Isaiah 40:8, "God
created us to glorify Him." The most valuable thing we can do is
worship Christ.
Romans 8:28, "We
know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.
They are the people God called, because that was His plan." I get
asked somewhat frequently why I take my children into service. The answer is
plain and simple, teachable moments, which God has perfectly orchestrated
within our family. Our family loves to worship God, and bringing our
children into service is one way we teach our children to worship Him.
Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child how to live the right way. Then even
when he is old, he will still live that way."
At the time of writing
this, my son is 3.5 and my daughter is 1.5 years old. My son has always
sat in service with our family, since the day he was born. As he grew
older, I sat outside the sanctuary and we watched the service on TV,
training him to sit still and quietly. Our church does not have a mothers
room, a training area, a children's sermon bag, etc. My daughter usually sits
through the singing (first 15 minutes) and then I bring her to the nursery
area. I hope to start training her as well, right now I still feel the
need to focus on our son. (For the past two Sundays, both children have sat through the entire service with us. My son is now 3.75 and my daughter 23 months.)
Mark 10:14, "He
said to them, 'Let the little children come to me. Don't stop them.
The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little
children.'"
- I pray the congregation sees our children's cries,
giggles, claps, Amen's, prayers, singing, whining, etc. as a joyful noise.
- I pray they see that when we attend as a family the
Body of Christ is more fully present. Worship isn't private, it may
be personal, but it's not private; it is a community where ALL are
welcome, including our children.
- I pray the congregation understands how important these
teachable moments are, so that in 10 years from now our children are still
sitting in the pews, knowing that worship is important and that they are a
vital part of the body of Christ.
- I pray our children know they are vital to the body of
Christ EVERY Sunday, not just on Children's Sunday.
- I pray the congregation sees our children are learning
through each of these teachable moments.
- I pray the congregation sees that our family cares
about faith.
- I pray the congregation welcomes our family, and
realizes that our children's worship matters, and that they are members of
the church community too.
- I pray that my children know that they are welcome even
though they don't yet believe, pray, or worship in all the
"right" ways.
- I pray the church sees our children as INTEGRAL parts
of the service--their cries, their giggles, their claps, their Amen's,
their prayers, their singing, their whining, etc.
Hebrews 4:12,
"God's word is ALIVE and WORKING." We enjoy being together and
doing things as a family. We value worship--there are infinitely many
teachable moments, as the Bible is ALIVE.
Deuteronomy 11:18,
"Remember My words in your hearts and souls. Write them down and tie
them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your foreheads to remind
you." As parents, our greatest responsibility is to teach our
children, by our example, to glorify Him. One way we do this is through
worship. We want to teach our children about the importance of the body
of Christ. We want them to see us worshiping Christ, singing, praying,
listening to His Word, learning about the living God!
Psalm 81:10,
"Open your mouth, and I WILL feed you." We want our children to
see that we are hungry for His word and to learn more about Him and His
ways. I pray our children value the presence of our Almighty God.
1 Timothy 3:4,
"his children obey him with full respect." Our children should be
obedient and respectful. Asking our children to sit for any length of time
requires discipline, manners, sitting quietly, respect, and obedience. Each of
these are also acts that Christ also asks of us, at different times, in order
to be faithful to Him. As Billy Graham says, "A child who is allowed to be
disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone."
Deuteronomy 11:19,
"Teach My Words well to your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and walk along the road. Talk about them when you lie down and
when you get up." Our children may be "bored," although
they are still hearing the words being sung, spoken, and prayed; the format
will feel familiar, some of the words are understood, and we can discuss, as a
family what the sermon was about and how we can relate and apply what was
taught. As we are singing great hymns of the faith and praise and worship
songs, I share with my my kids what we are saying, and why. We desire for
our children to know the One true God. I know they hear and remember bits
and pieces.
I pray the time we
spend with our children in worship is used as a catalyst for their personal
faith. I pray my husband and I can effectively teach our children the
most valuable thing we can do is glorify Him, and one way we can do that is
through worship. Isaiah 40:8, "God created us to glorify Him."
