Our Sons and Daughters

As we sang Pass the Promise in church a few weeks ago, one line caught me in a new way: “our sons and daughters.”

I found myself thinking: what if that means all of our sons and daughters? Not just our own children, but every child in our church family. The kids sitting a few pews over, the ones running around at the back during the service. They belong to all of us.

Every time we gather for worship, we bear witness to them. Our presence, our singing, praying, listening, and showing up week after week tells them something about what we believe.

I told my daughter recently how grateful I am that she is surrounded by people who have already counted the cost of following Jesus and decided it’s worth it. What a gift that is! To grow up in a community filled with living testimonies of faith.

And that’s really what we’re doing every Sunday, passing the promise. Not through perfect words or elaborate lessons, but through the quiet consistency of a life rooted in worship and wonder.

This is part of what I mean when I talk about contemplative play: paying attention to God’s presence in ordinary things, and letting our lives invite others (especially children) to do the same. Church is one of the few places where kids regularly see adults singing, praying, and wondering together and that is formational, for children and adults.

So every Sunday, when we come to church, we’re not just attending a service. We’re quietly showing our sons and daughters, and one another, that we believe this is true. That we have found Jesus worth following.

They’re watching. And our presence bears witness.