Worship with Children
It was Children’s Christmas Sunday at Christ Community Church, McMinnville, TN.
It was a very simple and casual worship service. We arranged the seating “in the round”, I sat on a stool in the middle. and the children sat on quilts in the center. The atmosphere was like a big living room.
My wife Ivalene and our friend Mandy Sotiriadis taught the kids a simple combination of praise signing and hand motions. Praise signing is based on sign language for the deaf and is a great way for children to express themselves in worship .
Hand motions and movement are worship tools that help children immediately participate in worship even if they can’t read or know the words. So the kids helped lead us without putting on a pageant.
Here’s the songs:
The Jesus Fa La La Song (the kids processed in with jingle bells)
O Come O Come Emmanuel
O Come All Ye Faithful
Away In A Manger
Here I Am To Worship (Chorus only)
Joy To The World
Here I Am To Worship
When I worship with children, I’m reminded again of the importance of embracing childlike faith. This was Jesus instruction in verses like Luke 18:17 “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.†or Matthew 18:4, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.â€
It’s fun to be a kid.
This post is part of the Worship Community Sunday Set list roundup. See what other communities are doing here: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-177/
