You Have Shown Them to the Little Children...

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“You have hidden these things from the wise and educated. But you have shown them to the little children. Yes, Father. This is what you wanted.” -- Luke 10:21b (NIRV)

Christmas Eve church service.

Can you see it? It’s already nighttime, so no light shines through the windows, untypical of a Sunday morning. Maybe (hopefully, if you’re a child), there’s candlelight at some point. You’re likely in your finest clothes, which is either torture or makes you feel like royalty.

The tradition of attending a Christmas Eve service is so ingrained in my very core that when we started our own family, it continued right along. It’s a legacy I’m proud of, but today, having just reflected on the nostalgia of being a child full of wonder at Christmas Eve services, it checked my spirit to read this verse because though going on Christmas Eve with my little ones is wonderful, it’s not enough.

You see, it is a well-known statistic that the most well-attended church services each year are Christmas Eve and Easter. Everyone gets talked into dressing up and going to those with the promise of good food, football, and naps afterward!

But we must not let it only be so for our children. Luke 10:21 reminds us that this is when their minds are the most open to accept the deep mysteries of God. All my years spent in children’s ministry; I marveled at how easy it was for them to accept the sheer craziness of the Bible stories. David defeated a giant with a small stone—yup! Moses parted a sea—totally! Jesus walked on water—oh, yeah, He did! Jesus lived a sinless life and died for me—of course, He loves me that much!

The point is, they soak up these profound mysteries and accept them as the Truth without question because their young hearts are not yet jaded by our sinful world.

So, we must get them to the environments, like church communities, where they can hear about Jesus (not only from us!) more than just at the Christmas Eve and Easter services. They need to explore these mind-blowing wonders each week.

Maybe this is hitting you hard because you are realizing you lack making weekly investments in a home church community a priority, where you and your children learn and worship God together. Or maybe there’s a child in your life that needs church community exposure and today you decide, you’ll be the one to get them there.

Whatever God is nudging you to do, be bold. Attend a Christmas Eve service in a few days and celebrate that our Savior is born! But don’t let that be the only service you and the children in your life attend until Easter.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Is there a child in your life that needs a church community?

2. Where will you be attending a Christmas Eve service?