Preparing for Sunday: Wednesday

Today is a great day to have a chapel service with your children to help them remember the proper behavior they are to have in church.  With the wealth of sermons available on the Internet (do be wise in what sermon you choose -- choose a preacher you know preaches the gospel message correctly), it is easy to find a new sermon each week to listen to.

After you have chosen a sermon to listen to, sit your children down on the couch, or around the table, and explain to them what you are going to do.  I like to sit my kids beside me on the couch to "practice how we are going to sit in church.  They are each given a Bible, a notebook, and a pencil.  Have a time of singing together where they can join in on the singing with you (just like they would do during the service).  Have a time of prayer.  Take a moment to reexplain how they are to sit with explanation of how discipline will be issued (just as you would do on Sunday's).  For example, my six year old knows how to sit quietly and keep her hands to herself. However, she rarely behaves in church and she knows punishment will be waiting for her at home.  I am not promoting that you discipline your one year old for squirming (for example, a couple weeks ago, my husband mentioned the rooster crow in a sermon.  My two year old promptly added er er ererrrrrrrrrrrr -- I promptly tried to shush him, but was pleased that he was at least listening on occasion).

Mom, sit down with your children and your Bible-- remember, we are to set the example.  I suggest using a note card for taking notes (it's easier to slip into your Bible if you have to deal with  a child).  Begin the sermon, and if any of the kids begin to act up, you can pause the message and deal with the situation.  Sit back down and return to listening to the sermon.  If you are doing this for the first time, you can progressively work your way up to an entire sermon -- Start with 15 minutes of sitting, and work your way up to the full 45 - 75 minutes of sitting still.  If you can train your children to sit quietly and listen to a sermon now you will be blessed when they are older, and in other situations when they need to know how to sit quietly and attentively. If they know how to write start off by having them pick out words and write the words, then progress to sentences, and continue progressing until they can take notes on the sermon.  If they don't know how to write, have them draw pictures of words they hear, or copy the words you write in your notes.

This is a training session.  If your children need more work in preparation for Sunday's, maybe a practice session every other day would be helpful.  You set the pace.  Don't become upset or angry that your kids are not letting you hear a complete sermon.  Instead, rejoice in the tidbits that you are able to grasp and focus on the training aspect.  Eventually you will be able to focus on the preaching again, but for this season of our lives, God has granted us the task of teaching our children to have a passion for God.