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By: Pastor Nathan Berg

As parents, God has given us the awesome responsibility to bring up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord. To think that we are personally responsible for another soul can be overwhelming. So how can I follow God’s command to “bring [my children] up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4)? It’s awfully hard to train someone if you haven been trained first yourself. And that’s the goal of this series of articles. We want to provide you with resources to “Dedicate a child to the way he should go, and even when he becomes old, he will not turn away from it” (Proverbs 22:6). One of the greatest resources you already have right at your fingertips is worship in God’s house. Training doesn’t have to be a formal, sit-down event in a classroom or around a kitchen table. Training can take place right during the worship service. That training can start right now, even before our children can read. 

Contrary to popular belief, children have a place in God’s house during worship. Perhaps the events of the past year have made it challenging to bring your kids to worship. After being at home, it may be hard to think about going back to God’s house. But Jesus wants your children, his children there.  So how can I prepare my child for worship? Ask yourself the question: how do I prepare myself for worship? Maybe you’ve never thought about it before. But your children notice. If you have a routine, they’ll notice it. Why not set a routine to help you get ready for worship? And even though your children will already notice, explain to them exactly why you’re doing what you are doing. 

Here’s just a couple of examples. Maybe your routine is that you dress up for worship and you pray before the service begins. Why do we sometimes dress up for worship?  We dress up because going to God’s house as his invited guests is special. We don’t do it to impress God or others. We simply want to show him and others that his house is special to us because it’s in his house that he serves us with his love and forgiveness. It’s in God’s house that we get to hear about Jesus. That message of love and forgiveness, that good news about Jesus is for our children too! Tell them that! Why do you pray even before the service starts? We pray before worship even begins that God would help us to hear that good news and believe it so that we can live it. We pray because it helps us focus on the gifts that God is about to give to me. Share that with your children. 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus wants them there. That’s the bottom line. Even though children can be a handful and sometimes distracting, Jesus wants them there. Even though it’s hard work teaching our children how to worship, Jesus wants them there. Remind your children that Jesus loves them and wants them there. And help them to get ready for worship by explaining and modeling how you get ready. May God bless your efforts to bring up his children!