SUNDAY WORSHIP WITH CHILDREN – PART THREE
A Time to Teach the Setting of Priorities

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together…” Hebrews 10:24-25a

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

We all live by the priorities we set for ourselves. The problem is, most of the time those priorities revolve around us and what we want. Children are not different. They want what they want and will set up their priorities in order to get it. We can use our preparation for worship as a time to teach our children how to set priorities for themselves that will last.

A time to…

1. Put God first
Everyone born is born a sinner. We don’t naturally love God or even think about him. Our children need to learn about God, his attributes, and character. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 22:37-40 to love God and others. We can’t love who we don’t know. You need to be prepared to speak with your children about why God needs to be number one in their lives. Do you model God being number one in your life? They learn from your practices whether God is a priority in your life or not.

2. Read the Bible
It is through the reading of God’s Word that we discover more about who God is. This needs to be age-appropriate. You’re not going to read an entire chapter to a five-year-old and expect him to get anything out of it. The Word of God should be a priority in each of our lives. It is through the Word we all learn and grow. Teach this to your children. Read and then ask what they learned about God.

3. Meet together for worship
The family of God is a priority. Children need to understand that our time in church is not a social event, but a family affair. They have many aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and friends in the family of God. What an opportunity for us to teach them to make it a priority to engage with the family! Introduce yourself and your children to those who sit around you. This is important.

Remember that the worship service with your children should not to be a hardship for you, but a time to train them. The result will be children who are growing spiritually and who continue to grow in each worship service. Spiritual training should happen in all areas of life; Sunday morning worship is not enough. All of this training is a gospel opportunity.