Valley View Baptist Church Pastor Curt Audet
6N656 Route 25 May 10, 2026
St. Charles, IL 60174 vvbcil.com
“One Mother’s Devotion”
Mother’s Day & Child Dedication
3 John 1:14
BI: Every mother who dedicates herself to the Lord makes an eternal impact on her children and grandchildren.
Part One – 4 Moms
- Hannah with Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
- Jochebed with Amram (Exodus 2:1-10)
- Mary with Joseph (Luke 2:22-24)
Part Two – Child Dedications Today
Anna Audet Benjamin Gibson Cierra Ireland
Colin Ireland Elizabeth Eckel Emily Walters
Evelyn Walters Grace Audet James Audet
John Audet Levi Audet Lillie Audet
Sunny Audet Timothy Audet
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:14)
Part One – Children are a blessing from the Lord. By our best estimates, its been 40 years since we’ve had Baby Dedications here. As we can see today, we have some catching up to do. So, today and going forward we will call these “Child Dedications”. We will begin this year doing these on Mother’s Day. We are blessed by our Mothers among us. Mothers are blessed in many ways—but in no way more wonderfully than with and by the children the Lord gives us. Ask any of them—but be careful when you do—literally, what time of the day, and what circumstances they are living in—you may get an answer to the question, How can I bless you today? You might get these answers:
Ways To Bless The Mothers In Your Life
A foot massage.
Help cleaning up in the house.
Take my “dear” child out for a few hours.
A nap.
A hot bath.
Quiet.
Be alert, be observant. Intentionally love on, bless and support the mothers in your family. And in awareness that not everyone here is a mother, or lives with a mother, as always, as Disciples of Christ, actively assist, strengthen, pray for and invest in the Mothers nearest to you.
We are combine Child Dedications with Mother’s Day from today on for a simple reason. Every mother who dedicates herself to the Lord dedicates herself to her children and makes an eternal impact on her children and grandchildren. Every child is then blessed as the Mothers in their lives are dedicated to discipling and loving them. I have 3 brief Biblical examples of Mothers showing the way they dedicate themselves to the Lord, and subsequently to their children.
1. Hannah with Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
Hannah’s dedication of her son Samuel is clear, bold and deeply personal. She set out to dedicate her son fully to the Lord.
Hannah made a promise. Hannah was unable to have children. This brought her great distress. She prayed at the tabernacle and made a promise: “God, if You would give me a son, I will ‘give him to You for all the days of his life.’” Her promise wasn’t temporary—she commited the child’s entire life to the Lord.
Promise made, promise kept. God answered her prayer with a ‘yes’. So Hannah kept her word. When she gives birth to Samuel, she begins keeping her promise. She prays for him as she nurses and raises him until he is about 3 years. She prepares him for the promise.
Hannah dedicated Samuel. Hannah brought Samuel to the house of the Lord. She presented him to Eli the priest and recalls her vow:
“For this child I prayed… therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
Jochebed with Amram (Exodus 2:1-10)
This couple had three children. Miram was the oldest, then Aaron and then Moses. In that time and place there was a strict infanticide policy that restricted Hebrew families from having male children. They were slaves in Egypt. They were brutally oppressed by their slave masters. Any woman who was pregnant was legally compelled to kill their child if they were males. However, Jochebed—was inspired by the courage of two midwives–Shiprah and Puah. They advocated for the Hebrew women and their children to save them one at a time. They sThey feared God and defied the Egyptian kings order.
Jochebed chose to be courageous. Jochebed was a Hebrew woman from the tribe of Levi, married to Amram. She hid her pregnancy as long as should could. She concealed the birth of Moses to their slave masters. She dedicated herself to defy the king’s command.
Courageous protection. She hid Moses for three months. When she could no longer conceal him, she made a water-proofed basket and placed Moses inside. She then placed the basket in the Nile River among the reeds where perhaps someone could find the basket. This wasn’t abandonment—it was a dedicated, calculated act of faith.
Trusted God with the uncertain outcome. Jochebed prayed; then she instructed her older daughter to watch the basket. Moses’ sister Miriam watched from a distance as the Egyptian King’s own daughter discovered the child, and had compassion upon the Hebrew baby and showed him mercy. Immediately Miriam came and offered to find a wet nurse for the Kings new grandson. Moses’ new mother then ‘hired’ Jochebed to nurse the child till he was a toddler. Moses then grew up in the kings palace!
3. Mary with Joseph (Luke 2:22-24)
On the 8th day of her son’s miraculous birth, a young mother walked up the steps of the Temple to participate with her husband—like you six families here—in their baby boy’s dedication. Mary demonstrated humility in this choice to present the infant to the Lord acknowledging that her baby ultimately belongs to God. Mary was living what would become a lifelong posture of willing surrender, complete obedience, and Scriptural trust in the Lord.
She learned to surrender to God’s will. Not even a year earlier, the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear the long-awaited Messiah. Her response:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word.”
This came with real cost—social risk, potential shame, and a future she could not fully see. Her “yes” is a wholehearted offering of herself and her child to God’s glory and purpose.
She sang God’s praises and purposes. Mary’s song–the Magnificat—put words to her dedication. It was not reluctant—it was worshipful.
“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Lk 1:46-52)
She understands that her role is part of something much bigger than herself.
Treasured and pondered. Mary reflected on what God was doing. Her dedication included attentiveness—she did not understand everything, but she held onto God’s words and works over time. At the Temple Simeon told Mary that a “sword would pierce” her own soul because of here son Jesus. From early on, her calling included suffering. Her dedication meant accepting not just the honor of being the Messiah’s mother, but the pain that came with it in His lifetime.
Part Two – Child Dedications
Elizabeth Eckel Grace Audet Lillie Audet Emily Walters
Benjamin Gibson John Audet Timothy Audet Evelyn Walters
Levi Audet James Audet Anna Audet
Sunny Audet
“Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessed gift of children. Every single life is fearfully and wonderfully formed and sustained by Your power, wisdom and grace.
Today we thank You for these children and these families You have entrusted with their care. Grant these parents—and grandparents—wisdom, patience, strength, and faithfulness as they are raising their children.
We pray that these children would one day come to know Jesus Christ personally, walking in truth and faith all their days. Bless this time and glorify Yourself through it. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! (Psalm 127:1-5)
We have six families today that want to publicly dedicate their children to the Lord. Six families are open about their faith. And each family humbly seeks to follow the Lord. Also, they are asking for your encouragement and discipleship and support as they—we—walk through an uncertain with strong and certain faith. We trust in the Lord. We trust in God’s Word. The question could be asked: Choose you this day, who will you serve? We intentionally choose to serve the Lord God the maker of Heaven and Earth!
I call for commitment from you parents to raise your children in God’s
Word, with faith in the Lord, and in the local community of faith, the church.
May 10, 2026 – MOTHERS DAY Page 6 of 6
This expresses the faith of the parents. Some of these children have already expressed their faith in Christ and publicly testified this faith in baptism.
This is a recognition of the parents—grandparents—depending upon the Lord for strength and guidance.
PARENTS: I both call for and acknowledge already the commitment of each parent and grandparent here for your child. All the parents and grandparents respond together with WE DO:
- Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you?
- Do you commit, by God’s grace, to raise your children in the instruction of the Lord, teaching them the Scriptures and modeling a Christ-centered life?
- Do you commit to pray faithfully for your children and to encourage them toward personal faith in Jesus Christ?
- Do you commit to lead them to grow in and be a part of the faith community, the Church?
CHURCH: This faith community—Valley View Baptist Church—meeting regularly here in this building make a determination of dedication as well. Respond together with WE DO.
- We pledge to support this family through prayer, encouragement, discipleship and faithful fellowship.
- We commit to being a church family that demonstrates the love and truth of Christ before this child.
PRAYER OVER EACH CHILD / FAMILY: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:14)
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