“…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” Matthew 2.13

On Saturday, I spent the day with a group of parents of young children at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC.  They showed up on a beautiful and sunny Saturday to sit inside and discuss how to talk to their children about God.  These parents shared rich experiences and concerns about faithfully forming their children. 

The pleasant surprise in all of this?  Dads.  There were several dads present and actively involved!  In the world of younger children, dads are often an afterthought.  We know this is true.  We expect moms to show up, but usually do not expect a great deal from dads.  As Christians, this is an attitude that needs to be changed.

Eugene Blair writes in his book What Kind of Man is Joseph, and What Kind of Man are You? “Christian love is the kind of love that increases one’s desire to grow in grace and spirit… and wants others to grow in the same ways.  Joseph shows us such a love for himself, his wife, and infant child.”    

Dads play an important role in the lives of their young children. Research suggests that children fare better educationally, psychologically and socially when fathers, grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers, older male relatives are active participants in the life of a child.

Three places to start:

• Set aside time to actively engage with your child
• Get involved in your child’s parent and toddler group, pre-school or nursery
• Be aware of your child’s gifts, and nurture them

Resources:

What Kind of Man is Joseph, and What Kind of Man are You? by Eugene Blair

101 Questions Children Ask About Godby Veerman and Galvin

Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner

Papa Do You Love Me by Barbara M. Joosse

www.fatherhood.org

John Wesley prescribed works of mercy and piety as those spiritual disciplines that we are to practice as Christians. Including small children in prayer, celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and worship allows them to fully engage in community. Journeying spiritually with babies and toddlers can prove to be an intimidating experience for many adults.

Keeping in mind that small children learn best through observation and experience, Cicero United Methodist Church in Cicero, New York is a congregation modeling what it means to practice spiritual disciplines both corporately and individually. One member at Cicero UMC shares that the minister “prayed along with” their son when his dog died. This is an example of modeling Christ’s command to love God. What a wonderful formational moment for a child when the pastor and other adults pray with that child in a moment of grief. By engaging in acts of piety, they model for children what it means to love God.

Another member at Cicero UMC speaks of the genuine caring for each other and the “world around us.” Their ministries open up opportunities to talk with small children about what it means to “do good”. Through acts of mercy—visiting the sick and homebound, feeding the hungry, giving clothes to those in need—congregations live out Christ’s command to love our neighbor and Wesley’s challenge do all the good that we can. We need to model good works for children. Our children need to see us doing good.

Some Questions for Discussion

• How does your congregation intentionally model spiritual disciplines for small children?

• How are the concerns and needs of the children included in the corporate prayer life of the congregation?

• What opportunities does your congregation provide for children and adults to engage together in acts of piety and of mercy?