A Very Special Mother's Day and Dedication {2016}

What could be more memorable for a Mother's Day than a baby dedication?  We don't do baby baptisms in our church.  In our interpretation of biblical theology, baptism started when John the Baptist began offering the service as a way for Christians to profess their faith and as a symbol of their beginning a new life.  Jesus's baptism was one of the first recorded accounts in the Bible.  We honor that legacy by choosing to be baptized like him just as we partake of sacraments like communion because we "do this in remembrance" of Jesus.  Young infants and children have not reached the age when they can make the choice on their own to accept God, and of course, we believe babies who pass away young are always welcomed into their heavenly home.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  There is no need to feel you have to baptize a young child with water to get them to heaven.  There is no saving power in that water.  Salvation comes from God and from Jesus who gave His life for us.  So instead, we do "dedications."  This is a special time when we affirm our commitment to raise our children to know God and to follow Jesus' example in their lives.  I liked that our current church actually called the service a "parent dedication" instead of a "baby dedication" since it is us as the parents choosing to dedicate our lives to the very important tasks of raising our children to know God.  Our previous church called it "Covenant Promises" which was also a special way of recognizing the important promises we are making as parents.  We also ask our church community to assist us with their prayers and support through the parenting journey.  Mattox got to wear his big brothers' pretty white sailor outfit.  Evan wore the same outfit when he was dedicated at the same age, and Brody wore the outfit for some special Father's Day pictures since he had been dedicated at an earlier age.  It was a special day!

Celebrating Mother's Day with all of my beautiful babies.  

Sweet boy did let us get a few good pictures of him before church.   It isn't always easy these days with this busy boy. 

Love those happy smiles.  

All of my beautiful boys in their special outfit. 

Our church offered a free photographer to take some special pictures before the service.  Although our local campus still meets at the local high school, there was a pretty dogwood tree that made a perfect background.

Our family ~ Mother's Day 2016

There was also a photo backdrop for Mother's Day pictures inside.  In the room where we waited before the service, there was a table laid out with little gifts for each family.  It had these cute little "butterflies" made with snacks for the kids.  The gift was a special prayer book to help us begin a life of praying for our children. 

Grandma got to come and spend Mother's Day with all of her children and grandchildren. 

After church, we enjoyed lunch together and gave Grandma a pretty flower for her porch.