

8️⃣ Reader – 3 John 4

3 John 4 ESV

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

After the reading: There is no greater joy than children walking in the truth. Not success. Not achievement. Not independence. Truth.

TRANSITION—And God is faithful…He has given us His Spirit to enable us to walk the path of obedience with strength and joy.

God is Faithful. Now and forevermore.

Song - Great is Thy Faithfulness

We are weak.

He is strength

We are inconstant.

He is unchanging.

In His faithfulness…in His call for us to obey, to serve, He offers HIMSELF as the will and the strength to do so. He invites us to come, to him, strong and kind, in our hour of weakness and need. He promises to be for us, everything we need. His love never fails.

Song - Jesus Strong and Kind with Jesus Loves Me

Have the families come and sit at front (if not already)

Charge to Parents

Challenge - Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Love for God is paramount.

Love for God is All.

Love for God is the reason for our existence. We were created to love God.

The command to love includes every part of us.

Nothing is left out

Heart

Soul

Might/Strength

Jesus later adds mind (Mark 12:30)

Our highest objective is to love God.

Our deepest longing should be to love God.

And therefore, our deepest sorrows and griefs should be when we fail to do so.

Our greatest ambition…

Our most sacred charge…

…should be set upon loving God with all that we are.

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. John Piper

There is a reason that Jesus identified this one as the one chief command out of over 600.

If this one is obeyed, it makes obsolete the need for the rest — for when we love God this way, we will love and live as He is.

The rest of the commands were simply the application of this one.

The rest were the fruit springing from the root of loving God with one’s entirety.

Parents/Church/Believer, if this is not your chief objective in life—if learning to love God with all You are is not the purpose of your very existence, then some re-evaluation is needed.

Parents, if this happens command is not the foundation and backbone of your parenting values, philosophy, and ideals, then some reevaluation is needed.

Many, many, many other things press in and demand to be center stage in the spotlight of our affections and priorities. Many other things lay claim to our highest objective and purpose for life.

Church, Parent, we must not permit this.

When we get this priority out of alignment, out of balance, everything gets out of balance and alignment.

NOW

Let us return, for a moment, to this text...for verses 6-9 go on and add necessary context appropriate for our setting on this parent/child dedication Sunday.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

Love for God MUST be our first priority as believers and as parents.

BUT

It must also be our priority to teach, model, and shepherd this love to the our children—to the next generation.

As far as it depends on us, of course.

Sadly, there is no promise that ensure if we faithfully teach, model, and shepherd love for the Lord that our children will embrace it.

We cannot force affection.

We cannot command desire.

We can teach.

We can model.

We can show.

We can shepherd.

We can guard, protect, and lead.

And IT IS our task to do so diligent, faithfully, consistently, humbly, repentantly (when we fail), and obediently.

We can lead and guide our children to see and savor Jesus.

It is on them to embrace the invitation from God. Our task is simply to bring the invitation to their attention and let the Spirit do the work of convincing.

We cannot force faith.

We cannot create love for God in their hearts.

Only the Spirit can do that.

But we are responsible to faithfully teach, model, and shepherd them toward Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I know for me, there are many things that have crept in over the years (and still does) that have taken my attention from this high and crucial priority.

Just preparing for this Sunday, I was convicted and challenged.

Truth is, Mark 12:30/Deut 6:4-9 have long been key arsenal verses for me. And I have known that I need to pass this along. It has long been my prayer that I would lead my children to see God and to grow deeply in love with Him. I have always said that if I could teach my children to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength—then I have been successful as a parent because even when I am not around, they will continue to walk with Him.

I often feel like I do not do nearly enough to foster love for God in my children’s lives.

While we cannot guarantee a humble and righteous response to the preaching and modeling of truth, we can—and must—fight to keep this priority at the top of all we do as parents.

I have often been sobered by the thought that one of the reasons why we are seeing a decrease in love for the Lord in today’s culture is because the generation before has not done well enough to teach and model it. This command in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is given for a reason. Now, I realize this is an oversimplification and that many factors and issues are involved, but there is merit to the fact that if we faithfully teach and model love for God, children do often catch it.

Proverbs 22:6

Proverbs 22:6 ESV

6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

This is a proverb, not a promise. But it stands as a general principle that often holds true.

It sobers me to think that if I fail to faithfully teach and display love for God, that my children may not embrace it…at least not from my influence.

I realize that this puts more burden and weight on me than is called for, because ultimately the Spirit is the one responsible for this, but God intends to use me, as parent, to prompt and promote it. And if I fail in that, I will fail to see the blessing and reap the joy of seeing my children walk in the Lord as a result of my influence in their life.

Which brings me to the encouragement I want to leave you with.

Encouragement - 3 John 4

Do not underestimate the import of your influence and investment.

Consider the testimony of Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:5 ESV

5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

These two godly women, Lois and Eunice, taught and modeled Godliness for Timothy. We are not told about his father or why he is not mentioned, but what we are told, tells a brilliant story. He was the godly man he was, that Paul came to love, in part because of his mother’s and grandmother’s faithfulness to teach truth and model love for God in their own lives.

There is no greater legacy we can leave for our children than this.

I can only pray that my faithfulness, and my failures, will be used as a tool in the hands of the Spirit to do the work in their hearts that I cannot do.

Because, John says it well….

3 John 4 ESV

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Now, I understand the context here is spiritual children, but the truth applies to our physical children as well.

When we get to see them repent and follow Jesus, the joy that fills our hearts is priceless and precious! It is an eternal joy!

Truly, there is NO greater joy than this!

No matter the age of your children, is this your goal, you vision? That ultimately, they will seek after Jesus and learn to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength?

And if so, how does that shape your values, priorities, and goals now?

Parent— (**Read slowly**)

Instruct in truth

Model in character

Pray, daily and diligently, for God to capture the affections of their hearts.

Pray, daily and diligently, for God to capture the affection of your own heart.

Cling to the promise that God will reap a harvest from your faithfulness—Galatians 6:7-9

Galatians 6:7–9 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

That harvest may (and Lord willing will be) the salvation of your child(ren)

BUT, it will also be more. And it will include your own spiritual growth, edification to the body, witness to the lost, and on and on the list with go.

Faithfulness to your marriage and family will have cascading and untold fruit and blessing!

And God will give you a front row seat to see what He will do.

So be faithful.

Ask the families to come, with their children, to the stage.

As you are retrieving your children, may this short video remind the rest of us what this is all about.

Video

Play Video - Baby Dedication (worshiphouse media)

Have families come stand on stage with kids and face the congregation.

Also have elders come up at this point as well.

Commitments

Ask Dave as elder of education to ask the parents these questions, since I am included in them.

Parents, I am going to ask you a series of questions. At the end, if you agree, I will simply ask you to say, we do.

Parents, do you commit to:

Love Christ above all?

Teach your child the gospel faithfully?

Discipline with grace and truth?

Pray for and with your child?

Model repentance and humility?

Let them answer: “We do.”

Ask Jeff to give charge to the church

Charge to Church

Remind your church:

We are not spectators.

We are spiritual family.

We help disciple these children.

Ask the congregation: “Will you commit to pray for this family, model Christ before this child, and support these parents as they seek to raise him/her in the Lord?”

If so, please respond with “We do.”

Prayer

Begin with elders, then open to the congregation

In a moment, I’m going to invite these families to stand in the center aisle. And I want to invite you — their church family — to surround them. If you’re comfortable, you may gently lay a hand on a shoulder. If not, extend your hand toward them as we pray. We are demonstrating that they do not raise these children alone.

Have families and children move to center isle.

Elders begin

Jeff - Prayer for parents wisdom and endurance

Leon - Prayer for children’s salvation and holiness

Dave - Prayer for church unity and support.

Open to the church. When complete, invite families to front for presentation of gifts.

Presentation of Gifts

To aid and encourage you in your responsibility to shepherd your children, we wanted to present each of you with a couple gifts.

First, a journaling bible for each of you, Dad and Mom. The purpose of this bible is to foster and encourage prayerful praying of scripture for your children. In the front of each bible, just to get you started, is a list of 52 texts of scripture, with prompts, to encourage you to pray scripture over your children. You can do a different one each day or choose one per week and pray that same one for a week before moving on to the next. Truthfully, you can use this however you want. Add your own. As you are reading scripture and come across a text that God prompts your heart to pray for your children, pray it.

The margins of the bible are meant for you to write out a short prayer or prayers based on these passages. Dad and Mom, you each have your own because you will pray differently. Different voices, different passions, different emphasis. Share these prayers with your kids. As you pray privately over them, pray over them openly too. Let them hear you pray these words.

I encourage you to keep this bible for your children. Guard this copy of scripture for family prayers. One day, pass it on to them. What a legacy it will be for them AND, Lord wiling, it will be an inspiration for them to carry on the practice with their own kids.

IN ADDITION

Two family devotionals. I know that some of you, your kids are not old enough for these yet, but consider them an investment for the future when they are ready. May they serve you well as tools for teaching and training!

Present gifts

Thank you for your desire to commit yourselves to raising your children in the fear and admonishing of the Lord. May God give you grace as you do so.

As we end today, I chose to have us end with several songs. The first of which is a cry in dependence for God to work in and through us.

Song - Lord, I Need You

Not only do we need God, but must acknowledge that any fruit in us or in our children ultimately comes from Him! So as we continue to sing, let us acknowledge that in song!

Song - Yet Not I but Christ In Me

Finally, today is about worship and celebration just as much as it is about dedication and commitment. So, let us end with worship to our Great God and King!

Song — All Creatures of Our God and King

Thank for coming and close in prayer

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