Children in Church

After church today I met a young lady (about 5 or 6 years old, I would estimate) after church who was visiting the area. (Our church is in a tourist area and people come in to tour the building.)

She was disappointed that there was one of those velvet ropes keeping people (i.e., visitors) from going up to the altar. I was just coming out and let myself out through the rope. As I walked away, I heard her say rather loudly to her parents, "Why does she get to go in there?!?"

So I turned back and approached her. I think her parents were worried that I was going to scold her. I knelt down and said to her, "I'll tell you why I get to go in there: because I work here. I come to this church every day."

"You get to come in here every day?" she asked, wide-eyed.  Her father said, "She gets to come here every day and pray, you see."

I nodded. "Yes," I said, "I get to come here every day and pray. And I am glad that you got to come here to visit today."

She went on to tell me where she lives and to show me all the buttons on her coat (while her parents apologized for the syrup stains that ran between all the buttons) and to engage in some general conversation. When I stood up to go, her mother said, "Thank you for talking with our daughter."

"Thank you for bringing your daughter to our church," I replied.

Oh let the little children come unto me, said Jesus, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these. And please don't scold them.