Why a naming ceremony?
It is always good to place things in context. None of us here would be where we are today without the history that formed us. And part of that history is the Jewish/Christian religion. It provides the backdrop to whatever form of spirituality we currently espouse. And in Judaism and in Christianity the act of naming a child is deeply significant.
In Genesis, the first book of the Jewish Torah, God creates by naming things. “Let there be light, and there was light”. And similarly in a very real sense, when parents name a baby they participate even further in the act of creation. For when we name a baby we give it independent existence, we give it a means of acknowledging its unique existence. There is no other <Baby’s Name> on this planet. S/he already has a physical, biological existence. His/her name gives him/her a unique cultural, psychological, spiritual existence.
In Christianity the naming of newly born children came to be linked with baptism, which was the ceremony to celebrate the acceptance of an infant into membership of the church. Naming in baptism was the gateway into the community. Baptism also served as the ritual through which the parents and the community solemnly promised three things:
- To provide a supportive spiritual home for the new child
- To ensure that no stumbling block be put in the way of the child
- To nurture the child in the spiritual tradition of the church
Many of us no longer find the Jewish-Christian myths as compelling as they once were, we have moved beyond them. However, the essence, the deep spiritual truth underlying these myths, remains rock solid. Our impulse is to welcome our newly born into our core community via a naming ceremony, a ritual celebration of the miracle of new life. And that is what we are doing here today.
A Reading for The Parents
This reading is taken from a poet and philosopher who grew up and worked in the Arabic-speaking world of Lebanon. The work of Kahlil Gibran has been translated into more than twenty languages. The fragment I shall read is meant for young parents, particularly for Name and Name.
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And the Prophet said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they were with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows
are sent forth.
The Archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He
bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be for gladness,
for even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Grandmother’s Reading: A blessing for our grandchild
May your tree of life have
LOVE at its centre
May the soft glow of the moon,
the guidance of the stars,
and the warmth of the sun
surround you
May the owl of WISDOM
And the dove of PEACE
Nestle in your branches.
May you be a shining candle
that brings light in the darkness.
May the busy bee of INDUSTRY
enjoy the company of the butterfly
of JOY and HAPPINESS
throughout your days.
May the acorn seed of your new life
be balanced by the scales of JUSTICE
And at your feet,
may the tortoise of TENACITY
steady your journey
as you go forth and face
the challenges of life.
A Shining Candle
<Baby’s Name>’s cousins/family hand out candles to all present. <Baby’s Name>’s parents light <Baby’s Name>’s candle and each person will light their own candle from <Baby’s Name>’s and place it on the table around his/hers.
Our prayer is that each of us may in time be enlightened by this new life that has appeared to us. And equally, that we may all surround him/her with the warmth and light essential for his/her wholesome growth.
The Core Community
All of us here, family and friends, as well as a few who couldn’t be here today, are <Baby’s Name>’s core community. We make up the social and spiritual environment in which s/he will blossom. That’s an awesome responsibility. But it is also a wonderful opportunity to participate in encouraging her to reach for her full potential. Our spiritual ancestors, the Jews, have always seen the family and the immediate core community as being jointly responsibility for bringing up children. And the Christian tradition has equally seen the incorporation of children into the core community of the church as a communal joy and duty.
As <Baby’s Name>’s core community I ask you to make your commitment to him/her by saying, with me, the following words:
“We gladly accept the responsibility of being role models of truth, love, justice, joyfulness and compassion for <Baby’s Name>. Where necessary, we shall protect him/her from physical, emotional or spiritual harm and ensure that s/he is able to grow strong surrounded by the power of goodness”.
Parent’s Commitment To Their Child (for them to write and read)
Grandfather's Blessing: The Water of Life
Water has been used as a symbol in the rituals of the Jews from Old Testament times. John the Baptist was using a well-known Jewish ritual when he offered baptism as an entry into the coming kingdom of God. The Christian tradition used water as a symbol of the Spirit of God cleansing and entering your life. And many other traditions have also used this powerful symbol in the ritual of welcoming babies into their community. For <Baby’s Name> I am going to use part of a prayer from the ceremony of the ritual bath of the newborn used by Mexican grandfathers.
“My little dove, my sparkling jewel, my grandchild!
Receive and take the water of the Spirit of Life, the water which is our life, which makes the body grow and invigorates it and which serves to wash and purify us.
I pray that this celestial water of life will be the sign of Spirit living in you and inspiring you in everything you are called to do in the years ahead.”
The Naming
Dear Child
On behalf of your parents and of this core community I confirm that you will ever be known and loved as <Baby’s Name>”
God be in your head
And in your understanding
God be in your eyes
And in your looking
God be in your mouth
And in your speaking
God be in your heart
And in your thinking
God be at your start
And at your ending
God be with us all
And in our living
Amen
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