# Family Worship



## Prufrock (Oct 23, 2008)

I'm hoping I can hear the collective wisdom of the many here with regards to the practical aspect of daily family worship:

How do you do it in your families? Are you able to do it every day? Morning and evening? Or just one? How much time do you spend? What is the substance and format? etc.

I'm especially interested in the attempt at balance between ensuring that it gets done enough, and making sure you don't weary your family. 

Stories, examples, all would be welcome. Thanks.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 23, 2008)

These threads may be of interest:

http://www.puritanboard.com/f67/post-your-family-order-worship-30509/
http://www.puritanboard.com/f25/having-family-worship-31778/


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Oct 23, 2008)

Practically we do it right after dinner while everyone (well I have a two-year old and a 5 month old so they are not exactly going anywhere) is still there and we are already gathered together.

We pray, read Scripture, I "expound it", we sing a Psalm from the BPFS, and close with a prayer where we pray for everyone we can think of that needs prayer. Right now it is not so much a "teaching" opportunity as much as getting my daughters used to the "routine" of family worship. At total it usually lasts not more than 15 minutes.


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## larryjf (Oct 23, 2008)

I have private worship before anybody else wakes up. That readies me more for the family worship that i lead later in the morning. About 8:30am we worship together by prayer, Scripture, exhortation, prayer, praise song, the "our Father" prayer to close us out.

In the evenings we catechize.


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## matt01 (Oct 23, 2008)

Prufrock said:


> How do you do it in your families? Are you able to do it every day? Morning and evening? Or just one? How much time do you spend? What is the substance and format? etc.



We attempt to do it each night; most of the time we are successful. I don't beat myself up if it is missed on occassion. This is normally due to sickness, or when I am working late nights.

We have two young children (24 months/4 months), so we aim for 15-25 minutes, averaging somewhere in the middle. We read from the Word, sing a psalm and hymn, and then catechize our oldest (Children's Catechism).


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## RTaron (Oct 24, 2008)

We open in prayer ( the children take turns), then we sing a psalm, moving consecutively through the Psalter (Scottish 1650 of course). Next we work on our catechism question, also going consecutively through the shorter catechism. Everyone needs to know it before we move to the next question. Then we read the scripture, usually a whole chapter. One week we read from the old testament and the next week we switch to the new, alternating each week and reading consecutively through the bible. Finally, I close in prayer. Seeking to lift our hearts together in praise to the most high. I'm not sure how long it takes. Not less than 20 min. to be sure, but many times there is family discussion about the passage or general stuff that the children are thinking about. However we do teach them to regard this time as a solemn time of worship, no eating, or drinking during worship, no answering the phone if it rings, and no impolite private conversations. It is not so ridged as it sounds. The children love its regularity and simplicity. We are going on 26 years now and haven't missed too many times. We still have four left in the house, ages 12-18. 
Blessings.


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## CanuckPuritan24 (Oct 24, 2008)

Family worship has truly been a blessing for our household.... I owe much to reading the posts of others here. 

In the morning we read a godly book (right now one by Thomas Watson) followed by prayer. 

In the evenings, Monday and Friday we study the westminister shorter and catechize based on the past Lord's day's sermons. Wednesday is our 'elective study' where we do short series on various topics, currently we are studying the beatitudes but in two weeks are going to start a study of early church history (Paul-constantine). The other days of the week we read a chapter from scripture followed by some thoughts... Whatever we are doing we follow it up with a Psalm and prayer... we have especially found it helpful to read prayer letters from abroad to engage our hearts in kingdom concerns..

_"The devil hath a great spite at the kingdom of Christ, and he knoweth no such compendious way to crush it in the egg, as by the perversion of youth, and supplanting family-duties. He striketh at all those duties which are publick in the assemblies of the saints; but these are too well guarded by the solemn injunctions and dying charge of Jesus Christ, as that he should ever hope totally to subvert and undermine them; but at family duties he striketh with the more success, because the institution is not so solemn, and the practice not so seriously and conscientiously regarded as it should be, and the omission is not so liable to notice and public censure. Religion was first hatched in families, and there the devil seeketh to crush it...." _*Thomas Manton *


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 24, 2008)

There is a little quote by Philip Henry, father of Matthew Henry, which sums up very succintly what the ideal family worship should look like. 



> Those do well that pray morning and evening in their families, those do better that pray and read the scriptures, but those do best that pray and read and sing the psalms.


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## Scott1 (Oct 24, 2008)

It's wonderful so many are leading in doing this regularly in their family.

If you are looking for a place to start leading in this, I would suggest setting aside a time on the Lord's Day, say one hour to read the Bible to your family and discuss it. Pray first and ask God to help you understand, believe and obey what you read from His Word.

Then, discuss it as a family and close in personal prayer requests, with all family participating. The Bible Reading does not require study guides or other "devotional" books, only reading the Word and asking that the Holy Spirit will illuminate your understanding of it as a family. You do not have to be a theologian or know all the answers that might come up, but be faithful in leading.

Sometimes, you can pull out a hymn or Psalms and sing that as well. I like to do that, particularly when hearts are heavy.

If you set this as a regular weekly pattern, and regular expectation, and can lead in that despite everyone's moods (including your own), you will have gone a long way in leading your family. Other things can flow from that as a base.

It will be a struggle sometimes, but God will bless you for it.


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## jwithnell (Oct 24, 2008)

As we get the two youngest ready for bed, we've been reading a story from the children's Bible and a passage from the scriptures with some discussion afterward. The amount of singing we do as we put them in bed waxes and wanes.


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## Galatians220 (Oct 24, 2008)

We read a chapter in the Bible (not randomly, though; something that has significance, or consecutively), then we sing a Psalm (1650 Scottish psalter) and then we take turns praying. I praise the Lord for the grace to want to do this, and to do it.

Margaret


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## Prufrock (Oct 24, 2008)

Wow, I want to thank everyone for their responses. This is helpful, thank you. And it's so wonderful to see this many people actually still doing daily family worship--don't know too many around here...


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## CarlosOliveira (Oct 24, 2008)

The book "Family Worship" by James W. Alexander and published by Soli Deo Gloria in the 90's is very good and has many helpful instructions on how to lead family worship. You can find it stand alone or bounded together with the book "The Family" by Benjamin Morgan Palmer. The latter is published by Sprinkle Publications. I highly recommend both books!


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## bconway52 (Oct 24, 2008)

CarlosOliveira said:


> The book \"Family Worship\" by James W. Alexander and published by Soli Deo Gloria in the 90's is very good and has many helpful instructions on how to lead family worship. You can find it stand alone or bounded together with the book \"The Family\" by Benjamin Morgan Palmer. The latter is published by Sprinkle Publications. I highly recommend both books!



Thanks! I would also add that Dr. Joel Beeke's small work on family worship is great. 

Has anyone read the family worship book by Terry Johnson? 

Amazon.com: The Family Worship Book: A Resource Book for Family Devotions: Terry L. Johnson: Books


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## CarlosOliveira (Oct 24, 2008)

bconway52 said:


> Thanks! I would also add that Dr. Joel Beeke's small work on family worship is great.



 It's very good! Everything Dr. Beeke writes is great!


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## Blue Tick (Oct 24, 2008)

bconway52 said:


> CarlosOliveira said:
> 
> 
> > The book \"Family Worship\" by James W. Alexander and published by Soli Deo Gloria in the 90's is very good and has many helpful instructions on how to lead family worship. You can find it stand alone or bounded together with the book \"The Family\" by Benjamin Morgan Palmer. The latter is published by Sprinkle Publications. I highly recommend both books!
> ...




I've read the book it's very useful I highly recommend it. It has a great introduction to why family worship is necessary. Followed with a format and schedule for leading and conducting family worship.


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## YXU (Oct 24, 2008)

We sing a Psalm (RPCNA's tune, Psalms in Chinese Union Version, sometimes the Scottish Psalter but my wife has some difficulties understanding it). Then I pray and I read a chapter of scripture, then sing a psalm again and read another chapter of scripture. We usually read about 2-3 chapters of scripture and sing about 3 psalms.


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## asc (Oct 24, 2008)

Question for those with little children:
We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and we have a very hard time getting them to sit still for any meaningful length of time during family worship. How do you manage? I've been thinking of keeping it very short and slowly increasing the time. I've been worried about harshly disciplining the 3 year old in this setting because I want it to be a time he enjoys.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 24, 2008)

Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Thoughts on Family Worship -- James W. Alexander - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Family Worship: Biblical Basis, Historical Reality, Current Need -- Kerry Ptacek - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Family Worship Resources - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Family Worship -- Joel Beeke - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Family Worship -- J.H. Merle D’Aubigne - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Family Worship - Church of Scotland - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Directory for Family Worship - The PuritanBoard
Links and Downloads Manager - Worship - Daily Family Worship - F. Nigel Lee - The PuritanBoard


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