by Victor Chen

This is the third part to the previous blog post, “What Are My Children Supposed to Do During Sunday Service?”

It’s pretty easy to tell whether my children are listening to me. 

They rarely listen if they are in another room (no matter how loud I bark orders).

They aren’t listening to me if their backs are to me (no matter how much they insist otherwise).

They for sure are not listening to me if they are doing something while I am talking to them (no matter the number of head nods and mumbling affirmations).

My children listen to me if they are looking at me.

That is why any call to listen is often preceded by a request —“Look at me.”

We listen most effectively with our eyes. We listen when we look up.

As a parent, Church School teacher and preacher, I can tell when people are listening. It’s as simple as looking at their faces and seeing whether they are looking right back at me.

What about taking notes? 

Sure, there are some who are able to take notes as they are listening. But to guard from wandering minds (and wandering doodles), we should look up and give the preacher our full attention. When a point or insightful thought is spoken, we can then take notes. First look, then listen and then write any appropriate notes. 

But that’s a long time to be looking up!

There will be times to look down, like when the preacher directs you to the Scripture passage and points out key verses or key words. It is important to look up during the preacher’s introduction though, because that is when he introduces the key idea, and during the preacher’s conclusion, because that is when he concludes with a key takeaway application. 

So parents, the next time the pastor is preaching, here’s a tip to help your children listen —tell them, “Look up!”