A Pattern of
Family Worship
Jeff gawn | february 2023
‘Covid changed our family for the better.’
Now I realise that as I write that statement, for some of you who read it, it will jar straight away. Perhaps for your family it was a period of deep loss and sadness and so you could never echo those words. But for us as a family it gave us a point in time to take stock and think about what we would do in an ideal world in terms of family devotions; and those changes have impacted our family significantly – and that’s significantly for the better!
Now we weren’t starting from a blank slate. As a family we were already committed to reading some Bible story books with our son, George, each night before bed and praying with him. We had also been intentional in introducing the Lord’s Prayer at the breakfast table which we would pray each day together. One of the amazing things we learned was that even the youngest child could learn something if it was repeated daily! So, what better to put on the lips of our covenant children than the words Jesus taught His disciples to pray!
But when we took time to reconsider family devotions and what we really believed would be our ideal, we concluded that it was that we would have a pattern of reading the Bible (not just some bible story books) and have some teaching from it each day, and then pray together. The sermon at our son George’s baptism enforced how the home was to be a little church, and I knew that this was not really how our home looked!
So, with the fact that we were all in the house over Covid, and there was no early morning travelling, this allowed us to build in this new rhythm. In fact, it really didn’t take long for it to be the ‘new normal’ at all! And, once we had the pattern established, we realised that it was perfectly doable to fit it into our day once things opened up again and some early morning commuting was back on the cards!
As a family we now know that those 15 minutes are key, and so we try to make them a priority each day. It’s funny how if it is really a priority, well then there is almost always a way to make it happen.
But is it really necessary? Okay, so maybe you are thinking to yourself, ‘family devotions sounds like the sort of thing you can imagine your Assistant Minister doing in his house – he is training to be a minister after all!’ But it’s not something just for me. Give me the next two minutes to highlight just two passages that I think would make you reconsider.
Let’s go back to Deuteronomy 6:4-7
‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 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.’
I want you to see that this has been the pattern from right back in the beginning.
God’s people were to take God’s Words and, out of love for and obedience to God, were to teach it to their children.
Now in one sense this was spoken to the whole of God’s people Israel – and so they all had a responsibility. But there is a very particular thrust that goes towards parents. These are your children and it is into your home that they have been entrusted by God. In terms of the call to make disciples, this is a wonderfully unique place to do this - so don’t neglect the duty and responsibility that comes along with it.
So for Christian parents, passing on the faith needs to happen in your house! If we are to ‘teach them diligently’, then I think a regular pattern of opening up the Bible and teaching it is the only way this is going to happen.
Don Carson once made the statement that went something like this. “Much prayer does not happen because we do not plan to pray.” His point was that we might have very good intentions to pray; we might know that we should pray regularly; and that of course there would be much good fruit from time in prayer, but if we never actually plan for it to happen, then something else will inevitably take its place. So, I wonder if it is the same within the family. Much family worship does not happen because we do not plan for it to happen – we do not schedule for it to happen! If you really think this is something you should do as a family then take out your diary and carve out some space. There is always space for the priorities.
Secondly, a message to the fathers out there. Sadly, not all family units will have fathers in them for a whole host of reasons. So I know that this will not be possible for every family. But where it is possible, then fathers, this is one of your roles. Look at this verse in Ephesians 6:4. ‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’
Fathers – it is not by accident that this is directed at us! If we take God’s word seriously, and our leadership responsibility in the home seriously, then we need to think carefully about how we are going about bringing up our children in the ‘instruction of the Lord.’ Is regular family worship in our homes where we read the Bible and explain it not one of the most obvious ways to do this?
Now can I assure you that I am no expert in family devotions. There is nothing fancy about what we do – just ask my son or my wife or anyone who has stayed over with us as a family and been about for breakfast! But I can’t think of any single thing (apart from being in church for corporate worship each Sunday) that has impacted our family as much.
Family worship is the thing that centres us; it brings us together each day and sets us under the Word of God.
It provides me with a couple of minutes to explain a verse, or a few verses, and then to think about how they apply and make a difference to how we live, or think, or what we believe; and then we get to come before our heavenly Father in prayer as a family.
So, if you don’t already do it, then can I encourage you to consider starting to do some devotions as a family? Here are a few things that I’ve learned over the last few years:
1. Read the Bible. Just take some time to read it aloud. You might want to read a smaller chunk or a bigger chunk. In fact – it may begood to mix it up a bit. Recently we have been working through John 1:1-18 because we have been studying it in church too. So, I read these verses out each day (the whole thing) – and then explained one verse each day – whatever was the next verse in the sequence. The repetition of reading all the verses each day has been good and helps us learn, or at least be familiar with, that section of the Bible.
2. In terms of the teaching, go for a small daily spoonful rather than seeking to deliver a sermonette! We have found that in something like John 1, explaining one verse at a time was plenty! But also allow time for questions. It’s amazing what kind of questions come up and the opportunities to teach the truth and point your child/children and also your husband/wife to Jesus.
3. Vary your approach. Today I felt like we needed a change from John 1 – so we have paused it for a bit and have jumped into the narrative of Joseph. George finds narrative easier to follow and we all enjoyed the change.
4. Why not use the Lord’s Prayer?
We have found this so helpful as daily we come before God in adoration, confession and supplication. It also means that as a family we can all audibly join together in prayer (even from the age of 2). It reminds us that we are part of God’s people together as a family, but it also reminds us when we are with others who are praying this same prayer – that they too are part of the great big family of God. Isn’t it incredible to think that the prayer we echo as a family each morning around the breakfast table is also echoed throughout thousands and thousands of homes right across the word?
5. Make it a regular pattern. I know that there are days when all the best made plans go array (we all have those) – but my experience has been that when it’s a daily rhythm then it’s much less likely to be forgotten or to be skipped over.
So there you go. The two minutes I asked you to give me have gone. My hope is that if family devotions haven’t been something you practice in your home, that you might seriously consider it, and for those who are already in that pattern - that you will be encouraged to keep it up!
If you wanted to read a short book on family worship then I would recommend ‘A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home’ by Jason Helopoulos.