Prayerful Promises

We made some prayerful promises these past two Sundays in worship. As we dedicated each infant, I charged the congregation with the following words: “As the congregation of God’s family, it is our sacred obligation with these parents to enfold this child in our affections and continuing care, to uphold her in good, to guide her in truth, to forgive her in error, and to protect her from all that is evil and unjust.”

When you think about how we raise children as a church, that charge covers a lot of ground.

First: affection and continuing care. That means getting to know our church’s children, and more than that, taking an interest in them and loving them. Each child in this church should be able to tell by our actions that she or he is beloved by God.

Second: to uphold the child in good. This means positive reinforcement, praise. Our children must hear from us when they do well—cards, letters, compliments. We all respond well to praise from those we love.

Third: to guide the child in truth. This means knowing ourselves well enough, including our relationship with God, to be able to teach things that never have to be unlearned later. It’s a high and humble responsibility to guide a child in truth.

Fourth: to forgive a child in error. How often have you felt the residual guilt of a childhood mistake that remains unforgiven? Children experiment. They try new things. They are creative. And sometimes they inadvertently err. If we can pray that God forgives us as we forgive others, then we should practice forgiveness toward those who feel it most—our children.

Fifth: to protect the child from all that is evil and unjust. Children have a keen sense of justice, fairness, good and evil, right and wrong. With a strong congregation as their shield, they can stand against anything life throws their way.

Our call this year is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Let it begin with the way we commit ourselves to our children’s care.

Blessings and Peace.