"...now [my son] was finding the whole candle-incense-stained-glass scene a boring interruption of what ought to be the best day of the week -- a day with no school, no errands, no soccer game, no homework. Who could blame the kid? And who's to say that a 10-gallon bucket of tadpoles slowly transforming themselves into tree frogs in a little pool near the backyard couldn't demonstrate God's plan at least as well as all the verses of "How Great Thou Art"?"I find it interesting that this mother views "the best day of the week" one without all the school and other activities. I assume that would imply those things are burdensome. Yet, a child grudgingly getting ready for school doesn't cause the mother to abandon education.
Additionally, when she asks "who's to say...", I would respond: God. Church is not about "demonstrating God's plan" as much as it is to connect with God's people, express God's worth (worship), and interact with God's truth in a corporate setting. More simply, It's about God; and He's revealed what he expects of us and how he has chosen to manifest Himself on Earth - in the Church.
I appreciate what Dennis Prager said in his commentary on Gen 1:1 - God is not IN nature. He is OVER nature. He created nature. Although he reveals Himself in what He created, religious rituals and theology, as expressed in "How Great Thou Art", are most definitely more substantial (if they can be explained to a child) than a bucket of tadpoles.