Some thoughts on kids in worship...

At EMBC on Sunday night we had five baptisms. Was a great service! During the service I got was having some fun with one of my friend's kids, singing and dancing, drawing and watching the baptisms. My friend's kids are fab, and though lively they are not disruptive, or at least I don't think so. Her friend was also with her, along with her son. Watching their faces at times as mothers made me cringe though. It was as if they were worried about what they're kids were doing as if they were doing something wrong ... and it made me see again afresh that at times we as people in congregations are the ones who have made them feel that way. Thankfully Sunday was a place and type of service where my friend and hers could relax more about what the kids were doing, but this is not always the case. We love kids, so we say, we love them in our services ... as long as they sit quietly! They're kids, what do we expect!!! Now that's not to excuse badly behaved children, but rather to say that kids are kids and would it not be better to engage them like that than expect them to be older than they are ... I mean in reality, how many of us sit quietly through a service anyway ... at least no-one in the section that I sit in at church!

Engaging with my little friend in a way she related to helped her enjoy worship, helped her express some creativity, and made the service an enjoyable event where I'm chosing to believe God met with her in some way. After all, though six she evidences more faith than some others I know in her lifestyle!

Was reading this yesterday in Paul Fiddes Tracks and Traces. Though the chapter is about baptism, his point here is discussing children in worship and in our services:
Although they [children, especially believing children] are dependant on others in ways that adult believers are not, this does not mean that the whole body cannot learn from them. Indeed, the faith of all cannot grow without listening to their witness.
This is true even with very young children, and worship can be enriched by truly integrating them within it. I do not just mean 'having a talk for the children', which may be quite inappropriate for any but the older ones. I mean listening to their contribution to worship. For one period of the worship at least, it is good to have the whole fellowship together. As the youngest children cry out in frustration or anger or tiredness, we can take this into our prayers: we can hear through them the crying of children throughout the world, many of whom are crying through hunger, or because they have lost their parents in war, or because they are being abused. It is a loss to the prayer-life of the whole congregation when parents have to take crying children out, or feel under pressure to do so. For ten or fifteen minutes at least their cries can become our prayers of intercession. As young children laugh or giggle, let us listen and try to re-capture the sheer unspoilt enjoyment they take in the world, and its absurdities - even those of the minister. Let their laughter help us laugh before God. As slightly older children ask questions, or make comments in loud voices, let us not hush them, but think about what they have said: let their questions, asked without the slightest worry of appearing foolish, become our questions to God in prayer, for God showed the greatest truth through a cross which seemed to the wise to be sheer foolishness.
These are just some examples of the way that children on the way to faith can deepen our worship of God, as they are embraced in the fellowship of the body ... Children belong because of the grace of God that goes ahead of us. (pg. 135)

May our churches be places where all the ages, including children, meet together to worship God as we are and as we are being made ... and may we engage with each other in true fellowship (koinonia).

Personal freak-out moment!

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Ok, so its been a while since I've blogged ... been really busy! Today I'm sorting through some Youth Alpha stuff ahead of it starting a week on Sunday (!) but thought I'd take some time to actually write here.

Today is my last day of being 24. I have this whole thing, always have, of the week before my birthday counting down the days like this ... this is my last Wednesday being ___ so lets make this the best Wednesday yet. However, this year I've been having a little personal freak-out about my birthday. Tomorrow I turn 25 ... and as everyone keeps telling me, that means I turn quarter of a century.

QUARTER OF A CENTURY!!!

That sounds old! That is old!

This week though as I've been freaking out (ok, so been doing the freaking out about the quarter

of a century thing for longer than a week!) I've also been really aware of not only getting older, but standing on the brink of a whole new season in my life. Sure, I pray that by next year I'm in a new place where God would have me, wherever that would be. Yet somehow this time feels very much like the start of that new season as the preperation continues. This is my final (I hope) year at college full time. This is my final year (I pray, but in a good way) year at East Mains full time. In two weeks I go before the BOM (!) and depending on how God leads there depends on how some things progress.

I remember years ago I was faced with this huge challenge while at a camp. I was working with YFC and we had taken a group to Fort Rocky, an outdoor adventure weekend that also looked at how Jesus had come to give us life to the full. At this point I should really mention that I am scared of heights, and when I say scared what I really mean is petrified. But standing at the climbing wall with my group of girls who were scared too I did the good leader thing, faced my fear and climbed up the wall with them. At the top though the activity leader then asked for a volunteer to do the Walk Of Death ... ok so it wasn't really called that but it might as well have been. After having their ropes re-jigged, the volunteer was meant to walk face first back down the wall. No-one volunteered (big surprise!) ... and before I could stop myself up went my hand and out of my mouth came "I'll do it!" I stood on the edge of that wall for ages, it really did feel like an eternity, and my life really did flash before my eyes at the same time as all these doubts and fears and questions flew through my mind. Eventually though I stepped over the edge and had an amazing adventure as I experienced a real adreneline rush, doing something I could never have imagined for myself.

The way I felt then is a little like the way I feel just now. Like I'm standing on the edge as my ropes are still being re-jigged fit for stepping over the edge. The only difference is that this time I know for sure that God has my future in His hand. I know I'll be stepping into an adventure with God that I could never have imagined for myself, but is most definately the best adventure for me. If I'm honest, at times I have little personal freak-out moments, like I'm having about my birthday. If I stop and think about it too much then what I feel God's calling me too seems utterly crazy!!! It's almost like I want to ask God, do you know me??? I'll mess this up, I can't do it, I don't have all the skills or giftings for this. But actually, that's the point. On my own I don't. In reality, for me to be doing anything like this at all is testimony to the power of God, for it is only through Him that I can do anything. Sometimes I freak out about not knowing how things will work out, where I will end up, how God will cause it all to happen ... because I like to be in control and know what's going on. But God is continually teaching me to rely on Him more and to trust in Him more fully ... for He is able to be trusted, totally faithful and good.

Ahhh, today is a little bit of a freak out day! But today is also a day when the promises of God take on even more life in my life.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)