I had an interesting conversation with my 9-year-old grandson. Matthew is an intelligent young man and has some great insights so it’s always a pleasure to spend time with him. This time we were talking about the need to go to church. He suggested that he could learn everything he needed by reading the Bible. Good point. We should be constantly reading our Bibles. But what happens when we come to ideas or strange illustrations that we can’t understand from our contemporary point of reference. For example, I bought him a new Bible for Christmas and he decided to start his Bible reading adventure in Revelation. He was able to grasp that a lot of bad things were going to happen but didn’t understand the imagery, context, or theological intent of the verses he read.
At the same time, I suggested that there were a lot of things in life that draw our attention away from God and distract us from the important messages of the Bible. To make my point, I asked him two questions. First, name for me 10 Marvel heroes. He was able to name for me at least 10 including some that I considered minor players in the Marvel universe, and he added a few DC characters as well. Then I asked him to name 10 Bible heroes. He was able to name three – David, Moses, and Joshua. After a few moments he added Jesus to the list.
My grandson is one of the brightest kids I know (no bias here at all) but it’s hard for kids to hear the message of Scripture over the noise of video games, movies, television, and other media. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would bring to your remembrance all that He has said (John 14:26). That is, the Holy Spirit will supernaturally activate the cognitive processes to recall that which has been stored in your memory, but it requires that the words be there to begin with. Which means that they must be reinforced and repeatedly taught in creative ways. The Lord spoke to Israel about how they were to demonstrate their devotion with their heart, mind, and strength. He said that they should teach their children diligently, to “talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:7). The responsibility lies with the parents (and the grandparents) to teach them diligently. It’s interesting that the word in Hebrew translated ‘teach diligently’ is alternately translated ‘whet,’ as in to sharpen the blade of a tool or weapon. No one would take the blade across the stone once and say, “there, the blade is sharp!” The knife must be skillfully and repeatedly drawn across the stone for the blade to become as sharp as it can be. Last Sunday, my 6-year-old granddaughter decided she wanted to be in the big-people church. During the worship, she watched grandma with great purpose, mimicking her every move. When grandma raised her hands, Eowyn raised hers. When grandma made a gesture, Eowyn copied it. Every move was replicated to the best of her ability.
Church plays an important role for our children. The church should be a place where we model worship. The church should be a place where Christ and His Word are heard without having to compete with the noise of the world. The church should be a place where each child hears the truth at their level of understanding. The church should be a place that distinguishes between the reality of the Bible and the make-believe world. The church should be a place that emphasizes that Jesus is the Truth and why Truth matters.