August 30

In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word [shall] be established. Matthew 18:16.

The duty of sponsors, in the first place, is to testify that the children whose sponsors they have become have been properly baptized and to pray for them. From this follows that Christian parents should invite such people to be sponsors for their children as are able to pray acceptably to God. One who does not pray for himself will never pray for the baptized child whose sponsor he has been asked to be.

What is more, Lutheran parents should choose as sponsors only those who are of the same faith which they have and confess. The sponsors are to promise to be of help in instructing the children in the Six Chief Parts of Christian doctrine as embodied in the Small

Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther. Will a man promise this if he considers this doctrine false? Never! And though he did promise it with his mouth, he never will do so with his heart and in truth, and he will never keep that promise.

Be very careful, therefore, dear parents, what kind of people you choose as sponsors for your children! And you sponsors, do not regard the promise you are making at the baptism of a child as a light matter! Fulfil the promise you made there. You solemnly promised before God and in the presence of fellow-Christians that you would see that the child is instructed in the Word of God and taught to walk in the way of His commandments. You are to see to it, therefore, that the child whose godfather or godmother you are is properly instructed in the Lutheran Catechism. This is in accordance with the last command of our Lord Jesus to baptize and to teach the child. When you give such a child to God in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and afterwards send it to the pastor to be instructed, you are obeying Christ. Thus Holy Baptism will become a source of comfort to it for all the days of its life, yea, it will consider the day of its baptism the happiest day of its God-given life. Do you often remind your sponsor child of the solemn covenant it has made with God in Baptism? Oh, how the minds of our baptized children would be impressed with heaven, how much more would they be induced to keep the faith if their parents and sponsors would tell them what Baptism means to them!

Prayer.

Almighty God, merciful Father, we give Thee hearty thanks that Thou dost graciously preserve and increase Thy Church and dost grant also unto our little children the new birth in Holy Baptism, making them members of Thy dear Son, Thy children, and heirs of Thy heavenly kingdom. We humbly beseech Thee that we, and all who are called and brought to Baptism, may by Thee be kept in this grace, that we may at all times walk worthy of Thee unto all pleasing, and finally, with all Thy saints, obtain the promised inheritance in heaven. Amen.

O grant me, Lord, to do, With ready heart and willing, Whate'er Thou shalt command, My calling here fulfilling;

To do it when I ought With all my strength; and bless The work I thus have wrought, For Thou must give success.