December 15th we celebrated Child Dedications as a church family. Parents brought their young ones up front to introduce them and pray. They dedicated their children to the Lord, themselves to the high calling of parenting, and we dedicated ourselves to support them in raising these precious children to know and treasure the love of Jesus.
There were so many new little faces. We were introduced to younger sisters, toddlers, firstborns, and adopted children. At Sound City, we don’t practice infant baptism, but follow a pattern we see in scripture of dedicating children. Jesus himself was dedicated as an infant in the temple. (Luke 2:22-40)
While he was there with his parents, he was held, he and his parents blessed, and prophesied over by a man named Simeon. Simeon rejoiced, “My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)
Anna, an eighty-four year old prophetess, was also there. She and Simeon had been waiting expectantly for God to reveal his long-promised Messiah. “And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38)
Let’s pray that God would give these children clear eyes to see the salvation of Jesus Christ and make it our business to serve them, love them, and like Anna, share the good news. Praise God for the gift of family in Christ.
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
