Last month our eight year old made the decision to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Well, she actually made the choice quite awhile ago. The covenant of baptism is not something to be taken lightly. In our religion we believe that a child reaches the age of accountability at eight years old. That’s when they can choose to be baptized. I love planning our children’s baptisms and we usually start talking about all the details about a year in advance. My daughter loves cotton candy so I knew I wanted to recycle my cotton candy talk from my son’s baptism.
planning a cotton candy baptism
I first got this idea for a cotton candy baptism object lesson from Maria at Mecke Mom. I thought it was cute and an easy way to combine a talk on baptism with a talk about the Holy Ghost. (Having two separate talks dedicated to both subjects is “traditional”, but we don’t do that.) Plus, what kid doesn’t love cotton candy?
| It’s Great to Be Eight 2018 Baptism |
| Our 2020 Drive Through Baptism Reception |
Bonus, I just happen to know a master cotton candy maker that is located in our town. To help reinforce the cotton candy tie-in I ordered some cotton candy from Hannah at Floof Cotton Candy. It was the perfect sweet treat during the reception after the baptism.
cotton candy baptism talk
“When Jesus Christ was 30 years old, he went to the Jordan River and was baptized by John the Baptist. Not because he had sinned and needed to repent, but because he needed to set an example for us. John 1:29 tells us, “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” When we make the choice to be baptized, we make the choice to begin following in the footsteps of the Savior. Baptism is the first “saving” ordinance. That means it’s the first promise we make on the path that leads us back to Heavenly Father and being with our families forever.
Although Jesus was 30 when he was baptized, today as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we understand that children reach the age of accountability at 8 years old. This means that when someone turns eight they are old enough to recognize right from wrong, take responsibility for their actions, and understand the covenant they are making and be baptized by immersion just as our Savior was.
When we are baptized we make a covenant, or two-way promise, with Heavenly Father.
We promise Him that we will do certain things, and in return He promises to bless us. Every Sunday when we take the Sacrament we hear these promises. We promise to remember Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. This means that we put Him first in our lives. We do what He wants instead of what the world wants us to do.
After we make these promises the Lord in return promises us that we can have the gift of the companionship of the Holy Ghost and we can be forgiven. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead and testifies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He also comforts us, and helps us know what is true. He helps us be spiritually strong, warns us of danger, and helps us learn. The Holy Ghost can help us feel God’s love. His presence sanctifies and purifies us. He’s a pretty important friend to have! Although anyone can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, when we are baptized and confirmed we are blessed with the gift of having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion–as long as we are choosing the right.
[Hold up cotton candy–asking kids first] What do you think of when you see cotton candy? [ask adults next] What do you think of when you see cotton candy?
Life can be like cotton candy, it can be so sweet and wonderful! But life can also be sticky and messy. Although we all have the ability to do wonderful things in life and have lots of sweet moments, we all make mistakes sometimes and can make things messy.
But because our Heavenly Father loves us so much he doesn’t just hand us a big bag of cotton candy and say “good luck with the mess”, he also gives us a way to clean up our messes. [Hold up wipes] The really wonderful thing is that we have the ability to get clean not just after our first time making a mess, but after every single time. So not only are we made clean after baptism, but when we make mistakes we can repent and then as we take the Sacrament every Sunday and are sanctified by the Holy Ghost we are made clean again and again. The Sacrament is such a special opportunity for us to be able to renew our baptismal covenants every week!”
What is your favorite baptism object lesson you’ve heard in a talk?
