Child Dedication
Throughout generations, God’s people have practiced various forms of dedicating their children to the Lord. Though the Bible does not command this practice or give instructions on how to practice child dedication, this act can be a significant moment in the life of the parents, the child(ren) and the church.
Scripture does tell us of Hannah dedicating her child Samuel to the Lord (1 Samuel 1-2) and Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the temple to dedicate him (Luke 2:22-38), which was an act of obedience to the Jewish instructions of childbirth purification (Leviticus 12) and the redemption of the firstborn son (Exodus 12:13).
We dedicate children to the Lord to commit ourselves as parents to raising our children in a God-honoring home, to symbolically give our children back to God as He has entrusted us to their care and to commission them to the Lord’s service with their lives.
In Child Dedication, parents commit themselves to these four statements:
- I have placed my own faith, trust and hope in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of my sins and have committed my life to following, loving and serving him.
- I will seek to follow personally God’s word and to be a Christ-like example of his love and holiness as I relate to others in my home, church and community.
- I will seek to help bring my child to faith in Christ and to keep him/her under the influence of the local church and its ministries so that he/she can grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
- I will train my child in the way he/she should go, will impress the commands of God upon him/her and will parent with an understanding that my child(ren) ultimately belong to God.