My church is currently in the process of renovating our nursery ministry. One of the questions we’re wrestling with is the appropriate ages of children that the nursery should serve. (In a small church with limits both in terms of space and the number of volunteers, this issue becomes even more pressing!)
But really, that question is just the flip-side of the question “At what age should children start attending the regular worship service?” Every family and every church has their own expectations, and it’s important for us to be gracious with those who disagree, and with visitors whose children who may not be used to sitting in an odd setting for that long!
Jason Helopoulos has a great post on Kevin DeYoung’s blog detailing six reasons that children benefit from being in corporate worship:
- Our children are members of the covenant community.
- Our children will be present in the midst of the means of grace.
- Our children will be present in the midst of the entire congregation.
- Our children will be present with their parents.
- Our children will witness their parents worshipping.
- Our children will learn the rhythms of church life.
Clearly, Helopoulos is writing from a Presbyterian perspective, so I wouldn’t phrase his first two points in quite the same way as he does. Still, it’s a helpful discussion of the issues for both parents and church leaders.
March 06 2012 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Quick quiz: Which of the following two statements is more awe-inspiring?
- A king dies in the place of one of his subjects
- The eternal God of the universe take on humanity and dies in the place of one of his creatures
Obviously, as great as the first is, the second is greater by several orders of magnitude.
I bring this up because in church today, we sang a praise song that is theologically accurate and edifying – and yet it annoyed me tremendously. Here’s the chorus of that song:
Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor you
In all I do, I honor you
The first two lines probably sound familiar to those of you who were raised singing hymns. It’s a modification from Charles Wesley’s hymn “And Can It Be”. Here’s the first verse:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me who caused His pain,
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love – how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
So, although Christ is our King, and a king dying for his subject is an awesome thing, it is a much more massive, significant and praiseworthy truth that it was not just our King who died for us, but God himself. I don’t know what the author of the modern chorus was thinking when he wrote it, but to take Wesley’s words and water them down as he did – frankly, it ruins the song for me.
(By the way, this is not a criticism of the worship team at my church. In fact, it’s not a criticism of anyone, or at least it’s not meant to be.)
June 28 2010 | Uncategorized | 6 Comments »