The Story
Growing up in Waukegan, Illinois my family attended the Lutheran Church nearly every Sunday. Although I remember going off to Sunday School, I guess children also attended the worship service. I vividly recall the sights and smells, the stained glass, the candles, the organ and choir leading the traditional liturgy with the pastor, including all the responses from the hymnal. Even at the young age of seven or eight I imagined myself being the one up front leading the liturgy. Sometimes at home I would pull out my parents’ hymnal and read through it.
One Sunday somebody at home must have been sick because we did not go to church that Sunday. After breakfast when the kitchen was cleaned up I brought all the kitchen chairs into our tiny living room and set them up in rows. I then stood in front and began singing the opening hymn, then launched into the liturgy. (By the way, decades later I still can sing most of that liturgy from the Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal, second setting, page 41.) I don’t recall anyone being in the room with me, maybe mom or dad stopped in. I just remember that event and how I had dreamed for many weeks that I could be the one leading the church in worship.
A few years later in eighth grade I became an acolyte, a young assistant helping with the liturgy by lighting the candles. Most of my friends thought that was a drudgery they had to endure as part of confirmation class. I loved it! My alb (acolyte robe) was beautifully white, I was particularly keen to make sure that little flame at the end of the candlelighter would not blow out. It was a highly developed skill for a twelve-year-old!
The Moral
I believe God planted a delight in me at a very early age to be in front of his church leading his people. I don’t even know if I would call myself “saved” at that point in life. To be honest I was also involved in activities of which I am not proud today. But God was keeping hold of me. He had his eyes set on me.
Looking back today after being a (real) worship leader for almost fifty years, the seeds were planted on that Sunday morning in my little living room. I was fortunate that I did not have parents or siblings that would make fun of me. It probably would have devastated me.
In fourth grade my parents encouraged me to learn an instrument. I chose the guitar. They also gave me a little record player and I would spend hours listening to records we’d bring home from the library. From these I learned to sing and to naturally sing harmonies.
I believe children can begin to sense a calling in their life very early on. Parents should watch for signs of this. What do their children like to do? Sing? Read? Tell stories? Write? Talk about what’s happening in their life? How can parents and children’s church leaders incorporate these young ones into the life of the church?
My own children each learned to play musical instruments. James learned piano and violin, I taught Joel guitar, and Caleb learned drums. While Caleb had an immediate outlet for playing drums in his school’s music program, the older two began to lose interest until I formed worship teams in the high school and middle school ministries of my church. Suddenly they had an outlet (other than twice-a-year recitals) for their abilities. A fire was lit under them as they learned to play in a band and lead worship for their peers, and lead worship on Sunday morning a few times a year. All three boys are involved in the worship ministries of their churches today twenty years later.
Parents, watch for how God is giving your children a gift and enthusiasm to serve him even at a young age. Church leaders, look for ways to allow children to participate in worship (beyond listening to a children’s sermon). Let them read a story, a poem, a Scripture, sing in a choir, dance (see the previous article on my church’s dance ministry). Be creative. There’s room for everyone to serve in God’s church.