Baby dedication notes

There are lots of different religious traditions that churches do. Many of them are Biblical many are not. Today we are going to be sharing together in a baby dedication service that is simply about a mother, father and two families wanting to dedicate their little gift to God. God gave us an indescribable gift and what makes it indescribable is the package it came in, a baby. All of us who have children know that there aren’t enough words to describe what you feel and go through at the birth of your children. There is nothing mystical or magical about what we are doing here today. We are simply taking God’s greatest gifts to us our children and giving them back to Him. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 Man those verses sound so easy, train up a child and he will stay the path. Just raise them right and they will grow up right. Sounds simple, and I remember when I was a young, young youth pastor watching parents and thinking man they are doing it all right that kid is just a knuckle head. I have also sat with high school football coaches who are stressed out because parents expect them to raise their kids. That is where the idea of being a chaplain came from. I have watched in my ministry as I teach and watch kids grow but also see it all erased. Kids grow up with a set of beliefs and morals and then they cross paths with someone who has different beliefs and morals and theirs falter. Usually it is an adult who has this negative influence on children even though we blame it most on their peers. This service is more about a church and a family and friends committing to the growth of a baby than just a mom and a dad. Brandon and Katie there are people in this room who watched you grow up, people who know your personalities and who will see things in Brant and be able to warn you or share advice and encouragement with you. FOUND A VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THOUGH, THAT HAS TOUCHED MY HEART WHILE PREPARING FOR THIS MESSAGE. IF IS PROBABLY NOT AS FAMILIAR AS THOSE WE HAVE JUST READ. I DO BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT IT HAS GREAT APPLICATION TO PARENTS. BUT NOT ONLY PARENTS, BUT IN FACT EVERY CHRISTIAN. IT CONCERNS OUR BEHAVIOR. NOW BEFORE WE LOOK AT THIS VERSE, I WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL CLEAR ON A FEW THINGS. 1. ARE CHILDREN BORN INTO THE WORLD, FULLY CAPABLE TO SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN? NO! 2. OTHER THAN INSTINCT, CAN WE SAY THAT CHILDREN ARE BORN VOID OF ANY KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING GOOD AND EVIL? YES! 3. DO CHILDREN HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DO EVERYTHING, THAT WILL HELP THEM TO SURVIVE PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY? YES! 4. WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO TRAIN/TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO LIVE AND TO SURVIVE? PARENTS! 5. HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN? WHAT IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE NOTICE ABOUT BABIES, BESIDE HOW CUTE THEY ARE? ISN’T IT HOW ALERT THEY ARE? Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. The real root and true meaning of this verse taking the original text and language of the time is actually this. Walk wisely at all times for those who do not know any better. Wow, if we take that and plug it into a baby dedication service the meaning is life changing. Walk wisely at all times Mom, walk wisely at all times Dad because baby Brant will learn and grow and make decisions based on your actions and your decisions. I get a lot of questions about infant baptism so I want to share some history with you. First, where did infant baptism come from? It actually comes from Genesis and the beginnings of the worship of Baal. Infant baptism began as a pagan ritual as a sign of belonging to a non Christian religion. The professed conversion of Emperor Constantine in A.D. 313 was looked upon by many as a great triumph for Christianity. However, it more than likely was the greatest tragedy in church history because it resulted in the union of church and state and the establishment of a hierarchy which ultimately developed into the Roman Catholic system. When Emperor Constantine made 'Christianity' the official 'STATE RELIGION of Rome, one of the FIRST LAWS passed was the law decreeing infant baptism as the law of the land in 416 A.D. That simply meant that everybody within a certain age limit had to conform to it. When they passed that law in 416 that every baby in the Roman Empire had to be baptized at the hands of an authorized Roman priest... OR ELSE! First and foremost nothing we are about to do is going to change the eternity of baby Brant. What we are doing is letting God know that this little guy is a blessing, a gift and in return we want to offer him back to God as a gift. In doing so we want to commit as a family and church family to help Katie and Brandon raise this blessing the way God would want it. Katie and Brandon you know my commitment level to this little guy. Katie you are like family to us, and my daughters absolutely adore you. I will never forget sitting in Denny’s as you prepared me for the road life was about to take us down. I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess. Martin Luther Today we are taking this little blessing and offering him back up to God. Our greatest way of saying thank you to God for His gifts is to offer them back to Him. Now a few challenges for the family: - Do you today recognize these children as the gifts of God and give heartfelt thanks for God’s blessing? - Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you all, surrendering all worldly claims upon their lives in the hope that they will belong wholly to God? - Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives? - Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of your children, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them? - Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that, by God’s grace, your children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings? Church: It is equally important that we as a church make these same commitments as we realize it takes a village to raise a child. I can tell you having been raised in a Christian home and attending church since birth I have had hundreds of people cross my path who were influential in my development. From greeters, to people who sat near us in church, to pastors, youth pastors, and church friends they were all equally a part of the process. Church family we are all committing to the very same things that these families are because we know the importance of positive reinforcement. Katie I know that the birth of Brant has brought pulling and tugging in every direction and you aren’t able to be here with us as often as you used to be. I want you to know that our investment in you as a mom, in Brandon as a father and most importantly in Brant has never waivered. We are here and as much a part of this ceremony as you are. We have loved on, prayed for and cared for you guys and Brant from day one and that will never change. Now a few challenges for the church: - Do you today recognize these children as the gifts of God and give heartfelt thanks for God’s blessing? - Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you all, surrendering all worldly claims upon their lives in the hope that they will belong wholly to God? - Do you pledge as this child’s church that, with God’s fatherly help, you will assist this family in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives? - Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of your children, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them? - Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that, by God’s grace, these children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings? - Do you pledge your assistance to these parents through prayer, fellowship and encouragement? This now concludes our ceremony, our baby Brant dedication. Here is a certificate of dedication as well as a letter from me for Brant to open when he is a teenager. Thank you so much Katie and Brandon for letting me be a part of this ceremony. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your lives and the birth and continual growth of this little guy who has been as much a blessing to my family as yours.