Family Worship Help

[jwithnell]

This article about family worship might be useful in light of questions posted from time to time about what to include and how to engage smaller children. I especially appreciate the examples of how the practice can change over time in the life of a family.

 

[Jake]

This looks helpful as we are newly married and will be Lord willing including children in the coming years in our family worship. One thing I notice that is strangely absent is singing. Is this not normal to include in family worship? For us, family worship is the main time of learning and practicing the psalms.

 

[jwithnell]

Jake, I think this is one of the things that might shift depending on the age. For example, for a long stretch, when our two youngest were less than about 4, we would sing hymns while putting them in bed and ask them the children's catechism to which they had learned hand motions. I've been at the author's house and they sung the parts of the worship service that are repeated every week, like the Doxology, perhaps to better ensure their kids (then much younger) really knew them. It is not unusual at our house to haul out a hymnal and start singing at random times, especially when anticipating a hymn we don't know well that is to be sung on Sunday.

 

[Jack K]

One of the helpful things about that article is that he puts into words what many parents feel.

Unless a man and woman were brought up in families that regularly had family devotions, it can feel uncomfortable in our individualistic age to pray and read the Bible together, even if they are accustomed to doing those very things alone.
When children come along, parents will often sense a need for family devotions, but are not sure what do to. The things they try seem to fail (“Are we just bad parents?” “Are our kids the devil’s spawn rather than children of the covenant?”).

There are many good ways to go in terms of what to do and how much time to spend. But parents need to be encouraged to make a habit of it even though, for many, it will feel weird at first.

 

[whirlingmerc]

Mine are now in college and I write them something once a week... and go over it in person when possible
I'm a little surprised how little I've seen family devotional addressed in church
In the last forty years I don't recall any sermons on the subject
As an elder we gave each family a book on Shepherding the Family by Tim Witmer and had at least one seminar

 

[jwithnell]

Mine are now in college and I write them something once a week.

That's a lovely idea, and a good way to encourage ongoing devotions as the kids venture out on their own.

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

s

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

Do you think singing is an essential element of worship?
Dave Maurmann
PHX
OPC

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

We always sang in the psalter in family worship and I really don't see if it is essential in corporate worship why it would not be essential in family worship (unless you are lumping prayer and singing into one element of worship). Now in individual worship, with no hearts to unite in song, it would not be necessary.
Dave Maurmann
PHX
OPC

 

[jwithnell]

Others have noted the value of Psalm-singing for helping their children learn and memorize the Psalms, so clearly, that's a great idea. And we are told to sing to the Lord in many places in the Psalms and I definitely see the perspective that God's people are a singing people. But I don't know that you can develop a "thou shalt" about it in every instance of family worship. Just as the church may not observe a sacrament in a particular service, or may sing 5 hymns or two (or all Psalter selections!).

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

I was influenced by the Directory of Family Worship and by J.W. Alexander's little book "Thoughts on Family Worship". I am glad this minister, Chip Hammond, is writing about family worship, since it seems to be mostly ignored (as Michael posted above).
Regarding family singing, I am not trying to force a "thou shalt sing", but I think it is a good question to ask, "what are the elements of worship". And ask questions like, do we read the Bible? Do we pray? Do we sing? If the answers are all "no", then maybe it would be just a devotional.
Yes, it is practical to sing from a psalter so your children can learn the psalms and it depends on which psalter you use in that case when you have a practical objective. Many psalters cut-out huge chunks of the individual psalms, e.g. 1912 Psalter that GCP used for their psalter selections in the Trinity Hymnal. I am hoping that the new OPC/URC Psalter-Hymnal will not rely too much on the old 1912 Psalter.

 

[Jake]

Here's a helpful resource I found recently from Joel Beeke. I'm not in complete agreement with it, but I found it helpful. He also specifically addresses how to go about Psalm singing with younger children, which may be helpful.

http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF Books/FamilyWorship.pdf

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

Jake: Thanks for posting Joel Beeke's excellent book on family worship. I read it several years ago. Not sure what you would not like. Now it might be that people are more in favor of informal instruction/worship that some in this string have referenced. We did it the other way (Directory for Family Worship, Alexander's book, Beeke). If you worship daily with little children with Scripture, prayer, singing, confession of sin, etc., they learn to worship God daily rather than only once a week in church. I think it is good to make the distinction between the worship we give God all day long and the appointed time to stop and worship him as an individual, family, congregation. Maybe some of this new Lutheran 2-Kingdom thinking has an effect also, of making people think that worship is only for inside the church.

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

(I forgot to key-in) Dave Maurmann
Phoenix
OPC

 

[jwithnell]

If you worship daily with little children with Scripture, prayer, singing, confession of sin, etc., they learn to worship God daily rather than only once a week in church.

Very true: worship in the home is excellent training for public worship. This became critically important for us since we have a son with developmental disabilities and took a long time to learn appropriate behavior in any worship setting.

 

[aadebayo]

Hi

I do not know if anyone has seen this link. It is very good.

https://youngpuritan.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/a-simple-guide-to-family-worship/

 

[Tim]

Regarding singing in family worship, here is the opinion of the authors of the Westminster Directory for Publick Worship (section: Of Singing of Psalms):

IT is the duty of Christians to praise God publickly, by singing of psalms together in the congregation, and also privately in the family.

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

Yes, thanks, good article. What I cannot understand is why someone would not want to do this. I love my family and I cannot imagine family life without family worship. If you love your wife and children how could you not do it? Which leads me to the next question again, why is family worship such a rare topic?

Dave Maurmann
PHX
OPC

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

IT is the duty of Christians to praise God publickly, by singing of psalms together in the congregation, and also privately in the family.

[/QUOTE]
Yes, thanks, Tim. According to the Directory for Family Worship Singing is an essential element. And if it is an essential element in corporate worship, I see no reason why it would in family worship be otherwise.
Dave Maurmann PHX OPC