From the beginning of our history, the family has had a mission. That mission involves being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, and subduing every square inch of creation so that God’s kingdom will come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Gen 1.26-28; Matt 6.10). That’s a rather large mission for any one of us or any one family to think about! Thankfully, God hasn’t given the entire mission to one particular household. The original family–Adam and Eve–was fruitful and multiplied so that the family became families that began to spread out throughout the earth. Some of these families were united together in their rebellion against God, while other families were united together in their loyalty to God. The rebellious families worked against God’s original purpose, and the loyal families worked for God’s purpose for them and for the entire creation. We, the church of Jesus Christ, are now the family of God made up of families who seek to fulfill God’s original purpose of fruitfulness, multiplication, filling the earth, and subduing the creation to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Your Christian family is integral to this larger mission of the church.
In order for your family to fulfill its God-given mission, the first thing that must be done is for you and your family to be subdued to the lordship of Jesus. This begins in fulfilling our mission to enter into the presence of God to hear from and speak to him. This is prayer. God’s plan is for the world to take a certain shape, to look like heaven. We won’t know what that is unless we first hear from him. This is where family worship or family prayer comes in. Family worship is time dedicated to prayer and the Scriptures in the context of daily life. It is focused and purposeful reading and meditation on Scripture and responding to God in confession, praise, thanksgiving, and supplication. One of the goals of family worship is to shape your family as a whole and each individual more into the image of Christ.
Those whom God has placed in authority in the home (principally husbands and fathers but also wives and mothers) are expected to be leading the household to be shaped by the Scriptures. God expected Adam to lead Eve. Paul instructs the Corinthian women to seek instruction from their husbands at home (1Cor 14:35) as well as fathers to bring up their children in the culture and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). Proverbs speaks several times not only of a son listening to his father, but also to his mother (Pr 1:8; 6:20; 23:22). This instruction is to take place throughout the course of daily life (Deut 6:4-9) as well as having dedicated times for prayer. No one method of family worship is prescribed by Scripture, but the principle of developing our families as Christian families begins by leading them to be worshipers of God. It is incumbent upon Christian families to spend time in prayer.
Family worship has a bigger purpose than your specific household. Your family worship serves the church, the family of God. Regular, faithful family worship has each of our families dealing with sin, being instructed in righteousness, and praying for the needs of others. When we are being confronted with the Scriptures, dealing with our own sins, and praying for others, the peace, purity, and unity of the church are being promoted. As we practice faithful family worship throughout the week, we are also being prepared to gather with our larger family, the church, to participate in corporate worship. Our minds, hearts, and bodies have been cultivated all week for this gathered worship. Our children have been trained to distinguish worship time from playtime. As your family is disciplined to set aside time in which the children are trained to speak and not speak, they are learning how to submit, deferring to others, and worship in unity with their brothers and sisters. Family worship contributes not only to your own personal discipleship but also to the discipleship of the entire family, thus fulfilling Christ’s commission to his church.
Family (or household) worship should never be seen as a replacement for worship with the rest of the church. Paul distinguishes what goes on in households from the gathering of the church when he speaks to the Corinthian church (1Cor 11:17-34). Nevertheless, family or household worship is vital to the health of the church. Since the church doesn’t gather every day for prayer, our health is maintained through individuals and families being disciplined to meditate on the Scriptures and spend time in prayer. In order for the church to be faithful, its individuals and families must be faithful. To remain faithful, we must be continually transformed by the renewing of the way we think about God, one another, and the world around us. This does not happen by meeting together once or twice a week. We must be shaped daily by meditation on the Scriptures and prayer. Your family worship is one discipline that shapes you and your family to think and act biblically.
If family worship is to take place, it must be deliberately scheduled. Like any other discipline, family worship will not “just happen.” If left unscheduled, it will be left undone. Due consideration needs to be given to the schedules in the household, and there will need to be flexibility at times. But if family worship is to be a part of your family’s life as it should be, there will have to be some time in which you say, “Everything else must be set aside. Now is the time for family worship.” It is good to have family worship around meal times since that is generally when everyone, or most everyone, is there. Whenever it is scheduled, it must be scheduled.
Family worship will also require some preparation. This may not be extensive preparation as if you are preparing a lecture, but there will need to be a “plan of attack.” What are you going to do? Is there a liturgy/order you follow? Where will you be reading? Those things need to be thought through. There are many materials out there to help you work through the Scriptures. You may even draw from weekly sermons, focusing on different points in the sermon and discussing them with your family. Even if you are only reading through books of the Bible, have a plan.
Family worship should include Scripture reading and prayer, but it may also incorporate the use of catechisms and creeds. You may want to include singing as well. There are no hard and fast rules about what you should and shouldn’t do. If you only read the Scriptures and pray, that’s fine. If you have very small children, those may be the only things you are able to do. The situations change depending on the life stage of your family. If your children are really young, ten to fifteen minutes may be a long family worship time. As they grow older and interact, you might spend much longer. Know your family and adapt. But whatever you do, don’t neglect the Scriptures and prayer in your home. The discipline is rewarding, and the rewards are eternal.
