When parents bring their child to be dedicated to God, they are following a tradition that was set forth in Scripture. The Bible tells about Hannah bringing her child, Samuel to dedicate him to God and the service of His house. Mary, the mother of Jesus, according to the law of Moses, brought her child up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.
By doing this, parents demonstrate that God has placed in their hearts an understanding of the dignity of life and the solemn responsibility of parenthood.
So, infant or child dedication is really the parents dedicating themselves to guide their child in such a way as to make the will of God the greatest ambition of his/her life.
In the service, parents are asked to come forward with their child. Any siblings, grandparents, favorite aunts and uncles are all welcome to come and stand with the family as well.
The covenant we use in child dedication is as follows:
Pastor: "Do you dedicate yourselves as parent(s) to bring up [child's name] in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"
Parent(s): "We/I do."
Pastor: "Do you promise to instruct him/her in the Bible and in the practice of prayer; to guide him/her in the development of a Christlike character; and to diligently bring him to the services of the church where he will be taught the way of life?"
Parent(s): "We/I do."
Pastor: "Do you promise to try, to the best of your ability, to so shape the home life of your child by family devotions, by your words and your example, that he will at the proper age most naturally come to an open confession of Christ, thus appropriating by a living faith that spiritual life that is obtained in and through Jesus Christ, thereby coming into the fellowship and service of the Church?"
Parent(s): "We/I do."
Then the pastor will take the child in arms and pronounce the dedication:
Pastor: "On behalf of these parents and this congregation, I dedication [child's full name] to God and the service of His kingdom in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
After a short prayer, the congregation is addressed asking them commit to setting a good example as well as loving, praying for and nurturing the child. They answer, "We will".
The last part involves what we call the Litany of the Rose:
Pastor: "As a remembrance in celebration of this day we give you a certificate and a rose. The red of the rose represents Christ's blood which he shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is our prayer that early in his/her life, [child's name] will learn what Christ did for him and receive the Savior as his own.
"The white of the baby's breath and the vase stand for the purity that Christ's death on the cross brings to us. The green of the leaves represents growth in Christ.
"As [child's name] grows older, you may want to give him/her a rose in a white vase and tell him/her about the day you dedicated him/her to God."
We encourage families to invite as many friends and family to this occasion as possible because it is a powerful way to testify to your devotion to Christ.