Create Worship Bags, Not Busy Bags
These bags were purchased through Zazzle for less than $12 each.
I recently made our grandchildren Worship Bags. They are designed to engage them in church worship rather than merely pass the time. Often, young families unwittingly conclude that church worship is beyond their children’s capacity to participate. This viewpoint can undermine children’s inborn desire to know and be with God. It is also antithetical to biblical teaching. Scripture commands us to teach our children about God constantly through our daily lives. Corporate worship is a sacred time for your entire family to be together, to glorify God, and to receive His Word for your lives.
The most important part of a Worship Bag isn’t in the bag. It comes from the adult sitting next to the child.
Children are spiritual beings with questions about life, loss, and death. Created in God’s image, they were designed to know and love God. One of the best places to explore those questions is in the community of fellow believers.
This worship bag has a blank notebook, a fidgit ball, a storybible, a praise ring which can double as a fidgit toy, colored pencils, stickers, and a finger labyrinth.
Imitation
Most children want to participate in what adults do, including going to church. In their early years, they mimic their parents by trying to walk in their shoes or carry their briefcase or purse. This can happen in church, too. Encourage your child to stand with the congregation, to sing and pray with the others in the sanctuary. By including them, you are saying, “You are part of this family of God. This is what our family does together every week.”
The Bible
For pre-readers, I include a Child’s Story Bible so that, if possible, they can follow the pictures if the biblical text is one of the featured stories. My bigger hope is that parents help reading children follow the words in Scripture by reading a real Bible side by side. For this to work, I recommend that parents use a physical Bible, preferably the translation the church uses. My church provides the Children’s ESV Bible throughout the sanctuary, making it easy to welcome children into the heart of God’s Word.
Note, PowerPoint makes this impossible, and using one’s phone removes the passage from the context of the entire Bible. A phone gives no clues as to whether a passage is in the Old or New Testament. If multiple passages are read, the phone makes it easy to find the passage, but provides no navigational skill training. The Bible is a collection of 66 books. It is complicated to learn how to find a passage, but these skills are critical to knowing God’s Word. In addition, parents are wise to limit children's use of technology. If you read a storybook to your child, would you do that on a phone? Of course not. It will become a much better shared experience when we read the Bible side by side.
Worship Aids
In my Worship Bags, I included a notebook, colored pencils, and stickers representing musical notes and crosses. I added fidget toys and a finger labyrinth to keep their hands busy while they listen. I've included instructions for using the finger labyrinth below. I practiced these with my grandchildren when I gave them the bags. In most cases, children shouldn’t need a snack to get through worship. The food and potential mess can easily distract from what your goal of enfolding them into the Worship of the Church.
The Parents' Privilege
The most important part of a Worship Bag isn’t in the bag. It comes from the adult sitting next to the child. Children need guidance to participate in worship. Encourage them to meet and greet other adults and, over time, learn their names. Also, by pointing to the words in the hymnal, your young one can learn the words and begin to understand musical notes. If your church does not use hymnals, encourage them to pre-print the words to the hymns and offer these to all families with elementary-age children.
Adults serve as translators of the worship service to their children. It’s okay to whisper what is going on or what is about to happen. You wouldn’t take your children to the baseball game and neglect to point out an amazing ball player or a home run. Worshipping with the body of believers is far more important than becoming a baseball fan, but it’s not that different. Just as you would enfold your child into fandom with lots of hype about your beloved team, the players, and the game strategy, we have an even greater calling to lead them to know, love, and worship God. Church worship is a terrific place to begin to do this. Come prepared to pass on your faith with joy.
How to use a prayer labyrinth: This one was a gift from the Center for Faith and Children.
Locate a bead within the labyrinth. As you push the bead through the row, take a deep breath and quiet your body. Ask, “Is there anything you’d like to say to God?” Or, continue pushing the bead and listen. “Is God saying something to you?” As you push the bead through the labyrinth, thank God for the ways he has been good to you. If you are sad, tell him what is making you sad.
During a sermon, you can push the bead(s) and think about important words and ideas the pastor is saying. Ask God to help you listen. Ask, “Is there something God is talking to you about?” “Is there something you need to tell him or pray about?”