Dedication Ceremony
Minister
We come to this place with reverence for the mystery of life that is witnessed in the miracle of a child’s birth. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, we celebrate and welcome babies and children into our community through a ceremony of dedication and words of blessing and commitment. Children symbolize the ongoing birth of hope in a world in which it is all too easy to yield to despair. Let us honor this child, and honor the meaning of his birth, both for his parents, his brother, and the wider community of life.
Missy and Brendan you have come before us, your own religious community, with Cayden, to acknowledge the importance of this community to your son and brother, and his importance to this community.
We come together in this service, as a congregation, to recognize the responsibility and covenant that we all joyfully share in supporting and nurturing this child and family.
Question to Extended Family
To you good friends, who lovingly accept the responsibilities and privilege of being this beautiful boy’s grandparents and extended family, will you remember always the tasks of love and service to which you are already committed? With open hearts and helping hands, will you continue to support and foster Cayden’s unique spirit as he journeys on his individual life path? (We will).
Question to the Congregation
Will you agree to be supportive adults to Cayden? Will you be generous with your time and resources so that he may learn from us, and feel an important part of this beloved community? (We will).
Question to the Children and Youth
Will you always make a place for Cayden and look after him and help him to feel welcome here as he grows up? (We will)
Minister’s Promise
This is my vow to you, as to every child in this congregation. I promise that I will love you and care for you always. As you grow I will listen carefully to you. I will respect you, take you seriously, and learn from you. And I promise to remember to play and have fun with you, to be present to you whenever you have need of me.
Question to Parent
Missy you come to us this morning to state in this community the promises you have already made to your boy. So all I can ask is this: will you continue to teach by your example and by your ethics the importance of honesty, compassion and creating a better world for all. Will you do your best to continue to live wisely, with a sense of humor and a sense of what is serious, so that Cayden will grow in the spirit of love and wisdom, justice and compassion, peace and hope?
Tell us - what is this wonderful boy’s name so that we may speak it aloud so that he may remember wherever he goes there is a community in which he is known, loved, and held.
Blessing for Cayden
Cayden, you are such a gift to behold and be with. You are already a wise soul, full of wonder and joy and love.
In this dedication, “There is no sin to be washed away here. We see each child as a precious gift, filled with a spark of the divine. May we be worthy guardians of this young life, building a community in which he will grow surrounded by beauty, embraced by love, and cradled in the arms of peace.”
As you grow, sweet one, may you know that you are loved and in turn be loving. May you live among flowers, surrounded by free flowing waters, live in the sun’s warmth, breathing clean air, nourished by moonlight and starlight, know that you are welcome, that we are your loving ancestors. Be blessed.
This rose embodies what means to live:
The beauty of its bloom; the reality of its thorns – each teach us of life:
Like us, this rose is a product of the elements of our common being, and so in recognition of our interconnectedness accept this blessing:
Cayden:
Be blessed by the spirit of air with understanding and clarity, with openness to the possibilities awaiting you.
Be blessed by the spirit of fire with energy and passion, with openness to the fullness of life.
Be blessed by the spirit of water with wisdom and peace, with openness to joy and love.
Be blessed by the spirit of earth with nurturance and strength, rooted in family, community and your connection to all life.
Please accept this Certificate of Dedication from our congregation as a lasting reminder of the pledges of welcome and support that were covenanted here this morning.
Minister, DRE, and Congregation (all rise)
We hereby dedicate you Cayden Isaiah Carlton into our community, to grow and thrive in beauty, truth, and love, And we rededicate ourselves as a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, to the support of all our children and to making our values real and true for us and in the world.
Benediction
May this family and all families be blessed with health and love and understanding, and may our love grow deeper all the days of our life. For this child, and all the children of our community, we give thanks and blessings.
We come to this place with reverence for the mystery of life that is witnessed in the miracle of a child’s birth. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, we celebrate and welcome babies and children into our community through a ceremony of dedication and words of blessing and commitment. Children symbolize the ongoing birth of hope in a world in which it is all too easy to yield to despair. Let us honor this child, and honor the meaning of his birth, both for his parents, his brother, and the wider community of life.
Missy and Brendan you have come before us, your own religious community, with Cayden, to acknowledge the importance of this community to your son and brother, and his importance to this community.
We come together in this service, as a congregation, to recognize the responsibility and covenant that we all joyfully share in supporting and nurturing this child and family.
Question to Extended Family
To you good friends, who lovingly accept the responsibilities and privilege of being this beautiful boy’s grandparents and extended family, will you remember always the tasks of love and service to which you are already committed? With open hearts and helping hands, will you continue to support and foster Cayden’s unique spirit as he journeys on his individual life path? (We will).
Question to the Congregation
Will you agree to be supportive adults to Cayden? Will you be generous with your time and resources so that he may learn from us, and feel an important part of this beloved community? (We will).
Question to the Children and Youth
Will you always make a place for Cayden and look after him and help him to feel welcome here as he grows up? (We will)
Minister’s Promise
This is my vow to you, as to every child in this congregation. I promise that I will love you and care for you always. As you grow I will listen carefully to you. I will respect you, take you seriously, and learn from you. And I promise to remember to play and have fun with you, to be present to you whenever you have need of me.
Question to Parent
Missy you come to us this morning to state in this community the promises you have already made to your boy. So all I can ask is this: will you continue to teach by your example and by your ethics the importance of honesty, compassion and creating a better world for all. Will you do your best to continue to live wisely, with a sense of humor and a sense of what is serious, so that Cayden will grow in the spirit of love and wisdom, justice and compassion, peace and hope?
Tell us - what is this wonderful boy’s name so that we may speak it aloud so that he may remember wherever he goes there is a community in which he is known, loved, and held.
Blessing for Cayden
Cayden, you are such a gift to behold and be with. You are already a wise soul, full of wonder and joy and love.
In this dedication, “There is no sin to be washed away here. We see each child as a precious gift, filled with a spark of the divine. May we be worthy guardians of this young life, building a community in which he will grow surrounded by beauty, embraced by love, and cradled in the arms of peace.”
As you grow, sweet one, may you know that you are loved and in turn be loving. May you live among flowers, surrounded by free flowing waters, live in the sun’s warmth, breathing clean air, nourished by moonlight and starlight, know that you are welcome, that we are your loving ancestors. Be blessed.
This rose embodies what means to live:
The beauty of its bloom; the reality of its thorns – each teach us of life:
Like us, this rose is a product of the elements of our common being, and so in recognition of our interconnectedness accept this blessing:
Cayden:
Be blessed by the spirit of air with understanding and clarity, with openness to the possibilities awaiting you.
Be blessed by the spirit of fire with energy and passion, with openness to the fullness of life.
Be blessed by the spirit of water with wisdom and peace, with openness to joy and love.
Be blessed by the spirit of earth with nurturance and strength, rooted in family, community and your connection to all life.
Please accept this Certificate of Dedication from our congregation as a lasting reminder of the pledges of welcome and support that were covenanted here this morning.
Minister, DRE, and Congregation (all rise)
We hereby dedicate you Cayden Isaiah Carlton into our community, to grow and thrive in beauty, truth, and love, And we rededicate ourselves as a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, to the support of all our children and to making our values real and true for us and in the world.
Benediction
May this family and all families be blessed with health and love and understanding, and may our love grow deeper all the days of our life. For this child, and all the children of our community, we give thanks and blessings.