For Consideration [Some things to understand about dedicating your children to the Lord]
1. Dedicating ones child is based on a scriptural precedent, rooted in the Old Testament, in which Jesus was presented to the Lord in the Temple as an infant (Luke 2:22-35).
2. It acknowledges God’s blessing upon and care for children (Isaiah 54:13; Matt 18:1-5, 10; 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17; Acts 2:39; 1 John 2:12-13).
3. It’s you, Parents, who are doing the dedicating. It’s a commitment you make in your heart before God and agree together to live out in your home. The dedication we perform during the church service is simply the public acknowledgment of your commitment.
4. You’re publicly acknowledging that your children are a gift given to you by God (Gen 33:5; Psalm 127:3-5). As such, they’re a blessing, a source of great joy (Prov. 23:24-25), and a great privilege –aside from being a lot of work too! Ultimately we recognize they’ve been created by God, and as such belong to him, yet have been entrusted to you as stewards to raise. (Exodus 13:2, 12).
5. You’re committing your lives as parents to live by the grace of God in such a way as to be an example of those who honestly and transparently follow Jesus, while avoiding the placement of any stumbling-blocks in their way.
6. Your church family and leadership commits to support and equip you by God’s grace to fulfill your responsibility as good examples to your children.