This morning, Stephen reminded us that God knows us by name and gives us a new name. Tonight, Mark reminded us that choosing a name can be a difficult thing for parents-to-be! At tonight’s dedication service, we had the privilege of dedicating Tatijana to God, acknowledging her as a gift from God to her parents (Ps 127:3-5).
Children are a blessing and a commitment to parents. Christian parents have a responsibility to pray for their children, to discipline them and to bring them up to fear and know the Lord. Parenting will one day mean letting go of these children, but we can entrust them to God who cares for them and sees them all the days of their lives.
In Matt 19:13-15, we see people bringing children to Jesus for Him to bless them. The disciples were not keen on this, believing He was too busy to be bothered with children, but Jesus always has time for children. Jesus wanted to bless them and part of the dedication service involves asking for God’s blessing and direction on the whole family, but especially this new addition!
Children are biologically linked to their parents and will show traits of their parents in many ways. In the same way, by God’s Spirit, we are linked to the DNA of God and are growing to reflect His image. As parents, we promise before God to honour Him in every aspect of our lives and ask for His help in raising children; as a church, we commit to praying for every family within our wider body and supporting them in whatever ways are possible. Ultimately, we are grateful for God’s unconditional love and blessing for us all!
Our prayer is for every child and young person ultimately to come to know the Lord in a personal relationship and we baptise those who make that personal decision of faith.