I was recently prompted by a post at 22 Words to recall what we did about incorporating our children into corporate worship. I hadn't really thought about it for some time, but was reminded what a great idea it is to have our children with us in worship.In Scripture, whenever the Word of God is read in the Old Testament, the families are all present. We are training up our little ones into the covenant family of God, even as we train plants in a garden to grow on a trellis, pruning them, feeding them, giving them nutrients and a sunny spot, and rich earth. This process of training is work for them and us, but so worth it when they follow after God and see the importance of being in the covenant family. My eldest ds, recently married and almost finished with a Master's degree, recently joined a church along with his wife. They are plugging in to the family there. I must say that outside of taking communion with my children for the first time, this is a highlight for me in parenting: watching the next generation enter into the promises of the covenant! It actually makes me weep to think of being in eternity with the Lord, and my children being beside me!
I wrote a comment at the post linked above if you want to see some specifics ideas for what we did to bring our little ones into worship. It has been a joy to watch others do the same. And I really appreciate that when we have a particularly noisy morning as children are learning to come along in the worship of God by his people, our pastor will stop, and remind everyone that those noises are the noises of the covenant, the sound of God's family, and a source of rich blessing. That has settled the heart of many an embarrassed parent!
I believe it is a uniquely American idea that when we worship God, it ought to be a time to concentrate on our own encouragement and peace, free from "distraction". Worship was never intended to be so self-centered! Worship is about God: who He is, what He has done, what He deserves from us. It is our "service" to him. And part of that service is the training up of our children to know Him rightly.
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
~Proverbs 22:6
2 comments:
Great thoughts Chris! We are blessed to have had godly parents who taught us to sit in church. So in one sense it has been a no brainer for us, however I did appreciate your thoughts on both blogs. (We don't have it all figured out yet!)
With occasional exceptions, our boys have joined in with us during corporate worship on Sundays. The most difficult time is that age in which they are discovering their voice but still don't really know how to control it. I know that they've been more attentive and less attentive at times. . . Still, I have seen how the Lord works in my children not only through us as parents, but also directly in their hearts. So often in Christian parenting we emphasize the role of parents discipling children, that we sometimes overlook the work of the Holy Spirit in their little lives even apart from us. . . But that is leading down a different path.
It saddens me that some churches (ones we've visited) actively disinvite children from participating in corporate worship.
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