First Lutheran Alumna Bethany Kilcrease has authored an excellent reflection on kids (and parents) in church for the Sisters of Katie Luther blog.
Want a greater appreciation for the practicality of liturgical worship? You need a baby and/or toddler — preferably one with a lot of enthusiasm for life who will divert your attention away from the divine service itself.
If you don’t have your own toddler, then you can probably borrow one from the harried-looking mother who sits in the back pew (or in the very front in hopes being closer will convince the youngster to pay better attention). I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to loan you one or even two for the next hour or so. And if you ever show up at my church, you can borrow mine — if you can pry her away from her grandparents.
Prior to bringing my new daughter to church, I never really realized how practical regular liturgical worship is for parents. I quickly discovered that unless she was sleeping – which is very rare during daylight hours – my daughter was constantly on the move and jabbering away in baby language. The result was, and sometimes still is, that she consumed virtually all my active attention during church services.
