Family Worship
From the Pastor’s Desk
August 11, 2024
To worship the Lord is to exalt or lift high his name with praise for his glorious person and his mighty works in history and redemption. To worship the Lord is to thank him sincerely and humbly for his goodness. The best preparation for family worship is for the father and mother to be committed worshipers of the Lord. This means that we are praising him each day for his grace and goodness, thanking him for every gift great or small, and seeking to be guided by his word so that we can glorify Him in the earth.
Family worship need not be long and drawn out. Begin by joyfully calling the family together to worship the Lord – direct family attention away from any discomfort you may feel about doing this and direct attention to the Lord. Open with a brief prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the privilege of worshipping the Lord. Sing a song or two – the better known, the better. Read a short passage from his word, the Bible, and make a few comments – the more God-centered, the better. Encourage participation by asking questions, having family members pick the songs, and read Scripture. Close with prayer that thanks the Lord and dedicates each family to the Lord.
There are good family worship helps and manuals, but these may be too long or detailed for families with young children. Older children may profit more from a “family liturgy,” as this will likely mirror what is done in the church’s public worship, and thus prepare them to participate and to delight in the Lord’s Day.
The important thing for families in every life stage is that we praise the Lord. Even when the word is read in our homes and applications made, it is to praise the Lord. Teaching informs the mind, and good teaching from the Lord’s word is unto praising him. A cold heart makes family worship drudgery. Praise invigorates. Love for the Lord and thankfulness light the fires of family worship.
To lay a good foundation for family worship, evaluate the tone of your home, the emotional dynamic, and the verbal center. Is it Christ or complaint? Is it the world’s miseries and personal burdens or Christ’s purchased benefits and the Spirit’s presence and power? Is your home’s heart thanksgiving and praise? This is not a small point. The world’s sorrows lead to death; the Christian’s sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving lead to worship.
Make thanksgiving and praise a central part of family worship. At regular intervals, have each family member thank or praise the Lord for something specific. This will set them on the joyful path of praise until they thank Jesus face-to-face. As you read Scripture together, ask questions about the Lord’s character and works that lead to praise and thanksgiving. God dwells in our praises; if we want him to dwell in our homes, there must be praise.
Praise is personal. The Lord wants our hearts – to be worshipped in spirit and truth, to be loved with all the heart, soul, and mind. We must often pray ourselves into a more praising state that rejoices in the Lord and blesses him for his goodness. Singing helps melt the heart. The Lord rejoices over us with singing (Zeph. 3:17), and faith sings back to its Lover. Let there be rounds of praise between heaven and your home. This will protect your home from evil, melancholy, and cold religion.
Praise and singing are also a great help to young children. Sing vigorously. Think of the angels singing. Sing intelligently – the Lord has done specific great things for us – chosen in Christ, adopted in love, justified by grace, saved by our Lord’s sufferings, filled with the Spirit. Sing about what the Lord has done. Children learn who God is by singing about his works of salvation and deliverance. Teach them the joy of singing God’s word, as the apostle instructs us. Let our homes be filled with much smiling and singing – for he has made us glad.
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