DECEMBER 3, 2024 / Pastor Traig Whittaker
Now I lay me down to sleep…
Mary had a little lamb whose fleece…
The itsy bitsy spider went…
If you know how these rhymes end it’s likely because you learned them as a very small child. So small in fact that it is unlikely that you could yet read. It was certainly before you knew anything about zoology, entomology, or polysomnography.
Young minds are particularly capable of capturing information and storing it for decades. Once it’s in there, much of it never leaves.
What if we took advantage of this capability and began storing significant spiritual truths in the minds of our children? What if we did this even before they were capable of fully understanding what it was that they were learning? What if through consistent repetition our young children could learn biblically sound answers to some of life’s most important questions? Questions like…
- What is God?
- How can we glorify God?
- What is sin?
- How can we be saved?
- What is faith in Jesus Christ?
- What is prayer?
- What is baptism?
- What is the church?
How does that sound to you? Do you wonder if it is somehow inappropriate for children to be taught things that they don’t fully understand? May I ask, to which of these questions do you fully understand the answers?
We should all be growing in our understanding and appreciation of each biblical truth represented by these questions. In that sense, we may never fully understand the answers. If fully understanding was the prerequisite for learning, we would never learn anything, would we? No matter what the subject, we start with building blocks of information. If the building blocks are truly true, then that learning will provide a firm foundation for future learning.
Coming January 5, 2025 the East White Oak Bible Church children’s ministries will add “Today’s Q & A” to our Children’s Bible Fellowships, featuring one question per week from the New City Catechism. [see schedule]
This tool is very helpful in organizing and presenting important Christian doctrine in a memorable way. We would like to think that what we are doing in our Children’s Bible Fellowships on Sunday morning is complementing what parents are doing at home. Check out the resources below to see ways you can bring The New City Catechism into your family routine!
Resources for Parents
