Made to Worship: A Preschool Theology
Preschool ministry is not less than childcare, but it’s so much more! We do care for children, but we also minister to children. We teach them beautiful Christian doctrines at their own developmental level. On our best days, we proclaim this internally and externally. We say things like, “I’m a minister on mission.” “What I do matters.” “I’m not just a childcare provider, I’m a shepherd of teeny-tiny sheep.” All of these statements are wonderful truths! But on our worst days, lies start to seep in. “What I do is only childcare.” “These kids are too young to really worship. These kids are too young to really exalt Jesus.” “They can’t even stay on one rug, there’s no way they can actually worship!” These are all lies that should be refuted!
Children absolutely can worship Jesus. They can make much of Him.
Let’s look at three scriptures that teach three core truths that we can put into our toolbelt to refute the lies we may tell ourselves on those darker days.
First, let’s look at Luke 1:41. Elizabeth received wonderful news. She was pregnant! Soon, she would be giving birth to the last of the Old Testament-style prophets. Her son, John, would be the last to say “Jesus is coming soon! Prepare the way!” While Elizabeth was still expecting, her cousin Mary came to visit. Mary had some news, she was pregnant too! She was going to give birth to the very Son of God that John would soon testify about. But first… worship. When preborn Jesus was in preborn John’s presence, something amazing happened. “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” John lept in worship! This tiny baby, probably only a little bit bigger than a Teddy Graham, couldn’t help but leap in worship of His cousin and His king. Much like the babies in our care, John couldn’t do anything for himself yet. He couldn’t walk or talk. He couldn’t eat or drink. Hey, he couldn’t even survive outside of the womb! But in the presence of Jesus, he lept in worship.
Preschoolers, even infants, can worship Jesus because Jesus empowers them to do so. Children are made to worship Jesus, and He gives them the strength and the power to magnify His name.
While in the womb, Jesus held the universe together. He would soon be entering human history to live perfectly, love everybody always, and die and rise again to save the world, but He hadn’t done that yet. Fully God and fully man, Jesus waited in weakness and power. By transcending. their mothers' wombs, Jesus gave John the desire and strength to leap into worship, exalting Jesus’ name! If Jesus can cause preborn John to leap in worship in his mother’s womb, Jesus can cause the infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in your care to worship Him too. Pray to the God of the harvest, and ask for Him to give your children the gift of worship!
Why does Jesus empower the littlest of people to worship Him? He does this because Jesus is glorified when preschoolers worship Him! Psalm 8:2 says this: “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” There’s power in worship. That’s not because we’re powerful. No, we have no strength in ourselves. There’s power in worship because He’s powerful! When Jesus empowers preschoolers to worship His name, Jesus is made much of. Jesus is lifted high and exalted as the victor over all of creation. In worship, Jesus’ name is made much of, as He’s lifted up as the one and only true king.
When we spend our time in children’s ministry teaching the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done, children begin to know and love Him for who He is.
We can do this even with the smallest of babies. As you rock babies to sleep, you can speak or sing life-giving theology over them. You can tell them about the Son of God come down for them. As you walk outside with toddlers, you can point out the creation around them, and tell them about how all of it has a Creator and Sustainer. This is the same Creator and Sustainer who gave them life too! As you walk preschoolers to large group worship time on a Sunday morning, you can remind them that this is the time for them to get to sing for joy and be used by Jesus Himself in a powerful way!
Children who know Jesus are empowered by Jesus to glorify Jesus. He is glorified when He is worshiped and exalted by His children. This is why He empowers the littlest of children to worship Him. Don’t miss this opportunity! This can happen in your children’s ministry too, by the power of the Holy Spirit and for the glory of His name.
Anybody who’s seen a room full of children worshiping Jesus in this way knows that there’s something special about it. Jesus Himself thought so too! He actually used young children as an object lesson for His followers to model when they themselves worship. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus takes a child in His arms and says this: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus commends children, pointing to them for us to aspire to be like as we strive to make much of Him. When you see Jesus empowering a group of children to worship and glorify Him, you’re seeing a lesson in worship.
Children worship with humility and abandon. They fully trust the Jesus they’ve heard about and are ready to give Him their all. Preschoolers aren’t worried about other children thinking they look silly. They aren’t worried about if they can sing on key, or if they’re clapping to the right beat. They wonder about Jesus, but they allow their wonder to cause them to stand in awe of Him instead of questioning Him and His goodness. Jesus sees all of this in children and encourages us to become like them. In fact, pointing to children, Jesus requires us to be like them to enter His heavenly kingdom.
Take some time to study these scriptures. Stand in awe today of the God who empowers preschoolers to glorify Him through worship, and then commends them. What you do isn’t less than childcare, but it’s so much more. Starting in small ways, even with the smallest of things, makes worship an everyday part of your children’s ministry. Don’t miss this opportunity to make much of Jesus.
Children’s ministry can be the most powerful worship service in the church!
From babies, all the way up, you can create a space that fosters real worship in spirit and truth. Leap for joy! Sing like you mean it. Christ has overcome.