Family Worship with the Real Little Ones

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13-15)

My children have times when they are eager for Family Worship. And, when things are firing on all cylinders, they ask probing questions that drive to the deeper meaning of the text. But they also have times when they are not. So it goes with leading and teaching children.

Why do you suppose the disciples were trying to keep the children from Jesus? It was most likely not because they didn’t like kids. It was likely because it seemed like the wrong place for them. They would be distracting and Jesus had important work to do.

Jesus wanted the little children to come to him. They were not a hindrance to His work…they were His work. And, as He laid hands on them and prayed, He exhorted all of us to be just like them.

So, here we are…2000 years later. We echo the words of Christ… “Let the little children come.” But what are we supposed to do with them when they come? You want to train your older children but the younger ones distract. You want to reach your younger children, but the older one’s get bored. What to do?

Here are a few practical ideas:
- Start with the youngest and go up: After reading a passage, telling a story, or teaching a lesson, direct your first application question to your youngest. If they’re really young, make sure whatever question you ask has “Jesus” as the answer. (or, at least make it an easy one.) The accuracy of their answer is not the point. Their involvement is the point.

Then, go to your next youngest. What you accomplish by doing this is two-fold. First, you involve the younger children in a meaningful way. Second, you take all the low-hanging fruit away from your older ones. The easy questions and answers have already been given…they’re forced to drill a bit deeper. If the younger children feel involved, their behavior will reflect it.

- Involve the older children in teaching the younger ones: If your little guys ask questions, consider allowing your older children to answer. You can fill in gaps that are left in their answers. Later, you may even need to adjust the older ones for hints of pride or condescending. By mixing things up like this, you’re training the older children to disciple while training the younger ones in doctrine.

- Don’t count on one sitting to cover everyone: At some point, your children will be in such different places developmentally and spiritually that you’ll need to supplement your family worship. Focus your Family Worship time on building your entire family spiritually. Seek other opportunities with your older children to dive more deeply into the Word.

Whether you use these ideas or create ones of your own, the most important thing is the discipline of time. Don’t be discouraged if one or two meetings don’t go well…or even one or two months. Keep on keeping on and God will provide the increase.