The Significance of Family Worship
By: Jessie Heaviland
How much my father’s prayers at this time impressed me I can never explain, nor could any stranger understand. When, on his knees and all of us kneeling around him in Family Worship, he poured out his whole soul with tears…for every need…we all felt as if in the presence of the living Savior, and learned to know and love him as our Divine friend. – Missionary John Paton
Families worshiping together is one of the most spiritually significant and influential things your family can do. As important as regularly attending church is, children notice when worship is only a once-a-week activity. It is incredibly faith-building for young hearts to see God’s word impacting the daily life of their parents.
My husband Mark and I had a desire for years to establish a regular family worship time in our home. Although we were convinced of the importance, we struggled with implementation. God answered that prayer 3,000 miles away from home while we were staying at a timeshare on the other side of the country. In Williamsburg, VA we met a Christian family on vacation. After spending the day playing together, the family invited us to participate in their family worship time in their timeshare that evening. What a blessing it was to see an example of family worship in action! We learned that evening that family worship- studying God’s word, singing His praise and praying together can be implemented relatively easily. Here are a few steps to think about as you prepare to start a regular family worship time.
Sing Joyfully
Psalm 100:1-2 instructs us to, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” This includes families at home! It is a beautiful sound to God when families sing together. But parents don’t need to be musically skilled to lead your family in worship, there are many sing-a-long resources available to help. Our family has used a variety of resources including this Children’s Hymnal, Charlotte Mason Hymn Study and using youtube for hymns with lyrics. Find what works best for you and your family.
Strive for Regularity, not Perfection
Be encouraged to strive for regularity, not perfection. Like any new adventure with kids in the mix, there will be plenty of bumps along the road and sometimes the hilarious chaos will make you feel like you are in the middle of a SNL skit. Pick a consistent time that works for your family. Some families will thrive with a morning worship and others will work better in the evening.
Make a Plan and Utilize Resources
Organizing Family Worship can feel overwhelming because parents don’t often know where to begin. Start with a reading plan. Perhaps you want to start with a book of the Bible, reading a chapter a night and have different children read verses aloud. Perhaps you want to start with a children’s story book Bible or devotional book. It’s a great idea to include variety in your approach but remain consistent in having God’s word read aloud.
The Hallows Church would like to provide you with a resource of your choice to help implement a family worship rhythm in your home. Here is a list of great books that can be used in a family worship setting. If you think one of these would be helpful for you, please e-mail Jessie@hallowschurch.org with your name, address and book your family would like. In the next coming weeks look for book spotlight videos coming from The Hallows.
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