Family Worship: A Primer

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” ~Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Claustrophobia is fear of small or enclosed spaces. My favorite is arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. I want to coin a new one: familyworshipophobia — that quiet dread which arises in our hearts when we consider all that faithful family worship seems to demand. But it shouldn’t frighten us; rather, it should excite us! Here are three reasons not to fear it but instead be encouraged to practice it in our homes.

First, many parents feel unequipped. Dad thinks he doesn’t know his Bible well enough. The children frequently struggle to sit still. These may be true concerns, but they're occasions for growth (both for parents and their children)! This means that moms and dads are encouraged to learn their Bible more so they can teach their children. It also provides a safe training ground where kids can learn to pay better attention in Lord’s Day worship. And remember, God can strike a straight line with a crooked stick. He can also use our fumbling through a text and our children's wandering attention to grow them in grace and knowledge of Christ.

Second, families often get paralyzed by imagined complexity. Do we need a liturgy? A catechism question every night? There is a robust version of family worship and plenty of resources for pursuing it, but Scripture itself only asks three things: read the Bible, sing God's praises, and pray. Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6 call on parents to teach their children the wonderful works of God, which can simply mean reading a short passage aloud, evening after evening. Psalm 118:15 tells us, "Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous." The homes that love God will be marked by singing His praises. And prayer is how we ask His blessing on the whole effort. Read, sing, pray. It really is that simple.

Third — and here's where cynicism usually creeps in — maybe you've tried this before. Maybe it fizzled into fifteen minutes of chaos and stress a couple times a month, and you're asking, honestly, what's the point? Here's the point: family worship is something God delights to bless. He seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He sends His Word out and it does not return void (Isa. 55:11). He hears the prayers of His people (1 John 5:14). None of that depends on your execution being polished. It depends on Him being who He says He is.

Over the next few weeks we will consider a bit more closely the various elements of family worship and how we might grow in our faithful practice of this great blessing given by God to His people. So don’t be afraid, Christian. Know that God will equip you for what He commands. What He expects in our homes isn’t complicated or difficult. And He will bless us when we draw near to Him in faithful family worship.

Rev. Kyle W. A. Lockhart, Pastor