get to "get to" from "have to"

Friday January 5th, Luke 2: 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." Even Mary and Joseph wanted to keep a bit of a lid on Jesus’ spirituality. It is no surprise then that the kids are the ones that encourage their parents to go to worship as often as it is the parents that encourage the kids to go to worship. Christian Education is where that statistic breaks down. There, it is the kids that set the attendance records. The custom is to drop off the kids and go get a cup of coffee, or some shopping, or some other urgent task. The trouble is that customs are often handed down. The kids are not learning to go to church, they are learning that when they are older they don’t have to attend Christian Education classes. It turns the whole experience from a “get to” to a “have to” thing. This new year, treat your children to the gift of “get to” rather than the burden of “have to.”