FUN FAMILY WORSHIP
WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I heard someone say, “Ready, set, SHOOT!”
How clever is that! I thought. I’d always heard, “Ready, set, go.” I wanted to use my clever new saying with my family, but I could never think of a way to use it just in passing.
Then during worship one evening I said, “Let’s all say the Lord’s Prayer together after our worship prayer. I’ll tell us when to start.” At the right time I said, “Ready, set, SHOOT!” I expected some kind of reprimand, but my parents must have understood my childish indiscretion and let it go.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 tells us to prepare our hearts since we really can’t share with our children what is not in our own hearts. Verse 7 says to teach God’s words “diligently.” Our planning and interaction must be diligent. The same verse tells us when to do the teaching: when you “sit in your house” and when you “walk by the way.” This could be translated “in the house and in the car.” Both of these times can be great for sharing spiritual wisdom to help children keep up their relationship with Jesus through the day. Pray for them, and with them, that God will protect them from harm and also from evil.
You’ve probably heard of the little game “I Spy.” We used that with our children, calling it “I Spied God.” In family worship at the end of the day, we all tried to remember times when we “saw” God working for us. This not only gave us occasion to thank God but also helped us remember to watch for Him all day long.
Verse 7 also says, “when you lie down, and when you rise up.” To me this indicates morning and evening family worships. Indeed, these take time, and we seem to have so little to spare. But can we think of anything better to do with our time than to lead our children to Jesus?
Morning worships need to be quite short because the family is hurrying to leave the house. A page out of an interesting devotional book could be read together followed by a short prayer. Be sure to pray for each child by name. Our children need to hear us praying for them. That might be what will protect them from indulging in any wrong act when it presents itself. They can remember Mom or Dad praying for them.
Try to make evening worships memorable. Plan interesting content that will interest the children and ask God to guide as you plan. Consider your children’s likes and make spiritual applications of them in worship. Have the children help make the plans and carry them out in worships. This is a time when “I spied God” can be shared with the family.
