Kim Wilbanks

Spending a Sunday morning in worship with your adult child is a special treat, especially when you don’t often get that experience.  My husband and I had that opportunity recently.  We had family worship in two different cities 200 miles apart.

It was time for my husband and son’s sports extravaganza weekend — five sporting events in three days.  I was not interested in participating in that so he dropped me off in Birmingham, Alabama to visit with a friend and our daughter and he headed north to Nashville to visit our son.  The plan was to pick me up on the way home Sunday afternoon.

Each of us attended church with one of our adult children.  Later that afternoon, we compared notes as we headed south to Florida.

We discovered that the worship services we attended were at the same time.  Both services had communion.  It was like we were worshipping together as a family even though we were divided by a state line.

My husband reported that the service in the neighborhood church my son attends was full of young professionals.  They  had to arrive early so they would have a seat.   He said the simple music with guitar and keyboard was outstanding.  I would imagine most churches in Nashville have wonderful music.

I enjoyed visiting the small church my daughter is checking out.  Where my son’s church was full of young professionals, my daughter’s was more of a mix from elderly to children.  The choir wore robes and sang traditional hymns.  One of the women in the choir had an angelic voice (at least what I imagine an angelic voice would sound like).  My daughter told me she was a music professor at the local college.  Not surprising.  They even had a handbell choir which brought back memories of my days in the handbell choir at my old church. 

Worshipping with our adult children brought back memories of their childhood.  Children’s Church programs weren’t popular yet so we sat in the pew together as a family  For a time, we sat in the balcony so their fidgeting wouldn’t be so noticeable.  We were always equipped with paper, pencils and activity books.

I was happy to spend time worshipping the Lord with my girl and my husband felt the same about worshipping with our son.  It was encouraging that they are continuing in the way they were brought up.  It was pleasing to experience different forms of worship while we were away from home.  I hope you are able to do the same when you travel.

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.  Psalms 122:1