MHI has been encouraging the participation of Family Life Worship since end of last year. Wesley Church recognise the need of Family life as each generation grows up, new needs arise especially when we get older, start a family and have children. Family Life Worship seeks to create an environment of worship for the family with children. Most of the time, in the traditional service or the Prayer and Praise every Sunday, we may have frown upon families who bring their children along at the P&P and they disrupt the service with their cries, their fidgeting, etc.
Most of us wonder how come the children did not go to Sunday School? Why didn't the parents bring the toddlers to the cry room?
Family Life Worship seems to combine the needs of the family in a relax and condusive manner so that families, parents, grandparents, children, toddlers and babies in arms can worship together.
As MHI matures, we have more volunteers and Deaf who have settled down and begin their family. Sometimes it is very hard to come to Prayer and Praise and still be able to interact in the MHI family. So far, Family Life Worship is held every 5th Sunday of the month in the months that have 5 weekends. That means, only 4 of such special services are held a year.
Last week was one of the few Family Life Service we had in YWCA Ballroom. We had the speaker Mr David Leong from Scripture Union. Amazingly he knows sign language and is very interactive not only with the hearing families, but also with our MHI people.
The theme was "As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD" Joshua 24:15. He talked about how to serve the Lord as a family. Not just the adults. But also the children.
What stood out during the sermon was "fear God".
In the middle of the sermon, David suddenly told the audience....sit up. Sit straight. Don't slouch.
The reason is because many times as parents, we have forgotten to teach our children to respect the people. It is even worst if we have forgotten how we should respect God. When we worship and pray, God is in our presence. Yet, most of the time, we behave as if he is not there. And worst, we don't even have respect in our hearts. If the prime minister or the president of Singapore is in the Hall...would we talk to one another loudly, ignore the VIP or slouch? No....we will sit up, pay attention. Stay silent.
If we treat a VIP who is human like that, what about God? Our creator? As I sat and thought about it. Yes...even I have failed to teach my own students....RESPECT. All the time, I told myself..nevermind, they will learn themself or somebody else will tell them. Not nice to say. Let somebody else be the bad guy. Well..thanks to Mr David, he was not shameful or worried like me. He told us in a nice way...God is present. RESPECT HIM. FEAR HIM.
I am glad all the people present understood what he says. Indeed God is an awesome God. The more we learn about Him, the more we should respect Him. This respect must grow within us not just head knowledge, but heart too.
