Family Worship-Daily Bread at Home
If you would have asked us a year ago if our family participated in family worship we wouldn't have had the slightest idea what that practically meant. Are you talking about singing as a family or some Puritan practice you read in a book? This specific phrase was quite foreign to our family. Most likely if you were raised in the 90's the word "devotions" might be a bit more relatable. However, the focus is very different. The goal of family worship is to make God's Word a part of your family's everyday life. Once we started attending Grace Life Church in Pryor we realized this phrase, that was foreign to us, was a common thing for their families. It was assumed, whether in small groups or from the pulpit, everyone knew exactly what family worship was. First, we need to put a definition with the term "family worship". Family worship is a conscious and disciplined effort to set aside time everyday focusing on God's Word as a family.
Now that we have defined family worship let's ask the important question..is it Biblical? It's important to understand there are instructions in the Bible that are prescribed and also implied. A quick example would be if a doctor told you, "Hydration is key to a healthy body.". There's no instruction here that's prescribed, but it's implied that you should stay hydrated! If you need more explanation I would encourage you to ask your pastor. There is no phrasing in the Bible that specifically says "Do family worship!" however, it's very much implied. Let's look at just these few verses then perhaps go look up more on your own.
Deuteronomy 6:5–7 (LSB)
5“You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Ephesians 6:4 (LSB)
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Psalm 78:4 (LSB)
4 We will not conceal them (God's instruction) from their children, But recount to the generation to come the praises of Yahweh, And His strength and His wondrous deeds that He has done.
There are both implied and prescribed instructions in these few verse but to make it practical we have to ask an application question. If God wants us (as parents) to instruct our children in His ways, teach them to have disciplined lives according to His Word, and tell them about all the great things He has done, how do we do that exactly? Answer, family worship. A daily time with our family that puts specific emphasis and reverence towards God.
Before we get into the practicality of family worship let's look at what family worship demonstrates. We all know as parents kids don't listen all too well, but they watch terrifically. In short, your kids are watching more than they are listening. This is a stark reality for us parents. Not only should we tell our children about the Gospel, but our parenting should demonstrate the Gospel.
What Family Worship Demonstrates
Reverence towards God
Dependency on God's Word
Discipline is needed for God's Word
God's Word is worth our time
Getting into the practicality of family worship let us just say up front we are completely aware of the busyness of day to life. Family worship will NOT look the same for everyone. Some might have a more set routine with free time in the afternoon others might only have a few minutes to spare in the morning. The reality is that our primary duty, as parents, is to share the great things of God to our children through His Word. The Bible is clear that God uses His words and if we want our children to have faith in God we have to use His Word!
Romans 10:17 (LSB)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Because our family consists of four kids and three different schools our family worship is typically chopped into different sections for each kid. An average time that we spend in family worship is 10-15 minutes with the older kids, very brief time with our toddlers, and it's not always done at home. Some of the best Biblical conversations I've had with my older boys has happened on the way to the gas station to get snacks. The goal is not to check the daily box that family worship was completed, the goal is to share God's goodness with your children. There are tons of great resources or books that have pre-made lessons ready to go. One in particular we use is "Teach Your Children The Scriptures" by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson. It's an entire set of five books.
Each lesson consists of a review of the previous lesson, reading passages of Scripture, reflection and prayer requests. The reflection portion is very well done because your showing your children how to "dive into" the text and making application for everyday life. This book can be used as a staple or a springboard to dive into deeper discussion. The prayer section really is a great way to get your kids to talk about concerns they have, think about other people's needs, and getting them comfortable with praying around other people aloud. Just last week I asked our oldest son if he wanted to pray, but our second son asked if he could pray. The lesson was over the Sabbath. My son's prayer went something like this, "Lord thank you for giving us the Sabbath day to rest and think about You. We also thank you for letting us experience just a taste of joy that we will have in heaven.". That is a profound statement! I couldn't believe it, my eyes were full of tears and my jaw on the floor. Here our eleven year old son pointed out the fact that God DIDN'T have to let us experience joy while here on earth but out of His great mercy and love He gives us joy anyway. On top of that it's nothing in comparison to the joy we will have in heaven! There have been many moments that we been abundantly proud of our children. Scored soccer goals, manners in public etc., but nothing compares to hearing God's Word being read aloud by your children.
You can purchase this worship set directly from Reformation Heritage Books or if you'd like to use our affiliate link from Amazon you can purchase the books individually below.
Another great resource is from our pastor himself. On top of writing the sermons themselves, he makes home study guides for both Wednesday and Sunday sermons. These are available every week through our church's app.
Since his sermon audience is broader, these study guides are geared more for teenagers to adults. However, anyone could easily adapt these to be more suitable and perhaps applicable to a specific area your family needs help in. Our family does not take the approach that family worship needs to be done the exact same way at the exact same time every single day. By no means is that a wrong approach but the same method is not for every family, but time in God's Word IS for every family. As saints of Christ we are automatically involved in ministry, if you have kids that's your congregation. As father's especially we need to take care of our flock and feed our sheep.
Life is busy, especially in our American culture something seems strange if you aren't as busy as everyone else. Our family's need to see that despite our busyness, God's Word is the daily bread that sustains us. We hope this encourages you to get your family involved in family worship, especially if you're a father.
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