While the infant baptism is primarily concerned with the infant, the baby dedication is a challenge to parents and grandparents to raise the child to serve God. The reason for the change of ritual is that many protestant Christians believe that water baptism only has efficacy after a person has reached an age to have the ability to make a conscious decision to follow Christ. Since infants do not have that capacity, it is believed that the purity of infancy and early childhood protects them from the judgments of God.
However, protestant believers do believe that the Bible exhorts parents and families to raise their children in a Godly fashion. The baby dedication ceremony becomes an opportunity for parents to declare their intent publicly before people and God. A prayer is offered for God to help the parents fulfill their part of the dedication and for the child to be led by the Spirit at the right time into a decision to make of life commitment to Christ.
These ceremonies can be quite simple with a minister asking the couple about their intent and then offering the prayer. They can be made much more complex with vows even being repeated. Many years ago, I developed a ceremony of my own that is similar to others that I have encountered over time. This ceremony can be made more or less involved relatively easily by the minister officiating at the event.
To perform this right, you will need several items
-
White Rose- I prefer silk because they will last as keepsakes, but real will do fine.
- 1 Red Rose
- 1 Rose bud-I prefer white, but red or almost any color can be used
- 1 Child's New Testament-any type will do, but I try to get either the pink or blue to match the gender of the infant.
- 1 Dedication Certificate-these can be obtained at almost any Christian book and gift store. I have never looked online, but they are probably easy to find there also.
It is best if you can meet with the parent(s) a week or so before the dedication ceremony is scheduled to occur. All that is necessary at this meeting is that they understand the meaning of the ceremony and a general idea how the ceremony will be conducted. You may choose at this meeting to encourage the parent(s) be certain that their relationship with God is solid and up-to-date. It is also a good time to find out if the grandparents will be attending the ceremony. If they are Christians, you may want to invite them to pray for their children while you offer the dedicatory prayer for the infant.
Anyone who chooses to use this ceremony is welcome to make any theological adjustments to the text that are necessary to fit your ecclesiastical position. Likewise, both the red and white roses can be awarded to the same parent with minor changes in the wording when necessary.
Ceremony
Before the service when the dedication will occur, place the roses, certificate (already filled in), and New Testament on a table near where the ceremony will be conducted. Some ministers recruit their spouse or staff member to assist by giving the items to the couple at the appropriate point in the ceremony. However, it works just as well when done solo.
The minister addresses the congregation before calling the family of the infant forward.
The scripture reminds us that children are a heritage from the Lord. God entrusts them to us to raise in the fear of God and in His service. As parents, we must be vigilant from earliest childhood to stress the importance of God's presence in our lives. This must be done not only by our words, but by our actions. Parents must model their Christian life before their family.
We do not believe it is necessary to baptize infants in water because baptism is to follow a choice to give our life to God and ask for the forgiveness of sins. Infants are unable to do either. God honors their purity and until they understand the meaning of salvation and personal sin, water is not administered. Few argue the purity of a newborn child.
Call the couple forward.
Present the Red Rose to the father of the child. Addressing the father:
This red rose is given to you to represent your role in raising this young child. Bringing up a child is done best by two dedicated parents. As the father of this little one, this red rose represents first the importance of the family blood line. In most societies, it is the blood line of the father that is considered to be continued in the children. You are the keeper of this trust. You are expected to teach your child what this means. It is your responsibility to instruct him/her in the value of a good name and reputation. Likewise, you must conduct your own life to be an example of this before him/her.
