I’ll admit it. I wasn’t super excited about the prospect of having to shepherd my two little kids about during the Sunday services this summer. My oldest, almost 6, is an atypical kid who is really hard to predict or calm down when agitated. The first Sunday he did rather well picking up on social cues;  when to be quiet , when to dance and when to pray. Sure there was a loud meltdown during the closing prayer (!) but I counted it as a general success and set about prepping for the next Sunday.

It all started to sink in this past Sunday. We were sitting toward the back and Ezra was doing his usual bopping about during the music. Then I saw him looking back at the row behind us. There was a young man worshipping with his arms extended in the air. Ezra observed this for a moment and turning back to face the front, he lifted both his arms in a similar fashion while rocking back and forth. He continued to observe others around us and copy their body language sincerely. When the next song started, he looked at me excited and asked “Is this song about God too, mommy?”.

In that moment it became much more clear the value of showing even the wiggly young ones what we do on Sunday mornings. There’s so much more he has to learn, but he’s already picking up on very key things about what it means to worship together and give glory to God. The kids are watching and seeing people of all ages coming, in unity, to worship.

It’s not perfect – its not quiet – but I’m hoping the value of this Summer Sunday service model will have a lasting impact on my children’s understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ.