The Christian Home: 6 Tips for Family Worship

The inspired Scriptures were written to be read. Moses, inspired by the Spirit of God, instructed parents: “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 6:7)

When our children were young, my wife and I read the Bible to them. As they grew and learned to read themselves, we read the Bible with them. When we first began to meet, we frequently missed days, but as we keep at it, eventually our special times reading the Word became a habit, and we met almost every day.

Jesus promised that “where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20) After many years of continuing to meet, I can testify that God always came close to us as we came close to Him.

Here are six tips we learned that I hope will help your family worship times be successful.

1. God designed parents to be a team. Pray together and use your combined wisdom to determine the best time and place to meet. If you have older children, include them in making the plan. Some families read at the dinner table. Others convene in the evening in the living room. A few sit on the trampoline while Dad reads. Siblings of a child who was confined to her bed suggested they all gather in her bedroom so the family could be together.
2. Keep it simple. As the husband, I took the lead in gathering the troops. Then we opened with prayer. Our goal was to read a chapter of Scripture daily. After we completed the reading, we closed in prayer. This averaged about ten minutes.
3. When our children were young, Sandi and I took turns reading aloud from a devotional with colorful pictures. When they learned to read themselves, we purchased several large-print Bibles of the same version. Then each of us would read three verses. We discovered that reading aloud added an extra dimension as we followed along reading and hearing the Scriptures. As John says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear.” (Revelation 1:3) If you have toddlers, consider having them sit with Dad and Mom playing or drawing quietly. Even though they may not understand the content intellectually, they sense the impact of the eternal Words in their spirit.
4. Time is always a factor, and some days were busier than others. If we had time after the reading, we took turns discussing what we had read by giving each person the opportunity to share one insight they had gleaned. One family had the children draw a picture representing the theme of the chapter. At the end of the reading, they could share their artwork. Another family had dramatic children, and they would produce a skit depicting the content of the verses covered that day while Mom and Dad applauded vigorously. Feel free to experiment and find your own flavor.
5. When we could, we sang a hymn. Scripture and singing go hand in hand. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
6. Close in prayer. Gathering together, with Jesus in our midst, was such a blessed experience. The atmosphere in our home was tangibly improved after these special times.

The inspired ] Word of God is to be read by people of all ages. I am continually amazed at how the Spirit of God can apply the same verses to speak new truths to each person regardless of where we each are in our journey with Him. Towards the end of his gospel, John says: “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Jon 20:30-31)

Be Encouraged

It is easy to meet once a week and think that you missed six days. It takes time and intentionality to begin a new habit. Give yourself grace and be thankful for the times you do meet. In the early days of gathering as a family, I would tend to be discouraged when we “missed’ days, but we kept at it. Another source of encouragement came from my dear helpmeet who thanked me every time we met to read and discuss the Scriptures. With her help, our family eventually developed a good rhythm which continued for many years.

Family Worship Resources:

I wrote a book called Family Worship. It is available as a paper back, a free PDF, and as an audiobook.

If you would like to incorporate singing we have Hymns for Family Worship which has the hymn with the lyrics on one side of the page and the history on the opposite page. Both of these resources were designed for families and I hope they will enrich your family assemblies.