Household Worship

18 April 2024 Written by Rory Weightman

For hundreds of years (since Deuteronomy 6) households have gathered together each day to learn, worship and pray together as disciples in God’s family.

For many of us, we are familiar with ‘personal devotions’ but not used to ‘household’ or ‘family devotions’. Whatever configuration your household looks like whether many and varying ages or you alone, we can all grow in the rhythm of carving out regular time to turn our minds towards heaven and seeing that shape our everyday lives here on earth.

During 5 meals across this week, why not have a go experiencing a taste of household worship. If this is something totally new to you, don’t expect the habit to be formed by the end of this week. Start small. These times are guides, examples for you to try and adapt to your situation.

The examples will typically follow a variation on “Read. Pray. Sing.” Things we are all familiar with from Sunday worship services. Take 5-10 minutes each time. Shorter is better. Try to make it engaging and aim the content at the youngest person present (not always easy!) 

Suggestions are given for different people to have a role in the time to involve more of the family or household.

Day 1

Devotional

One person choose a devotion.

Examples: 

Tabletalk magazine (old copies available for free at Reforming House) https://tabletalkmagazine.com/todays-study/

In the Lord I take Refuge- Podcast

https://www.crossway.org/articles/in-the-lord-i-take-refuge-daily-devotions-through-the-psalms-with-dane-ortlund/

Devotions books on our church library: https://www.librarycat.org/lib/ReformingChurch/search/text/devotion 

Second read the passage

Fourth person read the devotion (may need to skip or condense if young kids in the group)

Fifth person share something that stood out for them

Sixth person pray based on the passage or devotion

Optional extra- play a song from “Reforming Church Bendigo Songs” playlist on spotify and sing along.

Day 2

World Mission

Go to https://operationworld.org/ 

Pray for Today’s Country 

or

Sign up to and print out latest Chris and Naomi newsletter (email streamsoflivingwater33@gmail.com) 

Share between different people reading sections. 

Make sure to show pictures to kids

When it gets to a prayer request- stop and someone different pray

Day 3

Catechism Time

Cat-e-what-ism? Learning by question and answer!

Options-

New City Catechism (App) http://newcitycatechism.com/ 

Children’s Catechism https://reformed.org/historic-confessions/the-childrens-catechism/

Spotify album: https://tinyurl.com/53ev2a6k

Shorter Westminster Catechism https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-shorter-catechism 

Audio Podcast- https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/Westminster-shorter-catechism 

1. One person pray

2. Choose a catechism (young kids may prefer New City as has catchy songs)

3. Second person choose the question (or start at number one and see how far you get)

4. Third person read the question (without showing everyone else)

5. Everyone try to answer the question then third person answers if not correct

6. Fourth person read the Bible reference(s) 

7. (Shortcut for young kids losing attention span) Play the song

Day 4

Bible story time

1. One person choose a Bible/story Bible (if young children use one of theirs or borrow from the bookstall but if you spoil it you buy it!)

2. Second person choose a story (maybe somewhere from the gospels or Acts)

3. Third person read the story

4. Fourth person answer a question (pick any question from this list)

Under 5’s – What did you like about the story?

5-7 – Do you have any questions about the story?

8-11 - What do you learn about God (Father, Jesus, Spirit)? 

12+ What does this story show us about who we are and what we need? How does Jesus make sense of this passage?

1. If anyone can think of a song that relates to the story/passage then play on spotify/youtube and sing along

2. Sixth person prays related to the passage

Day 5

Gospel conversations

Go around the table and each share a high, low, grow or whoa

High- best thing that happened today

Low- worst thing 

Grow- something they learned about God

Whoa- favourite Bible verse or story

Parents/adults try to look for connections to the gospel & prayer eg in the low- How could/did you ask God for help about this? 

Each person pray for the person to their right (or whoever wants to)

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