Here’s the church and there’s the steeple.
Open the door and see all the people.

We would clasp our hands together with our fingers turned inside of them.  The two index fingers pointed up to indicate a steeple. We would say the words as we acted them out and we got to the part where the door opened, the fingers within would represent the people inside.  As with most of those childish verses and games, we soon forget them, but they do have some merit.  For example, there’s more to the verses that I didn’t know about.  Here the entire poem.

Here is the church and there is the steeple.
Open the door now and see all the people.
Here is the parson going upstairs.
And here he is now he’s saying his prayers.

Ta loola, ta looley, Ta loolay loo ley
Sleep through the nigh ’till the following day,
Ta loola, ta looley, Ta loolay loo ley
Ahh Ahh Ahh++
Ta loola, ta looley, Ta loolay loo ley
Sleep through the nigh ’till the following day,
Ta loola, ta looley, Ta loolay loo ley
Ahh Ahh Ahh

Additional lyrics by Ian Watts

Sometimes those games cannot only keep the little ones occupied, but they provide a lesson as well.  We always hope that when we open the door there will be lots of people.  Unfortunately our churches have taken quite a hit in the past few months with social distancing and masking.  We’ve slowly returned to worship, but only a certain number of people are allowed to be gathered.  They must be at least six feet apart and wearing a mask, because the saliva really flies when you sing and speak.

Prior to the pandemic, there had been a drop in church attendance across the country.  Has the inability to come in person affected your church?  Looking at this in a positive way, we have been able to reach out with other tools.  I guess God provides them so that His Word can be available in whatever form possible.  We shouldn’t stand stubbornly apart from the opportunities that are available to us.

Maybe the church as we used to know it, isn’t offering the popular “feel good” information that people want to hear.  Folks don’t like to hear about sin or asking for forgiveness, because those things just irritate us.  We instead turn to the prosperity churches that claim that God will give us a better than good life, with no problems or cares.  Often when led to our own devices and choices, we make the wrong decisions.

Online church will never replace in person attendance.  My prayer this Saturday is that covidthis virus will stir a new fervor  for God and for the promise He gives us of eternity in heaven.  We need each other to physically hang on.  Our hugs are vital.  Our fellowship is necessary.

Dear Lord, I come to you today with a prayer for our churches.  They are merely buildings, but what sets them apart is the ability to praise you, to thank you and to worship you together with other believers.  Church attendance should not be a requirement for our salvation, because that has already been won for us by your Son, Jesus.  Still we need to be together again as one body – united in your name and perfected through your Word.  I ask that you bring an end to the pandemic and join us again as your servants.  Through these difficult times, you are our only hope for comfort and peace.  Amen!

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