
Men, do you lead your family in daily worship at home?
The discipline of leading regular family worship can be challenging, whether you're a young father just starting out or have simply fallen out of practice. Many of us did not grow up with daily family worship. It wasn't modeled for us, and it wasn't an ingrained habit as we began having our own children. We understand the importance of praying with and for our children each night, and have likely accumulated various children’s Bibles and Christian books. However, the concept of “family worship” can be foreign to us. You may be wondering, what exactly is family worship?
One pastor provides a helpful definition: “Family worship is the regular use of Scripture, song, and prayer by a family unit, guided by the head of the household.”1
This simple definition reminds us that family worship does not need to be complicated: open the Bible, discuss the passage, sing a psalm or hymn, and pray together. Your time together can last 10 minutes or an hour; you can go on to incorporate catechism and scripture memorization, you can sing acappella or play the piano, use a devotional guide or come up with your own, gather around the kitchen table or sit together on the couch. The specific details can vary, but the key is consistency.
Consistency is the real challenge we will face. The most important things in life are often simple, but we have a hard time keeping them at the center. Good intentions often give way to the demands of baseball practice, ballet lessons, church events, long work hours, and the temptation to simply check out for the night once we arrive home. It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that Sunday School is sufficient and we can outsource the responsibility of our family's spiritual growth. This is a grave mistake. While the ministries of the church are invaluable, opening the Bible in our homes each night, singing God’s praises, and praying together as a family will have a far greater impact than any program or camp.
Pastor Joel Beeke puts this truth well: “Family worship is a most decisive factor in how the home goes. As goes the home, so goes the church, so goes the nation. Family worship is the foundation of biblical child-rearing.”2
Fathers, we are called to lead our families and our chief responsibility is spiritual. As we look to Scripture for guidance to lead, remember the command given to the people of God after receiving the Law:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9, ESV)
This passage is a call to fathers to lead. Our love for God should permeate every aspect of our lives and be continually taught to our children, binding God's commands on our hands and as frontlets between our eyes, writing them on the doorposts of our houses and gates. God's Word should be ever-present and central in our homes. As fathers, we are called to diligently teach our children about the Lord and integrate His Word into our daily routines and conversations. Our children will see that faith is not confined merely to Sundays, but is a vital part of everyday life. Family worship is the fire that stokes the flames of a life saturated in God’s Word.
While Lord’s Day worship is the foundational commitment, family worship further testifies to our children about our priorities and commitments. When they see us consistently setting aside time each day for worship, despite our busy schedules, they learn that the Lord is truly the Lord of our lives. This time together fosters godly conversation about faith, repentance, communion with God, and applying all of God’s Word to all of life. It provides a time for our children to ask question, to be reminded of the Gospel of Jesus Christ each day, and to hear the faith of their fathers.
Men, let us stand up and heed the call to lead our families in worship. Read the Word, sing the Word, and pray the Word with your family. Pass on your faith to the covenant children that the Lord has given to you. Build strong and godly families and pray the God would impart a robust and resilient faith that can withstand the challenges of the world. Show them how to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Our goal is not perfection but faithfulness. When you fail, and you will fail, start again and again and again.
Blessed is the man who never stops starting family worship.
Recommended resources:
2 Joel R. Beeke, Family Worship (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2002).
John St. Martin serves as pastor at Reformation PCA in Mankato, MN.
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