 to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. Thanksgiving is upon us once again. What a wonderful time of year. We get together with family and friends and thank the Lord for all his many blessings through the year. We ask Him, anew to bless us in the coming year. It is good to spend time with our family and friends. It is good to thank the Lord for His goodness. But, what is it that God wants from us in the way of thanksgiving? God wants our worship. He wants us to thank Him and praise Him for who He is. Thanksgiving and worship go hand in hand. If we have one without the other, we have unbalanced worship and unbalanced praise. We need to teach our children the importance of worship; recognizing the holiness of God. Otherwise, we relegate Him to a heavenly Santa Clause, who is only interested in hearing us thank Him for what He does, instead of thanking Him for who He is. Let us take this Thanksgiving to worship and thank the Lord as the holy God He is. May we recognize our Lord as the sovereign of the universe and the One who is the giver of our salvation. Without the grace of God we would not be saved. and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 ~ Let us look at some ways we can teach our children to worship and thank God for who He is. 1. Teach your children that church attendance is more than just being with their friends. Help them to understand it's okay to enjoy the fellowship of their friends, but that the worship service is not the time to chat and play with other children. 2. Teach your children hymns and other Christian songs at home, so when they are in the worship service, each week, they are prepared to sing along and praise the Lord. If your children don't know the particular songs that are being sung in the service, allow them to hold the hymnal and just follow along reverently. Make sure they stand when you are standing. Make a list of the songs they don't know and teach them during the week. 3. Teach your children that the reading of God's Word is an important part of their worship. It's important to hear the Word of God spoken. Romans 10: 17 tells us “So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. 4. Teach your children to listen quietly as the pastor preaches. Your children will understand some things that are being spoken. Depending on their age, they will not take it all in, but they will glean some part of the worship experience. If your children cannot sit still through the whole service, allow them to draw pictures or write in a journal, that they keep especially for church. These drawings and writings should either relate to the message or be about Jesus. They can have a special time, at home, sharing with you, pictures and writings they created in the worship service. 5. Talk to your children about their worship experience. They will tell you what they understood. You can explain things they did not understand about the worship service. You can encourage them for the next worship time. 6. Be an example of worship for your children, in your home and at church. Let them hear you pray to a holy God, thanking Him for who He is. Always be available to answer any questions your children have and always help them prepare their hearts for worship as you prepare yours. Worship is about Jesus. Families need to encourage one another to worship Him; not just during Thanksgiving, but always.  |