On Sunday, Lexi Mae Webster was dedicated to the Lord during church. John Webster's parents (Congressman Daniel Webster and Sandra) and Alyssa's parents were present for the service.
The visit was quick for Gil and Kelly, but they were able to make many precious memories.
Photos courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
The Websters and Bates
Alyssa Webster and Lexi Webster
Gil Bates and Allie Webster
Photos courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
Beautiful family. They are always so well polished.
ReplyDeleteI wish them well with the new baby who will be here in a couple months.
Lovely pictures.
Such cuteness! I love baby dedications and I get so excited when our church has them. We had our daughters dedicated and it was a very special time for us.
ReplyDeleteOoh wow! Alli looks like her paternal grandmother! Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to dedicate a baby to the Lord? It’s not something I’ve heard of before. Is it a widely common practice, or is it something that’s done more in some denominations than in others?
ReplyDeleteI’m Jewish, so my understanding and knowledge of Christian ceremonial practices are limited. I hope my questions don’t seem disrespectful.
I'm sure your question will be answered by many but just in case. When we dedicate our babies to the Lord, we are saying that we are bringing up our baby in the ways of the Lord. We don't baptize our babies because we believe that is for those who have made a decision to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
DeleteBaby dedications are done in Baptist churches; I'm not sure about other denominations. It's a time of parents stating their intent to raise their children in the ways of the Lord.
DeleteIt's not disrespectful at all. It's basically the parents going in front of their church and vowing to raise their child to know Christ, and then when the child is older and makes the choice for them self to except Christ into their heart, they get baptized. Most churches do them, but I'm not sure that all do.
Deletehe child is presented to the congregation, and vows are made to raise him or her in the Christian tradition, in the same way as the more common infant baptism, but the child is not "christened" with water, as infants are unable to make a profession in Jesus Christ.
DeleteIt is the same as a baptism ... most always done when the child is a baby and within their religion, and if you are baptized Christened or dedicated you will be accepted into heaven or by the lord (God) when you pass.
DeleteIn some denominations the church does childhood baptism (mostly older denominations that were founded when infant mortality was very high - Catholic, Episcopalian/Anglican and Presbyterian to name three), and part of this is the parents pledging to raise their child in Christianity. In denominations they believe that you have to make the decision to be baptized yourself, so instead of a baby baptism they do a dedication where parents pledge to raise their child in the church with those belief. Many of the denominations that practice infant baptism also have a ceremony when you are in high school called confirmation and that's when you yourself confirm that you are a member of the church and want to continue the practice
DeleteCatty, that's what Catholics believe, not Christians. being dedicated/Christened/baptized is not how you are "accepted into heaven" by Christian belief. After you ask Christ into your heart you get baptized, but not before then.
DeleteI posted the original question, and want to thank you all for your responses.
DeleteI appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.
Just to clarify to anon 2/15 at 5:53 many Christian denominations do infant baptism, not just Catholics and it doesn't make them any less Christian.
DeleteAnon at 5:53PM: I do hope that when you wrote "that's what Catholics believe, not Christians" you meant "Christian" as short hand for "Protestant Evangelical Christian". I am not Catholic but I know many people who are and I would certainly not question their beliefs in Jesus Christ. Of course there are lukewarm Catholics who just go through the motions without true belief. But there are people like that in all denominations. Actually, in all religions.
DeleteI also hope you know that there are many non-Catholic Christian denominations that also baptize babies. Lutherans do. Anglicans do, as do Episcopalians, though they often call it "christening", both are branches of the Church of England. The Orthodox Churches not only baptize babies, they perform the baptism, first Communion and Confirmation rites all on the same day.
To the OP: while the Bates and Duggars are part of the Baptist / evangelical tradition, please know there is a lot more diversity among Christians than just Baptists and Catholics.
To 1:23 and 1:30, I'm sorry for any confusion my comment caused, I had never heard of a baby being baptized outside of the Catholic religion, and I didn't mean that that makes them any less Christian😊
DeleteMy point had been baptism isn't what gets you into heaven
DeleteThank you Ellie for being so up to date with all of your blogs!! How do you do it! You must be a very hard worker and we appreciate it SO much! I love these families and you and Mr. Handsome too. You are all blessing from the Lord to see how He works in the lives of those that love Him and honor Him and know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! God Bless You All!
ReplyDeleteIs dedication somethinh like bapthism?
ReplyDeleteBaptism is something that was only shown in the Bible as being done to someone (never a baby) who made a decision to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior from sins. While a number of churches baptize infants, that seems to be going against what the Bible teaches ("believe and be baptized"), since baptism follows a person's conscious choice to believe. That is why churches such as the one the Websters go to decide to have baby dedications instead. It's a time where parents publicly state their intention to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
DeleteYes, but without the baptism lol It's the parents going in front of their church and vowing to raise their child in a Christ like manner. Then when the kids are older and except Christ into their lives, they get baptized.
DeleteYes
DeleteVery sweet pictures. The girls are so adorable.
ReplyDeleteyou sure can tell who alyssa resembles in those last two pictures! she sure has gil's smile!
ReplyDeleteReally love this family. Appreciate so much that you are a God loving family. Admire the way your children are all such good representatives of your parenting skills.
ReplyDeletePraying God will continue to bless you all in every way.
Love through Jesus.
Aww so sweet both of their parents had come to see the church event for their granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteTime 6:43AM
What is a baby dedication? In my church, babies are baptized -- are the Bates baptized?
ReplyDeleteI think they believe in "believer's baptism" - where a person is baptized after making a conscious decision to believe in Jesus as their Savior. I encourage you to study the Bible and see what it has to say about the purpose of baptism (hint: it says nothing about baptizing babies).
DeleteBaby baptisms are more so done in the Catholic community, other churches baptize children after the child decides to except Christ into their heart. A baby dedication is when the parents vow in front of the church to raise their child in a Christ like manner.
Deletehe child is presented to the congregation, and vows are made to raise him or her in the Christian tradition, in the same way as the more common infant baptism, but the child is not "christened" with water, as infants are unable to make a profession in Jesus Christ.
DeleteThey belong to a church that doesn't do infant baptism because they believe an individual has to choose to be baptized.
DeleteI'm Catholic so we have babies baptized. My husband is from a fundamentalist family and they don't believe in child baptism; they do adult baptism. They do a 'dedication'. In my opinion (and I'm no expert), it is the same thing. Either way, you are pledging to raise your child as a Christian. In Catholicism, we have 'confirmation' when you are a teenager that means you confirm you want to be Catholic whereas some of the fundamentalist churches call this a baptism. In my opinion, it's all fine. Just love the Lord and be a good person :)
DeleteA baby dedication in a Baptist church is when a child is publicly given over to the Lord. We believe that salvation comes by someone placing their faith in Christ and trusting Him as their personal Savior. Salvation is the choice of the individual. Once a person accepts Christ as their Savior,the Bible teaches us to be baptized by submersion. Baptism is a public identification with Christ. When the person goes under the water, they are being identified with Christ in His death, and when they come up out of the water, they are being identified with Him in His resurrection.
DeleteI am not Catholic, but Lutheran. Like Anonymous above who is Catholic, in my teenage years, I had my Confirmation.
DeleteTo the first Anonymous who encouraged me to read the Bible, I'll say only that I do already read the Bible -- maybe I am being too sensitive, but it feels like your comment is telling me that my beliefs are wrong or that I am somehow ignorant. I hope that is not what you meant.
Anon @ 2:37pm, loving the Lord and being a good person will earn you rewards in heaven, and a life that is "good and profitable to men" (see Titus 3:8) but it will not earn you salvation. Salvation is a free gift, given to you by God, when you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, and rose again to give you eternal life. (See, for example, John 3:16,36; Romans 4:5; 5:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 3:5-7.)
DeleteJust my opinion, but I wish she would've named them lets say Allison and Alexis and call them Allie and Lexi. People are always going to ask them if their name is just a nickname
ReplyDeleteI don't think it matters, but see your point. I have a cousin named Abby, and people always call her Abigail even though that's not her name.
DeleteYeah, I don't like nicknames as names either!
DeleteA baby dedication is typically when the adults are committing that they will raise this baby for God and His glory and is done publicly at church because they are asking the church to hold them accountable to that and to help them in their goal.
ReplyDeleteTo me I never saw who Alyssa looks like. she has a look different than other siblings but in these pix, i think i see Kelly in her face. Sweet pix
ReplyDeleteThat middle picture is the first one where I've seen a resemblance between the two sisters.
ReplyDeleteJust how tall is Alyssa? She's wearing heels and she is the same height as Kelly, who is wearing flats. Lol.
ReplyDeleteOur church, Seventh-day Adventist, also does baby dedications instead of christenings. Our old church African Methodist Episcopal, did christenings and discouraged baptisms when those same babies were grown because the christening was believed to be equal with baptism.
Roman Catholic infant baptism is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ and His Church to remove 'original sin', from Adam and Eve. Bates-like Christians also believe that we are born 'sinners' and need to accept Jesus in their lives to be cleansed from sin also, IMO. Now, Roman Catholics practice infant baptism not only to cleanse the child, but godparents make the vows to Jesus Christ and His Church FOR the baby to educate and raise the child in the beliefs of the Church. The child attends church, goes to religious instruction classes and receives the next three sacraments of the Church, which are Penance, a structured way to confess personal sins committed and to do penance for those sins, (of course, we can always confess to the Lord, God privately), then they receive their First Holy Communion (the Eucharist) at holy mass around the age of reason, usually second grade, 7-8 years old, then at the age of discretion, usually between 5th and 9th grade receive the sacrament of Confirmation...Confirmation is important here to explain to other Christians that is THEN, that the young person themselves, makes the concious decision to re-affirm the baptismal vows that their godparents took for them in infancy. So, see? Catholics DO take on those promises as people in their own right...like other Christians do. We have a more distinct road to that. We also see marriage as a sacrament, a holy state of living together and is forever until death. The sacrament of Holy Orders is for priests, who have had extensive, formal education and training in theology, etc. to be ordained, and then finally, we have the Sacrament of Healing which was known as Last Rights, when a person is gravely ill and may die. This gives that person absolution from their sins, blessings and grace that God offers. It is viewed as 'viaticum', or 'food for the journey' of the soul after it leaves the body and this world.
ReplyDeleteHow can any one say that Catholics are not Christian? It is truly an insult to us and not Godly of others to believe or say. We all aspire for the same ONE THING through the practice of belief in God and religion here on Earth...something better after this life. It is open to all who are and do good in this world. No need to be a religious 'snob'. THAT is ungodly and sinful IMO. Thank you for reading my post.
Grace, could you please show me where in the Bible it teaches anything that you stated in your first sentence? Also, the Bates-like Christians that you refer to believe that we are born sinners and also believe that we need to accept Jesus into our lives to be cleansed from sin because that is what the Bible states, not just because that's what their church teaches. It's not being a religious snob, it's an earnest belief that the Bible is God's Word, and that when churches add things that are not in God's Word, they are making a serious mistake and teaching false things. The most serious thing a person can do is to decide whether or not to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Bible teaches that that is what opens the door to heaven, not being good. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" Regeneration = the new birth/what some people call being "born again". The Bible has much to say about how we can have that personal relationship with Christ.
DeleteI was raised Roman Catholic and went to Catholic School. . . .I loved the nuns and being in a small school. BUT - when I went to public HS I then _for the first time - realized that there were MANY other religions.
DeleteI never ever - not even once - critized others beliefs. It was what they were taught - what they felt in their hearts.
IMO "we" - at a young age - should study different beliefs - even if on a basic level.
Couldn't hurt. Thanks for your post.
Anon: 8:45 — Where in the Bible does it say that all Christian beliefs must be found there? Rather, the Bible states that there are many things that the Bible could not contain (John 16:12-13) and that one must not look to the Bible as the pillar and foundation of Truth, but to the Church (1 Tim 3:15).
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