She made her case! Why Traditional Worship Benefits Kids

Getting ready for church on a Sunday morning in my house is not always very pretty.  My husband works late, I wait up, and well we just are not morning people! This past Sunday was particularly chaotic as the kids stretched and moaned as we struggled to get ready for the 8 a.m. Divine Service.

Now honestly, our children welcome going to worship on Sunday's.  They enjoy Sunday School and are eager to return each week.  It is a rare occasion when we have a debate over what clothes to wear, nor does anyone grieve over missing something else. Putting it simply going to worship on Sunday is just what we do.  In the pew, we face the struggle of wiggles and giggles or sibling spats, but nothing extreme. I know parents that do struggle much more than we do with the task of getting their children into church, I am sympathetic to that.  So I consider our family blessed in this way.  Our kids hear and learn God's Word, identifying that going to church each week is a part of the baptized life.

Our third child has been our most exuberant about attending church.  From the time when she was a toddler she preferred to sit in church with daddy when I needed to take her baby brother to the cry room.  Even when she couldn't pronounce the words to the hymns she was eager to sing (sometimes loudly) along.  It was a joy to witness.

However, yesterday as we were hurriedly getting ready, already running pretty late.  My six-year-old hit a moment of frustration.

"I just can't do it... I can't go to church because it is never the same.  I can't learn the words and I never will." She bellowed.

Without knowing it, my daughter had just made the case for the benefits of using a consistent liturgical setting.

We learn things most often through a consistent pattern.  Imagine if when you were in Pre-K and the order of the alphabet changed on a regular basis, or even more frustrating if the letter sounds themselves were always different.  When it comes to learning, inconsistency (piously dubbed creative variety when it comes to worship) is an enemy of truly being able to learn and process knowledge.  Children learn best through consistent repetition, adults do also.  We are wired to need routine and structure.

If the words of "Confession" change (or if it's only a moment silence) each week how can a young child learn them? Sure they can learn the posture of kneeling and folding hands, but because they are never given the opportunity to hear the same words with consistency they never know what to say.  They can not participate corporately with the rest of the congregation and so they feel left out.  Left out. Yep, you just read that correctly, young children feel left out.  Because they feel left out they are missing the very thing we want our kids to receive when they come to worship, Jesus.  And we wonder why so many youth leave the church after confirmation.

How many times do kids like to read a book or sing a favorite song?  It can seem like millions. It doesn't get boring.  They want to learn and tell the story.  The same is true in worship as well.  The liturgy tells the story of our Savior and redeemer.  Asserting that the liturgy is boring and bland is simply a lack of love and trust for God's Word.

The liturgy keeps God's gracious gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and new life front and center for us. The liturgy teaches to pray, praise and give thanks.  As we sing we learn how to honor God's Holy name.We learn scripture though the words of the liturgy.

Singing and praying the same words each week is for our benefit providing us with refuge and security. The words of the church are not about us but are about Jesus for us.  Liturgy provides a constant, in an ever changing world.

The liturgical settings in the hymnal are not lacking in creativity and do offer well-portioned variety.  The settings are beautiful in regards to musicality.

The liturgical settings are learnable and relevant.  The words ingrain themselves deep into our hearts and minds so that we are supplied with comfort of peace and mercy in all seasons of life.

The liturgy gives us a context and vocabulary in which to share and discuss the faith. Liturgy makes the job of passing on the faith that much easier for parents and teachers.

The liturgy brings us into a unity with each other as a congregation, as the body of Christ here on earth, as we sing with the whole host of heaven, angles, and arch angles. No one is left out, no one is left behind.