Myah's baby dedication at church!

Way back in November (I am behind) we were able to dedicate Myah at our church.  Just a few days before "D-Day" we received an email from our preschool coordinator at church that talks about baby dedication.  It is so well said that I decided to just include it here!

What is Baby Dedication all about?

You’ve probably often heard that babies don’t come with manuals telling us exactly how to keep them running for 250,000 miles.  While we don’t have a manual, God does give us principles by which to live with this new little life we have been entrusted to raise.

Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

Principle 1: Children are a heritage and a gift…

Ø  Heritage: Psalm 127 is a Psalm of Ascent, which simply means it was often quoted as Jewish families would ascend to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage.  This Psalm specifically speaks of the blessing of family.  The presence of godly children in the home meant security for the parents in old age and unity in hard times.  Children are a heritage of the generations to come.  Keeping this in mind when raising our children helps us remember to treasure them but not spoil them.  Responsible children bless the next generations by caring for their aging parents.

Ø  Gift: God entrusts parents to raise them well, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.  Children are literal gifts from God.

Principle 2: Children need parents, not friends or caretakers…it will take your very best…

Ø  Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  This proverb teaches that parenting will require training.  This will take our very best as parents.

Ø  Proverbs 13:24, 29:17 – Proper discipline is crucial to raising godly children.

Ø  Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Ø  Proverbs 3:11, Hebrews 12: 6-7 – A parent’s discipline models God’s discipline performed in love.

Principle 3:Children are His…

Ø  1 Samuel 1:28 – God blessed Hannah with a child, and she dedicated him to the Lord.

Ø  Luke 2:22 – Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him according to Hebrew law.

Ø  The ceremony of baby dedication follows in the spirit of these two texts.  It is a time where parents decide to commit to raising their child in a God-honoring way.  It involves being committed to the most important things.

Baby dedication does not impart salvation or play any practical role in salvation.

Ø  An infant or young child is not held accountable for her sin until she reaches an age where she can understand faith in Christ in order to make a decision.  This has been called the Age of Accountability.  While no specific age is mentioned in Scripture, the principle is demonstrated in 2 Samuel 12:15-23.

Ø  Salvation happens when a child is old enough to make a decision on his own; and the child chooses to receive Christ.  Salvation is not a matter of any good thing a child does but a matter of grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  A child receives Christ into his or her life and begins a new life in Christ.

         We pray that at a young age Myah will make a decision to follow the Lord Jesus!