God is the Nursery

Yesterday I spoke to one of my former summer students, Alison, as she served up my Starbucks order. I smiled as she chatted to her co-worker happily about how we used to work together at the church. It got me thinking later that day about all that went on that summer. We had wonderful Sunday morning celebrations and outreaches which our summer students planned, but the one thing that has stuck in my mind was a sign Alison made and laminated to hang on our nursery wall. She wasn’t asked to do it. It wasn’t even an idea she decided to run by me. Instead, she called me into the nursery and pointed to the wall where she had taped up a sign and picture. I looked at it and it simply said, “God is in the nursery.” I loved that poster because it challenged my thinking when I read it, along with anyone else who was in there.

Do we believe that “God is in the nursery?” Of course we believe God is Omnipresent, meaning He’s everywhere and all at once. However when it comes to Sunday morning, how much do we believe this statement is true? When worship music is blaring in the sanctuary, a children’s church leader is pouring his heart out in the kids’ auditorium, and the preschool class is shouting “God loves me!”…what do we believe about the space where we have a cushioned nursery floor? Do we believe the Presence of God is equally present there?

We have an elder in the church who goes into each room prior to anyone arriving Sunday mornings. He prays over our children’s ministries. I’ve never asked him to, but I know he includes the nursery in his prayer walk. We have a Preschool Coordinator who diligently prints out lesson themes each month for our preschool leaders and, if you were to walk into the baby room, you’ll see an activity sheet for this month specifically for our nursery. Why? Because we believe that God is in the nursery on Sunday mornings.

“Connecting kids to the life-changing presence of Jesus” is our mission. Believing we have opportunity to fulfill that mandate each and every Sunday…is up to the individual heart.

God IS in the nursery.

Amen.

Originally posted on www.sundaystaffroom.blogspot.com