Often nursery workers are seen as "baby-sitters" whose main job is to merely provide a safe environment for little ones while their parents are involved in the "real and important" ministries of the church. May these words from John Piper be a reminder to the church:
Jesus took the child-belittling culture of his day which defined “greatness” to exclude “receiving children” and he turned it upside down. He said: “Receiving children in my name is the world’s least, and the world’s least is my great.” So wherever the Spirit of Christ pervades, the people who receive children will no longer be the “least.” They will be “great.” Really? Why? Because to receive a child in Jesus’ name (i.e., out of love, in his strength, and for his glory) is to receive Jesus, and to receive Jesus is to receive God the Father. Which means that the nursery may be more full of God than any other room in the church.
(By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org)
As we receive these infants and toddlers into the nursery, the best foundation we can lay for them is the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Everything else will crumble. The nursery ministry is just the beginning of leading a child to Jesus. Much of the work is hidden, and the fruits of this ministry may take years to see, but God is faithful. In constructing a building, the labor of digging holes and pouring footings may look unimportant to the untrained eye, but without a sure foundation, the building will not stand the test of time and the stress of adverse conditions.
So it is in the life of a child. The foundation of prayer, blessing, a godly atmosphere, and simple biblical truths may look unimportant to the untrained eye and may even be forgotten when the child matures, but a sure foundation can be the means of salvation for a child.
So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.”
A Sure Foundation
We are excited to announce that a refreshed and expanded version of A Sure Foundation will be released next week! This philosophy and curriculum is designed to help you transform your ministry to infants and toddlers into an integral beginning—a place of prayer for young children, a place where they hear foundational Bible stories, and a place where children learn simple truth statements and begin to memorize Scripture as they form their language skills.
The refreshed material includes sixteen new lessons for toddlers 36 months and older, features reformatted lessons to simplify teaching, and brand new truth statement posters, prayer signs, and memory verse resources.
Take a sneak peek of the refreshed curriculum and learn more about the new lessons.
