It never fails that my favorite days in church are when the little kids perform in the regular service. You get 30 or 40 kids singing a fun song up on stage and there’s bound to be hilarious moments. I used to be one of the kids that provided adults with laughter on Sunday mornings. There’s an old family video that has become a classic in my family where I am up front singing at age 3 or 4 and because the song is so fun, I start jumping up and down. At first, it’s just me, being a “jumper” as my mom likes to call it. Soon though, my good friend next to me starts jumping too. And then the girl down the row. And by the end of the song, there’s 4 or 5 of us really jumping and enjoying ourselves up there.
When you travel the world and see so many cultures, it’s really easy to focus on the differences. You automatically notice the ways people dress differently, how the food is not what you’re used to, and how church services vary all over the world.
Some things don’t change. No matter what country I find myself in or what church I worship in on a Sunday morning, if 30 kids walk up front to sing, I won’t be able to help the smile on my face.
Our first Sunday in Tanzania included a lot of things. We preached for an English service for local university students. And then three of us taught the adult Sunday school class while the other three taught the children’s Sunday school class. During the regular service we were all singing and dancing and worshipping together when the children and their teachers were pulled aside. The congregation sat down and the kids moved to the front (with my three teammates) and began singing.
“I’m so happy to be with Jesus…”
A huge smile went across my face. It was a piece of home. The kids in Ohio and the kids here in Tanzania aren’t all that different from each other. This was something both places did the same. Joy floods the church when kids get up and sing. It’s almost a challenge to the congregation to have the joy and faith that we can see so clearly in these kids. Maybe that’s why it’s one of my favorite things.
