I
was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the
LORD!”
Psalm
122:1
Worshiping with Children
On a recent Sunday I
unexpectedly spotted our four-month old grandson, Jason and his
parents from the back of the sanctuary seated together with my father
and husband in the pews. Our daughter-in-law generously handed me the
baby as I slipped in on the end of the row. On this day I experienced
one of the greatest joys of worshiping with family. We responded to
the call to worship, greeted one another in peace and joined together
in singing the opening hymn, “Sing Glory to the Name of God.” You
may recognize the tune as “From All That Dwells Below the
Skies.” In this hymn the word “Alleluia” is repeated seven
times in each stanza. Holding Jason looking attentively around the
sanctuary, he smiled and snuggled contentedly in as we sang all five
stanzas. It was a special and sacred moment to be treasured.
Sometime during the singing, I
had a flashback of yet another such moment singing the very same hymn
just a year and a half earlier with our then two-year old
granddaughter standing on the pew next to me. Moments after
singing with her, we walked through our front hallway as we headed to
the Sunday School rooms when she stopped, pointed to one of the
stained glass windows and exclaimed, “Alleluia!”
Our Presbyterian Book of Common
Worship says in the preface: “The community of faith, gathered in
response to God’s call, is formed in its worship. Worship is the
principal influence that shapes our faith, and is the most visible
way we express the faith.” I am grateful for the gift of
these two holy moments planted in my memory, engaging my senses and
reminding me that as we gather with people of all ages, both
the time and the space are sacred, and our participation becomes a
kind of spiritual practice. Our songs of praise, prayers of
confession and petition all contribute to the spiritual formation of
our families in ways that we may never know. The presence of
Christ in Word and Sacrament seeps into our very being as we gather
in community and provides touch-points to invite us into a deeper
experience with God and one another.
Loving
God, may our practice of worship open our hearts and minds and carry
us out to serve you with hope, courage and love that never ends.
Amen.
Cindy Merten
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