I Wish I Could Come To Church

Sitting perched high atop the bleachers at a basketball game last night a little child approached me. That little one wore a huge snaggle toothed smile. I have known this child for years. The next words startled me. That precious youngster said, "I wish I could come to church." At first I thought I misunderstood. The message was repeated.

The interpretation of that message came through crystal clear. This child has attended our church from time to time in the past. They are eager to learn and would come more often but the parents do not come consistently. Because the parents do not come this child is not able to come either. Out of the mouth of babes.

It got me to thinking. How many other little boys and girls feel the same way. They love Jesus. They truly enjoy coming to church to learn. They want to learn more about the Bible. Yet, the parents have a different set of priorities. The parents make excuses. They are too tired or too busy. When it comes to other activities they are not too tired or too busy.

I bet there are millions of children who really want to come to church but do not have anyone to bring them. In the old days parents would at least drop children off at church. You don't see it nearly as much today but churches used to send vans and buses out to pick children up to bring them to church. While a few churches still do this they are in the minority.

Why do parents keep their children from coming to church when the children wish they could come? It breaks my heart how many children do not see spiritual things as a priority. Parents will teach their children to cook, clean, hunt, fish, make a bed, do homework, read and work. Why do they not teach their children about Jesus, about the Bible and about the need for salvation. I just read recently where the overwhelming majority of people who trust Christ for salvation do so before they are 13 years old. With every passing year a child is withheld from spiritual things  the chances decrease they will hear the gospel and be saved.

Matthew 19:13-15 (NASB)
¹³  Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
¹⁴  But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
¹⁵  After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

The word hinder means to "restrain, prevent." Parents do this every week around the nation. They prevent their children from coming to Jesus. They even go so far as to restrain their prodigy from coming. 

Just as Jesus rebuked the disciples I can hear Him rebuking lazy and apathetic parents who hinder their children from coming to Jesus. 

Last night as the little tyke walked away I replied, "So do I. I wish you could come to church too." Shame on every parent who keeps their children from coming to Jesus and His house. Sadly many of these same parents were raised as children coming to church. Their parents took them but it is not a priority now that they are adults. I wonder what those parents would have done if they had been there with me in the stands last and heard what their child said to me. I am sure they would have squirmed in discomfort and it would have been deserved.