This blog is the combined effort of four senior pastors of different churches. Their desire is to point you toward living a God-centered, gospel-focused, Christian life.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Why I Love Crying Babies in a Worship Service

About once a week someone comes up to apologize for something that happened during the worship service.

“Sorry my cell phone went off.” (I once had to apologize to myself for this.)

“Sorry about my eyelids being kinda heavy.” (Apology not accepted.)

“Sorry I kept glaring at you and shaking my head and pointing to my watch.” (I forgive you, irate nursery worker.)

By far the most frequent apology I get is, “Sorry about my baby crying during the worship service. I was so embarrassed.”

Let me offer two words of encouragement for you disrupters of the service in general. First, I probably didn’t notice whatever it is for which you are apologizing. I'm pretty busy up there. Second, if I did notice, I almost definitely didn’t know it was you.

Let me also say this as a word of encouragement for the parents of young ones in our congregation: I'm grateful for crying babies! We are so glad you are here!

When I hear the sounds of babies in the worship service, I thank God that He has blessed our church with so many little ones. The sounds of young voices expressing their displeasure, while certainly occasionally distracting, encourage our church by revealing that there is life in this place.

Imagine what a church with no children would sound like. Imagine the still silence of a lifeless church. 

I’m not advocating that you pinch your children to help them announce their presence. And I definitely think it is wise for parents to remove screaming children from the worship service until they calm down (the children, that is). I also think it is often helpful for parents to use our nursery ministry for children when it is convenient for their family.

What I’m trying to communicate to our church and to you who are parents is simply to rejoice that God has given our church life! The corporate worship service is not some well-choreographed musical number. It’s a time when we as a family get together to worship and talk about God. We rejoice in the presence of our youngest members!

7 comments:

  1. Daniel! Bless you a hundred times over and then some! I call this "pew hospitality." And Dwight L. Moody agreed with you!

    http://www.thatmom.com/2012/05/04/pew-hospitality/

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    1. Great story and good admonition. We should all be looking to assist moms with young ones!

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  2. So encouraging for me and the very near future

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  3. Well God has ordained praise to silence the enemy from the mouth of babes!!!! I love your attitude. We all need to lighten up some and be gracious and not take ourselves too seriously. I was in a church where the congregation was threatened with the possible use of cattle prods if people were late to the service. have you ever tried to get 4 kids under the age of 5 out the door and to church. It is God's kindness that lead us all to repentance. Your message is refreshing!

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  4. Whoa, wait a minute, Anonymous. This article is just about crying children. No one ever said anything about being gracious to people who are late to service!

    Just kidding, there is grace for the late attender as well!

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