A Tribute To Children's Day

There is one day in the church year when it is completely fine to stand at the front and pick your nose.

It is completely fine to play air guitar with abandon and it is completely fine to dance a rhythmic yet mainly uncoordinated dance. 

It is also completely fine to have a rugby line-out and to have a huge rugby audience cheer when the ball is caught.

It is completely fine to sing totally out of tune, very loudly and also to do this only for the chorus because they’re the only words you remember, so for the verses you wave at your granny instead.

There is one day in the church year that we call Children’s Day.

Up and down the length of the land, Sunday school teachers collapse in exhaustion and breathe a sigh of relief for getting through another Children’s Day and fair play to them all, they deserve that ‘collapse-on-sofa’ time.

They deserve to not have to do any actions to any songs all summer long if they don’t want to. They deserve to have a lie-in on Sunday mornings. They deserve to not have to queue for the photocopier or stack chairs or fold tables or buy bags of Haribo.

Here’s the thing.

Sometimes Children’s Day gets a bit of a reputation for being that day in the year when you can maybe skip church because it’s not a ‘proper’ service or because it’s just for the kids and no-one else.

I would like to say that today our church kids kicked that reputation right out of the park.

This evening I know the Commandments, one to ten, without looking them up. I’ll prove it – straight typing, no cheating

1             Have no other gods

2             Have no idols

3             Don’t misuse God’s name

4             Keep the Sabbath holy

5             Honour your father and your mother

6             Do not murder

7             Do not commit adultery

8             Do not steal

9             Do not lie

10          Do not covet

I promise I have not just broken number 9.

I would not have been able to do that this morning.

Thank you kids for teaching me. 

Thank you Bible class girls for reminding us to put God first, to seek him first before bringing our own needs and cares, to bring him our heart before all else.

(PS I liked your version of the song more than the original)

Thank you awesome youth worker for the reminder to give away the good stuff without regret because it’s never a loss. God’s love never stops coming, He never stops giving.

Thank you for the reminder that we’re part of a team who lift each other up and who help each other catch the ball.

Thank you church family for being the ones who cheer loudly, for being the ones who applaud and encourage.

I loved Children's Day today. God's family got together, worshipped him and it was good.   

Thank you God for your day because it wasn't about the kids and it wasn't about the grown-ups, it was about you and it was for you. You are good. 

And all the people said

Amen