In fact, not only does he not care about them, but he would like to have them in Hell forever. He knows that Hell is a miserable existance, and that people will never be happy there, but that doesn’t stop him. He still wants them there, even children, even babies. The devil is utterly unfeeling and unsympathetic. Of course, he would like to have Hitler and bin Laden in Hell, but no more than he would like to have your baby. He doesn’t “go easy” on the children. He show no favoritism.
That is why you must, must, must bring your children to be baptized. Make haste. Baptism destroys the work of the devil. It forgives original and actual sin, it bestows faith in the Lord Jesus and in His word, and it secures our future in Heaven as sons of God forever. We all need baptism. But, no one needs it more than children, especially little babies. After all, adults hear the Gospel with their ears and eat and drink the Gospel in the Lord’s Supper. But, neither of these are available to the infant. The only way the Lord has given us to forgive their sins and keep them safe from the devil is through the skin. Water. Baptism.
So don’t wait!
Don’t wait until the outfit is sewed or the right family is in town. Don’t wait until things slow down at work or the baby is a certain age. Just bring them.
Right now, I’m not comfortable baptizing babies in the hospital the moment they are born, but I would much prefer that over doing it in the church two months later.
But then, after the baby is baptized and safe, teach them the Words of Jesus. Do not imagine that if you have brought them to Holy Baptism that your work is over. Do not think the devil has given up. He still wants your children in Hell, only now, he must find a way to separate your children from their Baptism.
So, as parents and grandparents (and especially you fathers!), your chief goal is to teach your children how to fight against the devil.
When I was in 2nd grade, I had a friend in class, named Todd, who had diabetes. Todd’s parents taught him at a very early age how to monitor his disease, take his blood sugar tests, avoid eating sugar, and even inject insulin if needed. It didn’t matter that he was “young and innocent.” His disease was gravely dangerous. His parents made sure that he knew he could die if he wasn’t careful.
The same is true with all of our children when it comes to the danger of the devil. It doesn’t matter if they are “young and innocent.” They are in danger. They need to be given the weapons necessary to fight the devil. We shouldn’t wait until they are “older.” We should teach them the moment they can speak to say, “I am baptized. I am forgiven. Jesus is mine and I am His. And I am safe from the devil and I will live in Heaven.”
The devil doesn’t care about your children. But, Jesus does. He was born a baby and has lived through childhood in order to die for and save babies and children. He loves your children, even as He loves you. So teach them to cling to His Word.
Here are some suggestions for how to teach your children to cling to the Word of Jesus. Pray with them. Pray before meals and before bedtime. It might be awkward for you to pray alound with your children. Just learn to get over it. They need you to do this for them. If prayer is not a habit when they are children, it will always be hard for them to make it a habit as an adult. The best prayers are the ones that that we are given in the catechism, the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, Luther’s morning and evening prayer, the meal prayer. These are solid, meaty prayers that they will never outgrow.
Teach them our hymnody. I’m not wild about “children’s songs.” By definition, children will outgrow children’s songs, and as a rule, I don’t like to waste time and energy teaching children things that they’ll outgrow in 5 years. They are capable of learning our best hymns so that is what we should teach them. And, if they don’t know what the words mean or the rich content, then that will give them something to grow into. Better to give them stuff they’ll have to grow in to rather than stuff they are sure to grow out of.
Read them Bible stories. It doesn’t matter if they can’t define the genus maeistaticum or the vicarious satisfaction of Christ. But, they can and should learn the stories of the Bible, especially the stories of the life of Our Lord.
But, the most important thing? Bring them to church, and don’t skip unless you have to. Children are perceptive. If their parents skip church, they will learn right away that church is optional. And, if they know that church is optional, they will learn right away to complain every Sunday morning with the hopes of getting out of it. This shouldn’t be a surprise. If complaining works for getting out of school, brushing their teeth, eating their vegetables and cleaning their room, then it will work for getting out of church. But, if you never give in, they will probably stop complaining. Then when they get older, school, work, brushing their teeth, eating their vegetables and cleaning their room will be second nature. So will going to church.
Finally, when children are in church, don’t assume that the service is for adults only. Teach them to stand and sit when everyone else does, to fold their hands for prayer, to confess their sins, to make the sign of the cross, to say the prayers along with everyone and to sing the regular parts of the liturgy. If you teach them, they will do it. Before or after church, teach them about the altar and the baptismal font and the colors. Tell them why we bow, why the pastor raises his hands, etc.
This may seem like a thankless task, especially when children act out. Trying to keep them in the pew, standing and sitting at the right time, and stop ripping pages out of the hymnal may not even seem very “spiritual.” But, it is. You are battling the devil and you are giving your children the weapons they need to do the same. Don’t give up. The Lord Jesus Himself is by your side and He will let no one snatch your children from His hand. And, by the way, He will also forgive you when you fall short. He will shut the devil’s mouth and stop all accusations.
