How to go about family worship?

[Jash Comstock]

I am going to be getting married in february, and I want to establish daily family worship in our home, only I don't know how to go about it. Any tips and/or pointers?

 

[Dearly Bought]

I am going to be getting married in february, and I want to establish daily family worship in our home, only I don't know how to go about it. Any tips and/or pointers?

Check out these resources from Monergism.com. I particularly recommend Dr. Beeke's work on the subject.

Just remember three things: Sing Psalms, Pray, and Read the Scripture. After you've read the Scriptures, the Westminster Directory for Family Worship gives some helpful advice on how to make some use of them:

As, for example, if any sin be reproved in the word read, use may be made thereof to make all the family circumspect and watchful against the same; or if any judgment be threatened, or mentioned to have been inflicted, in that portion of scripture which is read, use may be made to make all the family fear lest the same or a worse judgment befall them, unless they beware of the sin that procured it: and, finally, if any duty be required, or comfort held forth in a promise, use may be made to stir up themselves to employ Christ for strength to enable them for doing the commanded duty, and to apply the offered comfort.

 

[Tim]

Excellent, brother. You are going to be a good husband.

You can start now. For the next 11 months before you wed, you can be establishing a routine with your own private worship that can simply come to include your new wife once she becomes part of your family.

 

[LaurieBluedorn]

We have a booklet "On Family Worship." You can buy a hard copy here. The audio version is free here.

 

[M21195]

I start out with a prayer.

We then sing a psalm using a CD that I obtained from Crown and Covenant Publishing (we all have a copy of the lyrics printed out).

Then the shorter catechism in order: I read the question and answer and we each read a scripture proof for it. We then discuss.

Close with a group prayer with each of us taking turns.

So far it has been working out well. My wife and children (4, 7, 12yrs) like the format.

 

[Kevin]

We recite the Apostles creed.

Then read and discuss a passage of scripture.

I ask a few catechism questions. Ask various kids to recite the 10 Commandments.

I pray then we all pray the Lords Prayer together.

 

[Jack K]

We do it as a part of dinner at the dinner table. Bibles, psalm books and hymnals have a spot on the table alongside the placemats and serving dishes:

- Pray, and sometimes a song

- Eat and chat

- Read Scripture. I usually start reading while the kids are still finishing up eating.

- Discuss

- More singing. Often a closing prayer.

It's informal and relaxed, not burdensome. It goes as long as we feel like, depending on discussion, our mood to sing and what we have to pray about. If something interrupts the routine, we don't freak out or worry that we've failed in our duty. Yet it IS our routine, so that feeding our souls is as much a part of daily family life as feeding our stomachs.

I learned this from my dad, who learned it from his...

 

[jwithnell]

My husband and I started praying and studying the scriptures together over the phone while we were courting at a great distance. We both believe this established the spiritual foundation for our marriage and home. We're in the relaxed mode with the family. The "always" include the time (right as the little kids go to bed) the Bible reading, and the prayer. Singing, longer discussions, careful quizzing, memory recitation, etc., have all worked their way in and out of our time together. (My 8-year-old apparently remembers when I used to sing hymns to him while he was going to sleep. Yesterday he asked me, "can you sing those soothing songs to me again?"

 

[MLCOPE2]

We have two times of family worship in our house, morning and evening. In the morning we sing a psalm, I pray for the family and our day, we then continue through our study of the shorter catechism (one question a week with 6 daily devotions and scripture readings, leaving room for our Sabbath morning routine of reading the 10 commandments before worship), pray again, and finish with another psalm.

In the evening we sing a psalm or two, recite the nicene creed, take turns praying then pray the Lord's prayer together, I give a short lesson (currently working through John), pray again, sing another psalm or two and then we're finished.

 

[Scott1]

It's commendable you are considering this. It is important that you, as the leader of the home set the spiritual tone for your family. This will be especially important for the Lord's Day.

All the above suggestions are good.

While you don't want to be driven by ritual, you do want to set an ordinary pattern, especially for the Lord's Day. It is critical that the Christian sabbath set the pattern for you and your family's life as believers.

Some practical ideas:

Be the first to rise on the Lord's Day, and quietly by yourself pray, read and meditate on the Word. Pray He will protect the sabbath, and pray for each member of your family. You will be amazed at how this sets the tone for your family.

If nothing else, dedicate a fixed time of Bible reading together as a family each Lord's Day, maybe 50 minutes. Short prayer time at the end. You lead.

 

[jwright82]

Back when I was married my ex played piano. I would pick out a couple of hymns for her, my daughter (who was like 2 at the time), and I to sing through. And then I would take them through soem section of scripture.

 

[Rev. Todd Ruddell]

I would heartily recommend James W. Alexander's "Thoughts on Family Worship". It is available for free in Google Books, and in print from Soli Deo Gloria publications.

 

[mhseal]

I have nothing to add to this discussion. Everyone has given excellent advice. I've been married for six years and early on I asked pastors and teachers how to "do" family worship... and not a single one of them was able to give me an answer. I had one pastor tell me repeatedly that "You just do it." To which I'd reply, "Yes, but how?" To which he'd say, "It's like Nike; just do it." It wasn't until I moved up to Grand Rapids and actually saw it in action that I finally understood. It has turned into a very enjoyable time for my family and I.

 

[Bethel]

We eat dinner together every night. My husband prays and we try to focus our discussion on the Sunday sermon or the Wednesday night teaching. After dinner, my husband leads our devotional. We are memorizing Scripture using the Fighter Verse program by Children Desiring God. We are also memorizing and learning the shorter Catechism using the book call Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Meade (Amazon.com: Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism (9780875523927): Starr Meade: Books). To conclude our time together, we read 1 chapter aloud from Scripture.

I like the ideas of singing hymns and a having a closing prayer; I'll talk to my husband about adding these elements (if not to our daily devotion, then maybe to our Sunday teaching time).

 

[Kevin]

We eat dinner together every night. My husband prays and we try to focus our discussion on the Sunday sermon or the Wednesday night teaching. After dinner, my husband leads our devotional. We are memorizing Scripture using the Fighter Verse program by Children Desiring God. We are also memorizing and learning the shorter Catechism using the book call Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Meade (Amazon.com: Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism (9780875523927): Starr Meade: Books). To conclude our time together, we read 1 chapter aloud from Scripture.

I like the ideas of singing hymns and a having a closing prayer; I'll talk to my husband about adding these elements (if not to our daily devotion, then maybe to our Sunday teaching time).

That is a great book.

If we could afford it I would buy a case of them and give them to every family in our church plant. Maybe we should anyway...

 

[MLCOPE2]

We eat dinner together every night. My husband prays and we try to focus our discussion on the Sunday sermon or the Wednesday night teaching. After dinner, my husband leads our devotional. We are memorizing Scripture using the Fighter Verse program by Children Desiring God. We are also memorizing and learning the shorter Catechism using the book call Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Meade (Amazon.com: Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism (9780875523927): Starr Meade: Books). To conclude our time together, we read 1 chapter aloud from Scripture.

I like the ideas of singing hymns and a having a closing prayer; I'll talk to my husband about adding these elements (if not to our daily devotion, then maybe to our Sunday teaching time).

That is a great book.

If we could afford it I would buy a case of them and give them to every family in our church plant. Maybe we should anyway...

This is the book we also use for our morning family worship. Great, great, great tool!