An Introduction To Worship In The Home

Family worship serves an important role in shaping both children and adults in their Christian formation. More specifically, every family is continuously exerting influence on its members by the ways they order and live out their lives. This echoes the adage that Christianity is more often caught than taught. Therefore, the underlying question is not "?Are we shaping our children for Christ??" Rather, it becomes, "?Are we forming them to receive or reject Christ??"

Scripture reminds us:

Impress them (the commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. (Deut. 6:7–9)

Barry Liesch observes that this worship is situational, affective, and based on the modeling of parents (Barry Liesch, People in the Presence of God [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988], 54–56). The Puritans, like earlier Jewish families, understood the great forming importance of the family. They perceived the home as the church in miniature and therefore a place to pray, worship, and focus on God.

This approach to family worship assumes first of all that the adult members of the household have taken seriously their relationship with the triune God. How do they perceive and understand God in their own lives? What are they doing to draw nearer to God so as to more effectively model that to others? In this generation of change family structures have not been spared. No longer is the average home comprised of a husband and wife and a couple of children. Single parent homes, blended families, or even households headed by a grandparent can experience worship that is biblical, healthy, and positive when the adults are actively pursuing their own Christian growth.

Therefore, one of the central spiritual tasks of the family is the cultivation of awareness and celebration. Sara Shenk defines it this way, "?Celebration is the honoring of that which we hold most dear. Celebration is delighting in that which tells us who we are. Celebration is taking the time to cherish each other. Celebration is returning with open arms and thankful hearts to our Maker?" (Sara Shenk, Why Not Celebrate! [Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, 1987], 3). Celebration is built on the symbolic repetitive acts of ritual, play, feasting, fasting, and acknowledging both joys and sorrows. While celebration comes easy to children, that is not always true for adults. The cultural barriers of rationalism and materialism have done much to reduce the ability to celebrate. Rationalism has the tendency to strip the wonder, mystery, and imagination from life. At its basic core, rationalism converts everything into an object to be analyzed, controlled, and tragically exploited. The unfortunate derivative of materialism is that we, humans, have accumulated so much that large quantities of our time is spent in caring, guarding, or paying for our possessions. This gluttonous tendency further reduces the potential for celebration and gratitude. Jesus Christ, the grand celebrator, can rescue us from these cultural obstacles and teach us how to worship with meaning. The Scripture captures Jesus in various settings, which exhibit his appreciation of and gratitude for life. He shared the joy of a newly married couple and provided wine when their supply was depleted (John 2:1–11). He dined with Pharisees, tax collectors, friends, and potential disciples (Luke 7:36; 10:38; 19:7; Matt. 9:10). He welcomed little children into his arms and blessed them with his love (Mark 10:16). When his dear friend Lazarus died, Jesus sought to console the grief-stricken Martha and Mary (John 11:17–37). As a Jew, Jesus continued to participate in the Jewish feasts and gave specific directions to his disciples so they could celebrate the Passover together (Matt. 26:18). The upper room gathering formed the foundation for the later celebration of the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24–25). The example of Jesus Christ encourages us to take seriously the realities of life. That is to say, celebration is not an escape or temporary reprieve from the difficult rigors of life. Rather, celebrations intensify reality and dynamically point us beyond ourselves linking us to God. Gertrude Nelson reinforces this concept, "?All good ceremony asks us to engage and make real the problem at hand and to feel and express fully both the dark and light sides of reality, its joy and its fear or pain?" (Gertrude Nelson, To Dance with God [Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist, 1986], 41). Further, Christian families do not celebrate in a vacuum. Their gathering in the name of Jesus Christ reminds them that Christ is present with them in both their joys and sorrows. Children and parents alike often find symbols helpful to reinforce and remind them of this presence. In our media age, we realize that today's images become tomorrow's memories. Creative expressions of pictures and symbolic objects that encourage children to offer their own examples can be a valuable means of connecting them with Christ and solidifying their worship experience. Nor should we view our family celebrations as an idle waste of time or energy for they "?give us perspective?" and "?save us from taking ourselves too seriously?" (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline [San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1978], 168). Even amidst the dark seasons of life, worship and prayer can return our focus to God. Yet another enriching result of family worship is the ability to create a growing sense of family identity and belonging (see Arlen Roy, "?Use Family Rituals to Strengthen Church Families and Congregations,?" Action Information [Alban Institute] 17:6 [Nov./Dec. 1991]: 6–9). The world can often be cruel and unjust, seeking to tear us down. The home, however, inspired by the living presence of Jesus Christ, can communicate the necessary message of acceptance and affirmation. Family rituals, which include our observance of birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, special events and achievements, Christmas, Easter, and other dates of the church year, reinforce our relationship with God and to one another. The actual expressions and worship practices will vary greatly from family to family. That does not matter. The key principle is that families realize that they are not alone in the world and can draw upon the presence and strength of God to find both guidance in time of need and joy in times of gratitude. Before using the following liturgies for family worship, one additional comment should be made. Especially when young children are present, let us not fall into the trap of seeing worship as something we do "?to?" or "?for?" our children or family. A healthier and more balanced approach is to engage in these practices "?with?" our children and all who may be visiting within our home. That may necessitate altering certain words or forms, but sensitivity that provides opportunities for all increases the overall participation. Involving all our household will instill rich memories and assist in the dynamic process of Christ's formation within each person's life.