By Samme Rousopoulos
Standing in the living room with my mother’s “Christian Worker’s New Testament” in hand, I proclaimed to her, that I was learning a new prayer. I felt that being seven years old, I could put childish ways behind and move on up to “adult” prayers-like the ones I found in the back of her New Testament. She asked me why I wanted to learn a new prayer and I told her I was tired of the old one—it was childish. Looking at me, she stated, “Samme Le when you can tell me what your prayer means, then you can look at learning another one.” Stopping, I thought and thought. Since learning the table grace several years earlier, I had always run all the words together, not giving pause for thought-Godizgrate-Godizgoud. In my haste to eat, I would hurry through and be more concerned with checking “it”—my prayer, off my list so I could move on.
It can be debated whether we should teach children rote prayers or not. What can’t be debated for Christian parents and the Church is the modeling, informal talking and intentional teaching about prayer with our children. Walter Wangerin shares in his book The Orphean Passage about the time the act of communion, the words of communion took on meaning to him. It was an awakening. Before, he had heard, he had watched, he had even participated in it without understanding. He had been allowed to experience before he understood. He had been given the opportunity to develop a vocabulary of faith.
How are we, the Church—the Bible classes—the family doing in helping our children develop a vocabulary of faith and of prayer? Not the “thee-thou” vocabulary. Not the “Oh Lord from your magnificent bounty...” vocabulary, but the God is Great vocabulary, the God is Good vocabulary, the Let us thank Him vocabulary. Are we providing our children the opportunity to express their praise, their thanksgiving, their confession, and their asking in such a way that it is just a natural part of their lives? Are we providing opportunities for expressing prayers through different media? Adults should try drawing a picture of their prayers sometimes—it can be a learning exercise.
Do you ever hear a child pray? The simple sincerity and faith with which a child prays can be what many of us who are tired and sometimes lacking of faith need to hear. Some of the best teachers I’ve had on the spiritual discipline of prayer have been children. They don’t try to impress anyone. Their words aren’t always grammatically correct. There’s no hidden “message” in their prayer. They excitedly come to God, their great Creator, and very simply talk to Him, their friend. And aren’t children thankful? A smile may come over our face—and sometimes impatience—when a child begins to thank God for all the people in their life, plus all the friends and pets. When was the last time you made an exhaustive list of what you’re thankful for?
On Saturday evenings in Indianapolis, there is a worship service that takes place in the sanctuary of a Church of God congregation. It’s an intergenerational worship service which is family friendly. It’s there that families with young children are modeling, informally talking and intentionally teaching their children and yes—even observant adults— about prayer. When the service was first started, there was that curiosity from children about what was taking place at times. However, things were not changed just because there were children in the midst. Parents and loving adults, bent down, on the child’s level and welcomed them, teaching them about a God, a Savior who welcomes them and us to Him. Now after having the service for nine months, seeing a child go to the altar to pray with someone, going forward for anointing, with faith believing, or gathering around one who is sick and laying their small hand on that person, joining in prayer is not the exception.
The family is the natural place to teach children about prayer—the family in the home and in the family of God. What are we doing to invite them into our midst, valuing them for who they are and valuing what they bring to God? Ask a child to pray for you sometime, and let the Holy Spirit speak through him, and bless you.
Author: Samme Rousopoulos is the children's pastor at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, Indiana.