We’ve had to start attending a new church recently. Biking instead of driving has forced us to adjust the way we do things, and traveling 18 miles (each way) to church is something we just can’t do anymore. Our new church is the Church of Christ in our town. It’s about a mile from our house, so it’s a very quick bike ride to get there.
There are some noticeable differences between this church and our other one – primarily, the new one offers communion every week whereas our old church did it only once a month, and the new church has no musical instruments. All worship songs are done a Capella (this means without instruments, for anyone who doesn’t know). During the month of August, there’s no children’s church, either. This is to give those workers a much needed break. I think this is a wonderful time to keep families together during church services. It’s good for children to be exposed to what the adults learn in the sermon, so they can absorb “deeper” teaching (rather than just the Bible “stories”), learn to think critically, and ask questions at home.
One thing that really stood out to me this week in the service was that we sang a song that’s traditionally considered a kids’ song: Jesus Loves Me. You know the one . . .
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so.
There are other verses, too, and they’re wonderful; I encourage you to look them up and hide them in your heart if you don’t know them already. But I want to go somewhere a little different with this post.
I think in some instances, it’s good to “act like a child.” Of course, we have to maintain our grownup responsibilities. Cooking, cleaning, working . . . Don’t leave those to fall to the wayside. But every now and again, take a moment to stop and think like a child. After all, what simpler time is there than childhood?
Acting like a child can take many different forms. It doesn’t mean we have to forget who we are or act immaturely. It just means that we can take a break. Play with our kids instead of sending them off to play on their own.
But most importantly, to keep our faith childlike. See what Jesus says in Matthew 18:3.
Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
So in certain aspects, we must become like children. And I think it’s good for us to take those moments to slow down, forget our responsibilities (for just an hour or two – not long enough to wreck everything!), and behave like children.
Blessings,
Wendy
I hope you enjoy your new church! In our church families are together for the first hour and then for the second and third hours we are split up. It is interesting to learn how it is done in other places! How is the biking going? 🙂
Yes, it is neat to learn about how other churches work. 🙂 Biking is good. I try to ride 6-10 miles a day, and have succeeded pretty much every day. Woohoo!