Today at church we did Alex's baby blessing.
For those unfamiliar with the tradition of baby blessings in the LDS church, it is an opportunity for the father to pronounce a blessing on a new child. It is in a sense, a formal and public prayer offered for the child in the company of the congregation, according to the desires and hopes that the parents have for that child. It is also a time when the child's name is officially added to the family in the records of the church. It is not a baptism (that would happen 8 years down the road), and it is not essential for church membership. But it is a good tradition that is usually followed by most families who actively participate in church services.
Most of the things I chose to include in Alex's blessing were elaborations on how Jesus's growth and development were summarized in Luke 2:52:
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
What more could a parent hope for his or her child, right?
The blessing went well, Alex was very cooperative and did not cry throughout the blessing or all of sacrament meeting for that matter. We had Becky's family up for the occasion, so her father participated in the blessing, as well as the Bishop, and our friend Billy from our congregation.
Here's a picture of the three of us in our Sunday best. Our neighbors gave us a little church outfit for Alex, which he looked quite handsome in today. The photo doesn't quite do him justice!
For those unfamiliar with the tradition of baby blessings in the LDS church, it is an opportunity for the father to pronounce a blessing on a new child. It is in a sense, a formal and public prayer offered for the child in the company of the congregation, according to the desires and hopes that the parents have for that child. It is also a time when the child's name is officially added to the family in the records of the church. It is not a baptism (that would happen 8 years down the road), and it is not essential for church membership. But it is a good tradition that is usually followed by most families who actively participate in church services.
Most of the things I chose to include in Alex's blessing were elaborations on how Jesus's growth and development were summarized in Luke 2:52:
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
What more could a parent hope for his or her child, right?
The blessing went well, Alex was very cooperative and did not cry throughout the blessing or all of sacrament meeting for that matter. We had Becky's family up for the occasion, so her father participated in the blessing, as well as the Bishop, and our friend Billy from our congregation.
Here's a picture of the three of us in our Sunday best. Our neighbors gave us a little church outfit for Alex, which he looked quite handsome in today. The photo doesn't quite do him justice!
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