Covenant Cradle

For the past 17 years, a cradle has served as a special reminder of God’s covenant with his people and their children.

When Rev. Randy Engle and his wife, Kathy, were expecting Elizabeth, their second child, Ike and Viney Van Someren, members of Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Edina, Minn., where Engle was serving as pastor at the time, presented them with a beautifully handcrafted cradle for the new baby—one covenant member’s gift to another. The Engles treasured that gift.

Since then baby Elizabeth has grown up, but the cradle the Van Somerens gave many years ago has not been idle. Instead it has been quite busy with other kingdom children. That’s because the Engles have been sharing it with families within their congregations and beyond who were blessed with new babies. To date, at least 20 newborns have already outgrown it. Currently it is awaiting the birth of a child to Matthew and Megan Cooke of North Hills Christian Reformed Church in Troy, Mich., where Engle now serves as pastor.

The names of the babies who have been rocked in the cradle have been written either under the mattress or on the cradle’s underside as a further reminder that each child is part of the larger covenant family of God, precious to him and to his people. As Christ’s kingdom grows, the list of children continues to grow as well.