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Matthew 18:2-4: "Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

During our worship services yesterday, I was struck time and time again by the simple faith of our children. One of my joys as a pastor is being able to sit up front and to watch the children and how they interact in worship services. While all the adults stand up and mutely sing the words to the same old hymns, you should watch as these children lift up their voices to heaven in praise of God. They don't even know all the words, but still they sing to God with all their heart -- with an enthusiasm that we adults haven't had in years. And as the ushers gather to grab the offering plate, you should see how the eyes of the children brighten as they anticipate the moment when they are able to drop their pennies and nickels into the plate. Children are truly a blessing! They approach the worship service with wonder and amazement and with a true desire to worship the God that they seem to know so well.

When did we lose the excitement and anticipation and wonder in our lives? A lot of adults consider church to be boring -- to be a duty -- to be something that you do for one hour on Sunday morning. Even those who come seem to want to rush through the songs and the offering and the prayer to get to the sermon. We sing the words from the hymnal -- not from our heart. We give out of a sense of duty -- not out of excitement to be sharing in the work of God. We listen to the sermon with a critic's ear -- not with our spiritual ears. And we leave God behind in the church when we walk out at the end of the service.

Our children don't approach worship like that. They enjoy every moment of it. You sense that they understand the true meaning of worship. They know why they are there, and they enjoy every minute of it. When did we cease to be like them?

In the passage above, Jesus urges us to change and become like little children --to recapture the love of worship -- the love of God -- that we once had. This week I would encourage you to watch the children. Learn from them. Become like them. And come back to the heart of worship.