Baby Dedication

Yesterday was Casen's baby dedication at church. It was a really special day. 

Kari's parents, my parents, and my grandfather were all able to be in town for the morning, and stood with Kari and I as we promised to do everything within our power to raise Casen as a godly young man. It was one of those rare moments where legacy was tangible. 

If you're a pastor of a church, you really ought to consider how your church does moments like these. The run-of-the-mill service needs to strive for excellence, because God deserves that. Special occasions (baby dedications, weddings, funerals, baptisms, special recognitions) need to go above and beyond, because they're the Sundays that will remain specifically burned into the memories of people for the rest of their lives. 

If the gospel isn't clear during those occasions, you miss a great opportunity to communicate the gospel in a context where it will be etched in the minds of people for many years to come. Pay special attention to what you communicate, because those special occasions are so important.

At McKinney, we take time to share the brief spiritual background of the parents, and introduce any family who is in church for the occasion. Each parent chooses a passage of Scripture that represents the parents' prayer for their child, and that passage is read. Then we invite the family, and small group connected with the family to come to the front and pray for the family together.  It was a really special time. 

If you're curious, for Casen, Kari and I are praying 2 Timothy 3:14-15:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

It's our prayer that he will learn and become convinced of what Jesus did on his behalf, in part because of the long legacy of those who stood with him yesterday "from whom [he] learned it."