Resources for Private & Family Worship
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—” (Deuteronomy 4:9, ESV)
Dear friends,
In the busyness of life, in the busyness of the week, with all its cares and distractions, it's vitally important that we set aside time each day for worship. That we may be grounded in God. Below are resource and practice recommendations.
When to Worship
Morning: Privately, each of us should endeavor to spend time in prayer and in the Scriptures before the day "begins." It's best to read through the Bible with an order and purpose in mind to your reading – so whether you're reading through a particular book of the Bible, or reading a devotional commentary, you're making sustained progress in knowledge and love for the Lord.
For devotional recommendations, please let me know and we have plenty of resources at the Covenant Church book table.
There's also our printable Bible Reading Checklist (available for download below).
Evening: My recommendation is that immediately after your evening meal, at the dinner table, that you set aside time for devotions. Of course, these same devotions could take place in the morning. But if you're like me, you'll find the evenings much more relaxed and available for a more extended time in worship.
Private & Family Worship
Who: The whole household. Individuals, couples, roommates, families with children, etc. are all encouraged to make a daily habit of worship together, at a regular time.
Reading of Scripture: Just as in the morning, Scripture should be read not randomly or haphazardly but systematically. Begin your reading with prayer, asking that God would bless the reading of Scripture for those present. Even better if you have friends over for supper!
Learning from Scripture: It's helpful to meditate upon what was just read. Questions can be asked of the passage. I learned these from an ARP minister, Jan Sattem:
1. What does it say?
2. What does it mean?
3. So what? Or, how does this change my life today?
I have recently very much enjoyed reading this Family Worship Bible Guide, published by Reformation Heritage Books and available at the Covenant Church book table for $17 each. This book provides helpful questions and comment on each chapter of the Bible, and is meant to be used in a family worship context.
Posted by Joshua Hibbler on 14th Jul 2024
Singing to God: Following the Bible reading and discussion, sing unto the Lord. I'll encourage you to make use of the Psalter. There's a new order of the blue ARP Psalters on the way for the Covenant Church book table, available for $20 each.
And there's an excellent resource available to help learn the tune for singing online here. Click "The ARP Psalter" and you'll find that the tune is playable at the bottom of the page.
Prayer: The practice in my household has been to have a more extended time of prayer following the singing of the Psalm(s).
It's a great idea to keep your Covenant Church prayer card and Covenant Church Prayer requests ready for this time of prayer, that separately yet together we may come before God as Covenant Church.
A More In-Depth Guide
Our denomination has a more detailed guide to private and family worship. It's available for download below.
Private and family worship is a blessing. I'm praying that you will discover this blessing for you and your family, grow in it, and love God more by it.
-Pastor Brooks
