Suffer Little Children

The quote that comes below my own comments is from the blog of a cyber acquaintance whom I have come to enjoy reading. I am posting it here because it is one of the things that has been on my heart and mind lately: what to do with the children on the Lord's Day.

For those of us who desire to observe this day as being a day of rest from our worldly employments and amusements, it is too easy to make it a day of drudgery for our children if we are not careful. We live in a world that is oriented to work so that we might play rather than playing so that we might work. Given that fact, and the fact that, try as we might, it is nearly impossible to be completely free from this influence, the temptation is to really crack down on the kids and to apply the "stick" and neglect the "carrot."

I think it is fair to say that I and most in my congregation have gathered together after our congregational worship to visit with each other and left the children to play. Some of the parents keep their kids inside, but this is easier to do with little kids than it is with the teens. The result has been a tendency on the part of the teens to get into trouble with foolish talk. This then nets rebukes and frowns and clicking tongues which in turn makes the young people feel even less inclined to spend time around the adults.

I think the time has come to be pro-active in how we approach this. Just recently, at a Bible study, we decided that we would do things *with* the children after church is done -- things like Bible games and quizzes, sword drills, catechizing, etc. This will keep us involved with them, limit the opportunity for foolishness, and allow all of us to become better acquainted with the children. It is easy to regard them as a herd in need of corralling or controlling instead of as individuals that we are to love and care for as a covenant community.

If anyone has any ideas of other edifying and interesting things that could be done as a group, please leave a comment.

Here is the quote:



With the Children on Sundays: Through Eye-Gate and Ear-Gate into the City of Child-Soul, by Sylvanus Stall.

"In some households Sunday is looked forward to with anticipations of pleasure throughout the entire week. In these homes, the father does not come down stairs on Sunday morning and say: "Now, children, gather up those flowers, throw them out of the window, pull down the blinds, get down the Bible and we will have an awful solemn time here to-day." neither is the day given to frivolity or the home to demoralizing influences. From morning until night there are two great principles that govern; first, the sacredness of the day, and second, the sacredness of the God-given nature of childhood. The day is not spent in repressing the child nature by a succession of "don't do that," "now stop that," etc., that begin in the morning and continue throughout the day, and end only when the little ones los consciousness in sleep on Sunday night. In these homes, the parents recognize the fact that the child nature is the same whether the day is secular or sacred. On Sunday the child nature is not repressed, but the childish impulses are directed into channels suited to the sacredness of the day. In such homes the children, instead of being sorry that it is Sunday, are glad; instead of regretting the return of the day with dislike and dread, they welcome it as the brightest, the cheeriest and the best of all the week."

Also:

"The absence of the children from the services of the sanctuary is one of the alarming evils of our day. There are but few congregations where children can be found in any considerable numbers. No one will attempt to deny the sad consequences which must follow at the inevitable results of such a course. The children at eight years of age [from infancy! ~Carmon] who have not already begun to form the habit of church attendance, and are not quite thoroughly established in it at sixteen, will stand a very fair chance of spending their entire life with little or no attachment for either the Church or religious things. The non-church going youth of this decade will be the Sabbath-breakers and irreligious people of the next."