Exploring Sacred Play

In Spring 2022, Calvin’s Institute of Christian Worship awarded a Worshipping Communities Grant to Dr. Mimi Larson and five children’s ministry leaders to explore how sacred play in a worship setting engages children in making meaning of their faith, while also discovering creative ways of enhancing worship for both children and congregations.  This yearlong cohort included Melissa Deelstra, Zion Presbyterian Church, Charlottetown PEI, Kelli Dunn, City Reformed Church, Milwaukee WI, Lindsey Goetz, First Presbyterian Church, Aurora IL, Kirsten Hitchcock, The Practice Church, Barrington IL, and Robin Turner, All Saints Anglican Mission Church, Dallas TX. About half way through the year, two other children’s ministry leaders learned of our exploration and asked if they could join in our conversations.  This included Jennifer Uitvlugt, Covenant Christian Reformed Church, Edmonton AB and Kate Morrell, Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, Richardson TX.

Definition of Sacred Play

Play is not a word that is often associated with a worship service.  Yet, play is one of the primary ways a child learns.  It is a place of exploration and discovery for a child and a significant tool for their ability to make meaning.  Play can also be a transformational activity.  While play integrates reality and imagination, sacred play engages reality and divine.  

Throughout the Old Testament, the word qadosh (קדש), meaning holy or sacred, is used to describe time, places, and objects that are set apart for or dedicated to the worship of God. In turn, sacred play is play that has been set apart for or dedicated to the worship of God. It is a creative offering of worship, designed to draw us into the holy presence of God, a way for people of all ages to connect with God and develop a trusting relationship with him. 

How did this experience move my congregation into engaging with God in childlike ways?

One question that framed our exploration was “Does this experience or activity move my congregation into engaging with God in childlike ways?”  As we traveled through this twelve-month journey, we were constantly assessing what Sacred Play looks like and what it is not.  Here are some things we discovered: 

Worship is a verb.  Actions form us and worship is full of actions. Worship is an action vertically to God and horizontally among his people.  If we think of worship as an active experience, we find that it opens up the possibility of a playful approach to engaging with God and others. It also reminds us that children should be active in worship and not just passive by-standers.  

God is a playful God. We discovered God’s playfulness both in nature as well as in the Biblical story.  Just look at the different animals God created from a dog to a platypus to turritopsis nutricula. (Look it up!  It’s amazing!)  We wondered how much laughter happened around the dinner table with Jesus was gathered with his disciples or friends.  And who can forget the talking donkey in the Old Testament?   

Sacred Play is not an event or program. To engage well in Sacred Play, it requires a playful atmosphere where we do not need to be perfect but have the freedom to explore and experiment.  We originally ran after big ideas and events, but realized it was more important to create an environment where play was accepted.  We focused on ways to recapture the sacred or infuse the sacred into already created spaces.

But here are some tensions we experienced: 

The dichotomy that play is frivolous and worship is serious. Sacred play holds the tension between playful and reverence. 

Engaging all ages in play.  It takes more intentionality and creativity to create opportunities for older children and adults to engage in sacred play. 

Balancing structure and freedom in play.  It is important to provide enough structure and intentionality for sacred play without taking away the necessary agency or freedom in play.

Intentionally worshipful in our sacred play.  It can be easy to create environments that were playful, but it did not necessarily mean that they were worshipful.  

How We Explored Sacred Play

Here is just a taste of how we explored Sacred Play in our congregations: