What are you doing in the Nursery?
What a privilege to be able to speak into the lives of those who hold our youngest hearts in their hands.
I originally thought I was going to speak in one direction, but of course, as I prayed and meditated on it and searched the Word, God led me in a totally different direction. That is why the title, “What are you doing in the Nursery?”
Many of you are here for different reasons, your children may be this age and you feel obligated to help. I think that is a very valid reason; in fact, I highly recommend it. If your children are a part of this church, you need to be volunteering in some capacity to help. Others are here, because that is the way they were raised in the church, you work in different areas, you serve, that is what you do. Others because you love this age group and feel called to work with them. Whatever your reason, I am sure it is a valid one, but today I want to put a different spin on your work.
Psalms 127:3: Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
This word heritage is the Hebrew word yrushah (yer-oosh-shaw'), meaning something occupied; a conquest; also a patrimony: - heritage, inheritance, possession.
During the Exodus God gave Moses specific instructions regarding all firstborn, whether animal or child, and that is they belonged to God. They were either sacrificed or in the case of the child redeemed. The child was redeemed and left in the care of the parent with specific instructions to raise them.
We have specific things we are to do and teach our children, this primarily falls on the parent but as you know working with these small ones, many times, this is all the Word that is given them. Many of their parents are not living as they should, many believe that it is the church’s responsibility to teach their children about God.
Many come from broken or dysfunctional homes and need what you give them each time they are left in your care.
Ladies, this is a much more serious work then you may imagine. You may have in your heart how important working with these children is, but I submit to you, it is much greater than you think.
Let’s recall the Lord Jesus’ Words in Mark Chapter 4. To remind you this is the parable of the sower and the seed. I am not going to read the entire section; I want to emphasize a couple of verses.
Mark 4:8,14,20: "But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred…
- "The sower sows the word…20. "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.''
I submit to you Ladies, these young hearts are developing soil. It is not thought of as a nursery without a reason. When you own a nursery and raise plants from seed, a lot of time and effort must go into it. It takes the right type of soil, the right amount of heat, water, fertilizer, all these things go together to produce healthy young plants, that can later be transplanted outside into the world.
I submit to you, that is what you are doing here, taking young untouched hearts, preparing them to hear the word, nurturing them to accept the seed of God’s Word and preparing them to go out into the world and flourish.
Once again I ask, “What are you doing in the nursery?”
I had planned to have a short video of all the workers to show, but that did not work out, but God used those pictures for a purpose. As I looked through them, I saw several things. I saw the mom’s of young ones, working here, I saw older ladies serving, I saw the Master’s Commission students working. I look out into the audience and see Ms. Brenda who is tireless in what she does. Once again I ask, “What are you doing in the Nursery?”
I firmly believe each of us has a purpose in this life, we are put here by God for God. It is up to us to make the decision to live the life God has for us or choose our own path. As I looked at those pictures, I saw some ladies who had found their purpose. However, I could not help wondering if you really, really give thought to the true importance of what you do. You are nurturing the hearts of tomorrow. Many of these children may or may not go on to Children’s church and Youth. Some will move away and never darken a door again. But I can promise you, if you do what God expects, their heart, their soil will be prepared so that when they hear the Word, it will fall into good ground and bear fruit, fruit you may not even know you produced. Because Ladies, you took volunteering in the nursery very seriously, you did more than tell a Bible story or color a picture or rock a baby to sleep. You stood over these children in proxy and declared the Word over them and their lives. This is what you should be doing, to prepare the heart of these young children of God.
We have specific things we are to do, and specific reasons to do them and I want to quickly look at them.
What we are to do:
- Train up a child in the way he should go:
Proverbs 22:6: 6. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
I can tell you, I remember some of the Bible lessons I was taught long years ago
in the Beginner Department of First Baptist of Tallapoosa, Georgia. I
remember the stories of Daniel in the lions den or Jacob willing to sacrifice
Isaac and the pictures they used to tell the stories. My mother raised us to be
Christian and I am here to tell you God’s Word works, my entire family, my
sister and both brothers are back where we should be with the Lord despite
wandering for years. God’s Word is true and faithful, stand on it for these
young hearts.
- Take heed to yourself:
Deuteronomy 4:9: 9. "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself,
lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your
heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your
grandchildren,
What kind of example do you set, not only for your own children but for these
too, remember, “little pictures have big ears.” If you are not acting right they
will notice and remember.
- Teach them to fear the Lord:
Deuteronomy 31:13: "and that their children, who have not known it, may hear
and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you
cross the Jordan to possess.''
We must not only teach these young ones to love God, the message of salvation
but also to reverence God and the things of God.
Why do we do this?
It is really very simple, there are three reasons. All found in the Epistles of Peter.
- 1 Peter 4: 10-11: 10. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- 2 Peter 1:3-4: as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4. by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
- 2 Peter 3:9: 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
We do this because we want:
- To bring them to repentance, to have them all be born again.
- To fill them with God’s divine nature, so that they will escape the corruption of
This world.
- We do it all for the Glory of God. Everything we do should Glorify God! Everything!
I ask you again, “What are you doing in the nursery?” Are you loving these young hearts with all you have? Are you speaking God’s Word over them while they are in your care? Not just telling them a Bible Story or puppet show, but really speaking the Word over them, “that they are the inheritance of the Lord, they belong to Him, nothing will snatch them away. They will grow into strong men and women of God and will walk in divine health and prosperity. That they will serve the Lord with gladness all the days of their lives.” If you are not doing these things, then I say to you “What are you doing in the nursery?”
You need to decide today, “What am I doing in the nursery.” Am I doing all I can to prepare these young hearts to be good soil or am I just going through the motions of appearing to be a dedicated worker? You must decide, you must choose and I urge you today, make the choice to be more, more than just a “nursery worker”, but choose to be someone who makes a difference! Even in these young soft pliable hearts!