Light and Mercy

At church on Sunday, Kevin and I dedicated Elinore to God. It seems that in scripture, the people that are baptised are adults, while children/infants are dedicated. To dedicate means "to set apart for a special purpose, often for God's use; to commit to a particular course of thought or action." We broke down the dedication into three parts.

Part I - To set apart for a special purpose
Kevin and I talked about her namesake. The name Elinore is of Greek origin, meaning light or mercy. These are both things that we hope/pray she will grow to become a woman of. To illustrate this we read a couple passages:
Light - "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)
Mercy - "Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgement. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins." - Jude 1:21-23 (New Living)

Part II - To commit to a course of thought or action
Kevin and I wrote some "vows" to Elinore promising that we will do our best to raise her in God's teaching, to make decisions based in prayer, and to love and support her.

Part III - To commit to a course of thought or action
We asked the rest of our house church/community to commit to Elinore. Both Kev's and my immediate families were there as well. We asked them to hold us accountable to our promises, and we asked them to commit to praying for her. Everyone wrote one thing on a stone that they would pray/hope for her. We put all of the stones in a jar, and it is on the bookshelf in her room. It is a reminder to her that she is supported by a community.

It was beautiful. I am so happy we did everything that we did. Both of us were especially glad that our families could make it. It was good to have a tangible experience of them being part of our "community".