Worship Arts April May June 2022

have a responsibility to them and to ourselves, 1) to make every worship experience rich and meaningful so it’s not such an ordeal for a young person to attend, and 2) to bridge the gaps in learning and development so that they are encouraged, welcomed, and challenged throughout their whole lives. • Quite simply, as I quoted my mother a little earlier, “Children have as much to teach us as we have to teach them.” We all have “the right to belong,” in Shirley Erena Murray’s words. We are called to worship and live together because we are called to enrich each other. And that has no age limit. on difficult topics or intense discussions about politics, poverty, violence, or other upsetting matters – should be the work of adults and older teens. (And for the record, 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds can handle an awful lot more than we give them credit for.) These topics can, and should, be presented to children in ways that ignite their empathy, but should not be presented in ways that make them fearful or anxious about what they cannot fix. Adults have the responsibility to create a world of “justice and joy, compassion and peace” by working on behalf of the young and the most vulnerable. Not everything can be learned with 3-year-olds and 53-year-olds sharing the same space.

for them, we are unwittingly telling children they are not welcome in our communities. We are telling them that if they can’t be perfectly quiet, perfectly respectful (as we define it), perfectly informed on how to “do” church correctly, then they will disrupt The Real Worshippers. Not for nothing, we are also teaching them that adult worship is meant to be boring, and something to be endured quietly, rather than experienced kinetically. When there’s a 180 degree difference between the overstimulating children’s ministry and the sedentary adult worship, it’s no wonder many children and youth grow up, turn 18, receive the choice to attend worship or not, and choose not to do so. We no creative learning, and zero glittery crafts! and adults are so different that they need completely differentiated curriculums, worship spaces, and arts experiences. This is simply not true. Anyone who has tried to teach an adult choir how to walk in a straight line and process into the sanctuary will attest to the fact that this is no different at all than teaching preschoolers how to walk in a line. (Can I get an “amen”?) • The false belief that everything has to be open to all ages in order for it to “count” as an intergenerational community. Part of a rich education in any context is differentiated teaching. Some things – like book studies • The false belief that children

• Jesus said, “Let the children come to me,” but he did not say, “Let the adults go away while the children are here.” The fact that when the disciples were shooing the children away and Jesus called the children to his side he did not, in turn, shoo the adults away, says to me that Jesus wants us all together. He is the great bridge builder. He is the great relationship builder. He is the great storyteller, and stories and relationships and bridges are universal and should be used by all ages. • When we segregate by age, even under the guise of letting them do things that are “more fun” or age-appropriate A nd ... sorry to disappoint, but we’re still not quite ready for the “how,” as much as I’m sure you’re growing impatient. Next up: the what. What stands in the way of rich and meaningful intergenerational community? What do we need to work through, move past, think beyond, so we can create “a place at the table” for all ages? • The false belief that lessons/ programs/worship geared toward children will have nothing to teach adults – that these experiences will be simplistic, shallow, or merely “cute.” (I don’t particularly like the word “cute,” unless we’re talking about cardigans or teapots or golden retriever puppies.) Another way to say this is that we sometimes have the belief that children’s curriculum has to stop with shallow thoughts and way too many glittery crafts, instead of asking deep, real questions about God and the world. • The false belief that lesso ns/ programs/worship geared toward adults will be too deep for children to understand. In other words, that adult curriculum has to be based strictly on sitting-and-listening silently, with no kinetic movement,

What other “whys” can you add to this list? Why do you believe that we are theologically called to create inter-genera tional communities? Where do you see it reflected in Scripture, and in your own ministries? What stands in the way?

What other “whats” can you think of that may get in the way of our intergenerational community?

Intergenerational Easter egg hunt at White Rock UMC

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ April-May-June 2022 • WorshipArts • umfellowship.org 17