“This is the most important thing we do together as a family” is a common refrain heard in our house as the sun sets. It is as much a reminder to me as anyone else in the family. After a long day filled with work, busyness, and the craziness of life, it would be easy to zone out and relax absentmindedly. However, I cannot. The time is too short. My wife and I are blessed with four children for whom we are responsible. This is not just a responsibility to feed, educate, and prepare them for adulthood. We are called to raise our children to know and love God.
Consider God’s call upon His people, “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” (Deut 6:5-7 ESV). The practice of family worship is rooted in Scripture and observable throughout church history. Charles Spurgeon noted, “… in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no Family Worship… How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance when his own disciples do not teach His Gospel to their own children?”¹ But what does family worship look like? Family worship starts with three simple acts: read, pray, sing.

Read
The foundation of family worship is the Bible. A small passage read and explained will be sufficient (reading from a good storybook Bible will do if the children are little). It should be read with reverence and joy to communicate the nature of God’s Word to your family.

Pray
Reading the Bible should naturally launch you into a time of prayer. The prayer should reflect the passage just read along with the current needs of your family. The length of the prayer may vary based on the age of your children. There is never a need to weary the little ones.

Sing
We are called not only to know God, but to praise Him. Singing solid songs teaches children to do just this. Songs should be simple and accessible for your family. A good hymnal is a great blessing. Younger children will often gravitate toward this aspect of family worship first.

In each of these elements of family worship, it is essential that the whole family be engaged. Once able, children should take part in reading the Bible passage, leading the family prayer, and raising their voices in praise. Family worship is a journey that will be met with many challenges. However, it is always worth it. Summer often provides opportunities to be together more often with your spouse and children. This summer, make it a point to enjoy the Son together as a family.

Recommended Resources:
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung
Teach Me to Pray: Praying God’s Word from A to Z by Kristen Wetherell
The Sing! Hymnal by Keith and Kristyn Getty

¹Charles Spurgeon, A Theology of the Family: 5 Centuries of Biblical Wisdom for Family Life, 2nd ed., ed. Scott Brown and Jeff Pollard (Church & Family Life, 2025), 62.

The Sabbath – in Hebrew, Shabbat or שַׁבָּת. For the Jewish people, it is the day of rest that begins on Friday before sunset and concludes on Saturday after sundown. The word Sabbath simply means to cease or to rest, but it is far more than meaning inactivity or laziness. When God created all that we know, Genesis 1 tells us that, on the seventh day, He rested. His resting, however, was not because God was tired. It was a rest that showed that everything that needed to be created was complete, and it was a rest that allowed God to enjoy and engage with His creation.
In Mark 2:27, Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What Jesus meant by that is that the Sabbath was never meant to be a burdensome law to keep just of the sake of keeping a law. The Sabbath was created for man’s benefit.
Christians obviously are not under the law but under grace. For us, Sunday is our day of worship, reminding us that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matt 5:17). Thus, Christ would call us to worship Him, not out of obligation, but from the heart. A Sabbath rest is needed for all of us, especially as we head into the summer months; but how do we accomplish that need?
1. Work out your summer schedule to keep Sunday worship as a priority. If you need to travel on Sunday, remember that we have a 9:00 am service. Attend it with your family, then head out on your adventure.
2. Step away from making worship a “have to” and talk with your family on how it is a “get to.”
3. Genuinely rest on Sunday. Use this summer to find ways to enjoy Christ and His blessings on Sunday. Meditate on one thing that you learned in Sunday school or from Pastor Steve’s sermon. Use your lunchtime to discuss the worship service. Use Sunday’s text as a devotion with your family during the week.
4. Visit another church while on vacation. While it might be intimidating, this practice will help you keep worship as a priority but also help you be sensitive to what guests are feeling when they visit Westwood (we want to be friendly, but sometimes we are friendly with those we know, not those who are new!).
5. Find ways to serve during the summer. Sharing in service allows others to have a rest also.
6. Make sure that you are resting on Sunday. I am afraid that we sometimes need a vacation from our vacation because we are so exhausted. Therefore, rest. Think about God’s creation and enjoy it. Focus on the goodness of God. Rest. Cease. Relax. Enjoy.