About 2 minutes to read
Why a Household Worships
God commanded parents to teach his words to their children at home, when they sit, walk, lie down, and rise up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The Confession says God is to be worshiped in private families daily, as well as in secret and in public (WCF 21.6). The Church of Scotland wrote a whole Directory for Family-Worship in 1647 to help households do it.
Fathers, this is your charge first (Ephesians 6:4). But a mother with children, a single believer with roommates, or a couple with no children can keep it too.
What to Do
It does not need to be long. Ten or fifteen minutes is enough. The old pattern has three parts.
- Read. A short passage, read straight through the Bible a chapter or part of a chapter at a time. Ask one or two simple questions about it. What does this teach us about God? What does it tell us to do?
- Sing. A psalm, or part of one. Learn a few tunes and use them often.
- Pray. Thank God, confess sin, and ask for the needs of the family, the church, and the world. Let older children pray too.
Many households add a question or two from the Shorter Catechism, or the Catechism for Young Children with little ones.
How to Start and Keep Going
- Pick a time you already share. Right after supper works for many families, because everyone is already at the table.
- Start small. One passage, one psalm, one prayer. Do it tonight.
- Do not wait until you feel ready. You do not need to preach. Read, sing, and pray.
- Miss a night, pick it up the next. Do not give up because you broke a streak. There is no streak.
- Ask your elders for help. Ask them what other families in your church do.
Sojourner’s family worship page walks through the reading, a psalm with its tune, a catechism question, and prayer, step by step.