Come Worship with Me: A Journey Through the Church Year

Along with Susan Hunt's Big Truths for Little Kids, this is my favorite book lately to give to parents whose kids have just been baptized. I do it more for the parents than the kids, though my 5 year old loves this book. It really shows the meaning and value behind the church calendar and symbols, in a lucid manner with nice illustrations. (Its a cutesy story about mice). It often seems like Catholics I know and read tend to confuse the sign with the destination, while contemporary evangelicals (more Anabaptist than Reformational) throw away the sign all together, making it way harder to get to the destination. Boling's work redeems it all - its a loving labor of 'sign-building!' C.S. Lewis said that the danger for Catholics at their worst is to become like every other religion (superstituous folk religion; syncretism), but the danger for (hyper-)Protestants at our worst is to become like no religion at all! Contemporary evangelcialism -- throwing away or relegating the sacraments to mere memorials, building churches without symbols or even crosses, stripping away all of the church calendar except Christmas and Easter (rescued there, only by Hallmark!), dispensing with all vestments and mystery in worship -- is becoming Lewis' nightmare. I also think of Bunyan's allegory of there being 5 gates into Man-Soul: Eye-Gate, Ear-Gate, Nose-Gate, Mouth-Gate, Touch-Gate. We evangelicals (like Bunyan's Puritans) often close every gate except Ear-Gate in worship. In good Reformational fashion, (PCUSA pastor) Boling tries to open up Eye-Gate for us, with a rich, beautifully illustrated glossary of Christian symbols in the back. Nothing real profound about the book, but such a nice little intro. Great binding and illustrations the kids will like too.

Ruth Boling's words and Tracy Carrier's illustrations combine to make a simple, yet powerful invitation for kids to experience the beauty of the Christian year. Most amazing are the details of Christian symbols on the mice's clothing and the facial expression on these very churchy mice. It's like looking at people in the pews I've known for years! The chart of symbols in the back is great. It would make a wonderful first communion, Sunday School, or Christmas gift. My kids love both the pictures and the text. I heard there is a matching Advent calendar but don't see that advertised here.

This charming book simplifies for children the traditions of the Christian church year. The delightful, rich illustrations are alive with wonderful, sensitive details. I cannot say enough about what a valuable resource this is for family and church communities. It makes all the special days throughout the church year more meaningful and more accessible to children and adults alike.

Complete with spectacular illustrations, this is an easy to read and understand journey through the Christian year. A delightful church mouse shares his experiences of each key event in the life of the church (Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Easter, Pentecost, etc.). At the end are multiple pages with Christian symbols and their meaning. This is a wonderful book for families to share the with their children. Or, for adults wanting a charming and meaningful refresher course on the important days and symbols of their faith.

A wonder-filled journey through the church calendar, beautifully illustrated with a congregation of very human-looking church mice. Everyone will learn something from this book, but it's probably best for children between 3 and 10 (although the comprehensive appendix of Christian symbols would be useful for anyone). I gave Boling's much simpler previous book to my godchildren, who loved it, and I can't wait to send them this one. Perhaps most importantly, it can serve as a conversation-starter between adults and parents on the subjects of faith, worship, God and community.