One thing we have no shortage of here at Veritas Church is children. Children are a blessing from the Lord, and we have been very blessed! In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate the new children that God has brought into our church in something often called Child Dedication.
Child Dedication takes on various forms throughout evangelical churches. At Veritas, we do not believe that dedicating your child has anything to do with their salvation or, to put it frankly, does not move them any closer to the Lord. In fact, when you really think about it, the child has very little to do with it! It would seem that child dedication is more of a family dedication. We see in Scripture that Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord by literally giving him to Eli the priest (1 Samuel 1:21-28). This was a significant commitment, a commitment that Samuel could not make. Much like the physical care a child needs, they need spiritual care as well, and in that spiritual care want them to see Jesus!
In Child Dedication, families stand before the church and profess their desire to point their children to Jesus, not in a passive manner but in an intentional manner–spiritual care. As believers in Christ, we strive to grasp the reality that everything we have is a gift from God and everything we have should be used for his glory. This “everything” isn’t only our gifts and abilities or finances, but our children as well. Children are a gift from the Lord for us to raise. Through the trials and celebrations of raising children, God continues to change (sanctify) us. So perhaps our parenting is less about creating a perfect law-abiding citizen and more about our sanctification – being more like Jesus no matter how our children turn out.
This desire to raise children through good times and bad requires a lot of faith. Faith is a gift from Jesus and though often times it is seen as a personal thing, it isn’t. Faith is encouraged when we live in community with other believers. When I am struggling as a father to one (or all 3) of my boys, a brother in Christ can encourage me to remember the promises of Jesus. If my heart desires to be lazy in parenting and my intentionality slips, those who love Jesus and me can encourage me to get back on track. When the years pass by and the anxiety resulting from independence creeps in, brothers and sisters in Christ can push me back to Jesus.
This is why we stand before Veritas Church and proclaim our desire to point our children to Jesus. We need help keeping our eyes on Jesus, help the Church can give us.