LESSONS FROM SUNDAY

Sunday was good- I had the chance to lead worship for our church's family service. Family service is basically all the little kids and their parents meeting in the youth building for worship, and then afterwards the kids go to class during the sermon. It's fun, more than I expected it to be. The thing I think that made it fun was that it was HONEST. I had to direct the kids, tell them what motions, and when to sing, and what to sing, and what we were doing next, so it felt like real life, like being at home with my own kids....who were there running around while daddy sang.

Anyway, I learn from those kids every time I do that service, about being real, being authentic, and about the uselessness of pretense or pride in worship. They aren't there for me, and as long as I do fun songs, they will sing and dance along. Doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to come from the heart. I made a mental note how much lower my stress level was during rehearsal and during the worship time, compared with leading the "big kids", the adults, who are always complimentary, but even in that I can often see people "consuming" worship, glad that they got the songs they like with the leader they like. I appreciate it, but at the same time it's just not what we're there for. Let's come in to worship like the kids, dancing and singing and happy to get to sing and dance and play. So much to be excited about.