“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.” (1 Samuel 1:27)
There’s more to the passage:
“So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:28)
That’s the deep desire of Samuel’s parents, Micah and Bethany, so we dedicated Samuel to the Lord today in church.
Thanks, Pastor Tanner, for your assistance!
The Dedication of Samuel James White
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Twenty-seven hundred years ago, the prophet Jeremiah wrote these words, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart’” (Jeremiah 1:5). God had a plan and a purpose for Jeremiah—even before he was born. The same is true of you and me today. God has a plan and a purpose for us.
King David wrote, “Lord…you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13, 16). From God’s perspective, no one is here by accident. Before any of us had a place in this world, we had a place in God’s heart.
We are precious in his sight, and we are valuable to him because we’re made in his image. Young children remind us of that great truth, and that truth is on display here today as we dedicate a child back to the Lord who gave him to us.
The home is God’s chosen instrument for loving and caring for young children, and the primary means by which they learn the sacred truths of Holy Scripture. In other words, discipleship begins at home with believing parents. And so, we dedicate not only our newborn children to the Lord, we dedicate their parents as well, because their responsibilities are great.
In Deuteronomy 6, God said to believing parents through Moses: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). So, learning God’s ways does not begin in Sunday school. It begins in the home. The church can supplement and support the home, but it can never replace the home.
This morning we’re dedicating one child to the Lord—Samuel James White, of whom Jesus would say, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14).
Samuel’s parents will now affirm their intentions by responding to several questions. Micah and Bethany:
Inasmuch as God has given you the gift of Samuel James, will you now consecrate him to God and His service, and will you publicly acknowledge that in so doing, you are submitting yourselves to God’s will for his life, whatever that may involve?
“We will.”
Will you be responsible for bringing Samuel to corporate worship, and teaching him reverence for the Lord and appreciation for his people?
“We will.”
Will you instruct Samuel in the Word of God and encourage him to obey the sacred Scriptures?
“We will.”
Will you endeavor to lead Samuel to know and receive Jesus Christ by faith as his personal Savior and Lord?
“We will.”
Will you teach Samuel, as soon as he is able to understand, the nature and purpose of this dedication?
“We will.”
And finally, will you dedicate yourselves as parents to live godly lives so that Samuel will see Christ in you?
“We will.”
And do you, the family of God here at this church, promise to encourage these parents in godly living and in the rearing of their child in the fear and admonition of the Lord?
“We will.”
Samuel James White, I dedicate you to the Lord in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior at a young age, and may you grow to love him, serve him, follow him, and enjoy him all the days of your life. Amen.
And now, church, would you help me teach Samuel the most important thing he (or anyone else) could ever learn? [Singing:]
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak, but he is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
Amen.
After the service, the whole family gathered to celebrate at Ozgood’s Neighborhood Grill in Robesonia, PA.
Bonus: Several parishioners told me they were placing bets on where in the dedication service I would get choked up. They were disappointed when I made it all the way through to the end without incident. What they didn’t see is that Samuel fell asleep in my arms a short time later during the praise and worship time. That’s when the floodgates opened. I suppose it was the only time in church history when a dedication was immediately followed by a baptism of the same person. 🙂 Since I couldn’t sing at that point, I just made the song lyrics my quiet prayer for SamJam:
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We’re leaning in to all You are
Everything else can wait
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
Come now and breathe upon our hearts
Come now and have Your way
’Cause when You speak, and when You move
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
