This morning the exhortation is for a particular (and very important) part of our congregation—the little ones. I want to begin by asking all the children who are eight-years-old and younger to pay close attention. Step out in the aisle if you need to, or stand on your chair, or have your mom or dad hold you up. Let me give you a moment to do that.
Of course what I am saying applies to the older kids too, and so I invite you to listen as well, but I want to speak right now to the little ones, to the squirmiest saints among us.
You may have wondered why your parents bring you here every week, and are working to train you to sit through such a long worship service. You are here for a very simple reason—you belong to Jesus, and because you belong to Jesus, you belong here with us.
When the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, he spoke to many of the different groups in that church. One of the groups he spoke to was the children, and he did this because he expected that they would be there when his letter was read. Now there were certain things in that letter that he must have known that you kids would not understand (and there are parts that adults don’t understand very well), but it was still important for you to hear. This is because the children of believers are growing up into that Word. What you don’t understand now, when you are grown you will understand far better than someone who first heard about it as a grown up.
You are here because you are welcome here. Not only that, but you are welcome here as children. We don’t expect you to be grown-ups, but we expect you to be grown-ups someday—someday very soon. So when one of you squawks or cries, we like it. When one of you toddlers is a little fussy, we don’t mind. If you disobey your parents, we bless them as they teach and discipline you in love. When you say amen with us, or recite the Apostles’ Creed with us, or sing psalms with us, we love it. You are supposed to be here.
But it is still hard work for your parents to have you here. And so the exhortation this morning is just for you—make your parents’ sacrifice in this a pleasure. We are entering into the heavenly courts as a congregation, and as we do that, you really shouldn’t be poking your sister.