Psalm 36:5-9 Jeremiah 31:1-6 Luke 15:11-32
The Steadfast Love of God
As I prayed about what to say today at the dedication of our gorgeous little Naomi, my thoughts kept going back to the parable we examined briefly in our last All Age Service – the parable of the wayward sons. And as I reflected on that passage, I started to think about the many godly parents who have also dedicated or baptised (or circumcised in the case of the prodigals) their children – and have raised them in godly homes – only to experience the pain of them turning away from the faith later in life. Now, this may sound like a real downer at a time when we should be rejoicing but bear with me as the negative does give way to the positive.
Having a child walk away from the faith is probably the most painful thing any Christian parent can ever experience. However, in our pain, we see the pain of the one who is Father to us all. We see the broken heart of God expressed in so many ways in the Scriptures. There’s the first anguished cry in the Garden of Eden, “Adam, where are you?” Then there are many references of God calling for his children to return to him through the voice of his prophets. And then there’s Jesus, weeping over apostate Jerusalem, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” And then finally let’s not forget Paul’s deep sorrow over the wayward in the churches he had established, as well as his anguish for his unconverted fellow Jews.
So, just as God the Father longs for all His children to return to a life of righteous obedience to him, so we too join with him in a holy partnership of prayer for our children. There are many stories of parents who prayed unceasingly for their wayward children and who lived to see God do what only he can do. Probably the best-known story is the one about Monica praying for Augustine. She longed for her son to give up his sinful lifestyle to become the man she believed he was meant to be.
Now, Monica was married to a Roman pagan man named Patricius. They had three children who survived infancy, but he had not allowed any of the children to be baptized. So, when the young Augustine fell ill, she begged Patricius to allow her to have him baptized. Patricius agreed, and although Monica found relief in her son’s baptism, that relief was soon turned to sorrow as Augustine became more and more wayward.
She found some comfort in the fact that her husband became a believer shortly before he died, but she still longed to see her son surrendered to Jesus. Interestingly, Augustine returned to his childhood faith only one year before his mother died.
But my point in telling this story is that like the father in the parable, Monica did not seek to have endless conversations with her son trying to convince him herself, nor did she try to shepherd him everywhere he went. Instead, she trusted that God would bring Augustine back to himself. As parents, we know how difficult it can be to allow their children to fail, because it is a natural desire to want to protect our children from physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulty. But by her constant intercession, Monica shows us what it means to place our trust in a God who knows our anguish only too well.
Indeed, I think we need to learn that when we fix our eyes on our ‘prodigal’ things seem impossible, but when we fix our eyes on God and on his neverchanging steadfast love, everything changes because we know that he shares our broken heart – and we also know that all things are possible with God.
Nevertheless, at the end of the day we know that we have neither control over nor responsibility for the choices our adult children make. We can only model good choices and live in a way that reflects Jesus. We can pray, we can love well, and we can trust our perfect Father for the outcome. And, like the father in our parable, we can wait expectantly.
The point I’m trying to make, is that none of the various forms in which we express our desire for our children to be part of our covenant community were ever intended to be a guarentee of salvation. There is no magical power in circumcision or baptism or dedication – the sacrament of inclusion marks the beginning of a lifelong journey – a beginning, not an end. There is yet a walk of faith to be completed by both parents and their children. And the reality of what this service today represents is only secure once the finish line is crossed.
And so, the greatest comfort and strongest hope I believe I can share with any parent is for us to realize that in the prayers and promises we make here today in this service of dedication (or baptism), it is to the God who is the ultimate parent and who is the source and definition of love that we bring our children. We must remember this always, as even though we know that as parents we are engaged in a spiritual battle, not against human beings but a battle against spiritual powers of evil, we also know that we have the one who alone is Almighty by our side. And he has demonstrated his love for all, through the giving of his Son for us as well as for the lives of our sons and daughters.
The battle is not ours…it never was not ever shall be ours, but his.
So, as we bring little Naomi before his throne of mercy and grace today, I would like for us to reflect on the steadfast love of the one who has never and will never give up on his children. Just prior to writing this short talk, I had written a hymn about God’s steadfast love for us and so I would like us to listen to that now.
The Steadfast Love of God
Verse 1:
Your steadfast love, O Lord, is boundless,
Beyond the furthest galaxy.
Your righteousness like mighty mountains,
Your faithfulness past all we see.
Your judgements deeper than the oceans,
In your presence, we’re secure.
Feasting on your great abundance,
Drinking from your river pure.
Pre-Chorus:
From you the spring of life pours out
And in your light do we see light.
Chorus:
Hallelujah! Love unmeasured,
God Almighty, strong to save!
Who can stand against his mercy?
Who can steal what Jesus gave?
Depth and height cannot divide us,
It is God who justifies
Not one thing in all creation
Moves the ones for whom he died.
Verse 2:
Your steadfast love, O Lord, is proven
Verified through Christ who died
In Jesus love is demonstrated
Measured by the crucified.
Laying down his life for sinners
Wiping out required debt
Eliminating condemnation
And charges against the Lord’s elect.
Pre-Chorus:
From you the spring of life pours out
And in your light do we see light.
Chorus:
Hallelujah! Love unmeasured,
God Almighty, strong to save!
Who can stand against his mercy?
Who can steal what Jesus gave?
Depth and height cannot divide us,
It is God who justifies
Not one thing in all creation
Moves the ones for whom he died.
Verse 3:
Spirit, strengthen us with power,
Root and ground us, help us see
Love that passes understanding
Binds us all inseparably.
Breadth and length and height unmeasured,
Depths no mind could yet explore,
Filling us with all your fullness,
Dwell in us forevermore.
Pre-Chorus:
From you the spring of life pours out
And in your light do we see light.
Chorus:
Hallelujah! Love unmeasured,
God Almighty, strong to save!
Who can stand against his mercy?
Who can steal what Jesus gave?
Depth and height cannot divide us,
It is God who justifies
Not one thing in all creation
Moves the ones for whom he died.
Doxology:
Now to Him whose power is working,
Far beyond what we conceive,
Be all glory and all honour
To the one whom we believe.
Praise unceasing, never ending,
To the King upon the throne,
Throughout every generation
Sing his name, and his alone!
Based on Psalm 36; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 3:16-21.
© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025
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