Tomorrow we will celebrate the dedication of Canaan, Cillian, and Cyrus, the sons of Cole and Shanice at the Hendersonville church. As I was preparing for this moment, I kept thinking about what it really means to dedicate a child to the Lord.
These children will probably not remember this day. To them, it may simply become a story told through pictures. But for the parents, this moment means something very real. It is a public declaration saying, “God, these children came through us, but ultimately, they belong to You.”
We see this beautifully in the story of Hannah and Samuel. Hannah said: “For this child I prayed… So now I give him to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28
We also see Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple: “They brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Luke 2:22.
Parents are recognizing that their children are gifts entrusted to them by God. Their responsibility is to create an atmosphere where these children can learn to know Jesus, love Him, trust Him, and eventually choose to follow Him for themselves.
But this message is not only for parents. In a very real sense, we all belong to God. We are His children, His creation, and our lives are sustained by Him. And if we are still here, still breathing, still living, then God is not finished with us yet.
There is still a purpose. There is still something He wants to do through our lives. There are still people we can bless, work we can do, love we can give, and a mission we can fulfill.
And perhaps the question for all of us is not simply, “Have I ever been dedicated to God?”
The deeper question is:
“Am I living today as someone who belongs to God?”
Because dedication is not just one ceremony, but It is a daily decision to follow Him.
Happy sabbath.
Pr. Agnes Lucas