Big Church and Little People: Context Clues
Part 4 of 10. Ideas for 'Big Church' to try with your 'little people'.
A year or so ago, I asked Cade, "Why do we go to church?" As if I had missed the obvious, he said, "To see Mamaw and Papaw!" (Like, duh, mom.) While I love to see my kids run to give Mamaw and Papaw a hug in the church foyer, I want them to have broader context clues for why we go to church. I've told them why we go to school; why we go to the dentist; have I told them why we go to church?
Who came up with the idea of church? When did it start? What is church for? Could your kids answer these questions? Mine couldn't. (At least not as well as I'd like.) Here's how I explained it:
"Church started back when Jesus' disciples thought he was there to build his kingdom. Jesus said, "Nope. I'm going to build my church." A church isn't a building; it's a group of people. So Jesus is still building his church when new people join the church.
Jesus knew that we couldn't live the life of a Christian (a Jesus follower) out on our own. It would be too hard. We needed to get together once a week, sort of like a ‘huddle' before we head back out on the field for the week. In the huddle, our pastor/coach's job would be to remind us of what it takes to win. Out on the ‘field', our opponents will tell us, "Having fun (like watching movies and playing video games) is the best part of life" or "You don't need to be afraid of anything if you have enough money."
Church is our time to huddle up and remind each other that video games and money can't make us as happy as God can. God is the greatest! All the singing and preaching and hugging and chatting at church should remind us of this. That's what church is for."