The Wiggler

This is our youngest on her first day of sitting in "Big Church".  No judgment on the picture...I took it before worship began.  Why?  Not because it was her first something, but because this is what she just knew worship preparation meant.  You sit down, open a book and put on your reading glasses.  She'd never been in "Big Church" before.  This little nugget of God's wonderfulness had been dropped off at the nursery the minute the doors opened for years, so how did she just know?

I remember in learning systems and behavioral classes the ongoing debate between NATURE vs. NURTURE.  Was it NATURE that directed our behaviors or was it NURTURE?  Which came first?  Depending on your answers, that is what would direct you behaviors in your community.  Around and around we would go!  What about our little ones in worship?  What part is NATURE and what part is NURTURE?

With our youngest, I'm going to go with the theory it was a whole bunch of both.  She had seen her father (I don't wear reading glasses) sit down many a time at home, restaurants and the like, immediately putting on his glasses so he could read the paper or menu.  She found the hymnal in the pew and used it as her reading material.  I can only imagine her little mind thinking, "I sit down and begin to read, but will need some glasses."  The funny part is she didn't know how to read and doesn't wear reading glasses, so these pieces were her fulfilling her image of what she imagined as worship.  More so, is her face of wonderment and preparation.  I was able to capture her looking around the sanctuary.  Imagine all you could see the first time you sat in a sanctuary.  Imagine all that you would hear.  Maybe even smell.  Oh the exploration of the newness!

This would be when the bells chimed and the wiggles began.  Her nose, eyes and ears had taken in all that could be consumed.  Now she wanted to touch everything.  The pew cushions.  The paraments covering the Lord's Table. The Bibles in every pew rack.  Every hymnal.  Think about all the things there are to touch just in a pew alone.  Who needs Disney really? 

Friends, this is when we as parents and fellow worshippers need to take a time out and remember our baptismal vows.  We promised as her parents to raise her in the faith.  To engage her in the life of the church of Jesus Christ.  More so, all those wonderful people around us had made the same vows to child after child after child.  If only the Bible said something about wigglers in church...

                     Oh wait...

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
-Mathew 19:14

So, the next time you have a wiggler or are worshipping near a wiggler, remember those incredibly awesome vows you have taken during baptisms.  Remember the words of Jesus Christ.  And smile.  Just smile and giggle and engage in their wonderment.  They are trying to figure out what this wonderfully new part of their life is all about.  They are cataloguing everything they see, smell, hear, touch and sometimes taste (pew pencils and pens usually) into the WORSHIP part of their growing heart.  As the grown-ups, we can help direct them and lovingly share our worship with them.  Hear are some of our favorites...

-Arrive to worship a little early for the chance to walk around the sanctuary together, allowing for questions and some exploration (baptismal font, Lord's Table, parament colors, stained glass, etc.).
-Get seated with a little time to "wiggle in" to their pew spot.  This will feel like a puppy circling before taking a nap.
-Have a scrap piece of paper, pencil, crayons handy for coloring on during worship.
-Put away your phone and other distractions.
-Lend your ear at their level when they have questions, "What is that person doing?", "Why do they use a cane?", "It smells funny in here", "Can I have a parakeet?" and my favorite from our oldest when she was 5, "I think my tooth is falling out."

Also, don't be afraid to see worship as a child.  Something you finally get to do that you've been waiting FOREVER (maybe it has been days or weeks or months).  Something filled with music and words and sights for your eyes to capture.  You have a WORSHIP file in your heart as well that may need a little tending.

With Joy,
Rev. Lissa

*By the grace of God, the tooth fell out 10 minutes after worship.  Glory to God!