Listening (2) and wrestling

more random thoughts...

-One of the themes that ran through the book, Parenting in the Pew was being willing to do the work it takes to keep a child listening for God in worship. It's easy for kids to tune out, unless you keep them engaged, not constantly for an hour, but making the most of opportune moments.

-Ivy Beckwith encouraged us to take time to listen to children in her book Postmodern Children's Ministry. She talked a little about the shift from feeding children questions and answers to inviting children to retell the story or to ask their own questions. "What do you think about this? How do you feel about that?"

-Young Children In Worship gives children (even very young children) opportunity to listen to, to interact with, and to respond to the Word and to God's stories, without someone telling them what it "means". Is it possible to give children (and adults) those same opportunities in multi-generational contemporary worship?

-We look at the Biblical model where men, women, and children gathered to worship and hear the Word. We imagine something similar to what we would see in a western gathering but I'd like to propose (from Katherine Paterson's experience) that it might look (and sound) different in a culture with strong oral tradition, a culture that's used to listening.

-Sometimes it's hard to read the scriptures and just listen. It's hard to approach them without bringing what we already think we know.

-It's hard to listen to someone wrestling with or questioning God. It's hard to just listen, especially if we think we can save them time, energy and frustration. But it's healthier for a baby chick to dig itself out of the egg alone than it is for someone to help him.

-Sometimes God answers, sometimes He doesn't. Why? Is there some way to guarantee that God will always answer? It's interesting to hear a new generation of adults saying we don't have to have an answer for everything - children of a generation who did.

-Apparently God doesn't shrink back from our questions, our wrestlings. Sometimes Jesus gave someone exactly what they asked for but how many times did Jesus field questions? How often did He actually answer the question? How many times did He answer with a story? How often did He leave his listeners with more questions than they started out with?

-God keeps listening to us. He wants to fellowship with us.

-How do people encounter God? Where? When? Is there some formula? Do the scriptures tell us where to look for God? They tell us that if we keep looking, He'll let us find Him. It takes a great deal of faith to say to a child - "If God says He will, then He will."