Applying the Gospel Study Bible
For Teens and College Students
3 Essential Elements to Start a Family Worship Routine
Make Scripture Reading a Routine
When we decided to start family worship in our home, I was nervous about adding something new to our routine. My oldest was already elementary aged, and we didn’t have a precedent for this new daily activity. I worried the change would induce stress. After about three weeks of intentionality, however, I thought, “Why haven’t we always done this?” Reading Scripture together has nourished our family in a beautifully rich way that I didn’t realize we were missing.
For many families the value of studying Scripture is clear but the practicalities seem murky. How do we create a rhythm of family worship in our households? How do we prioritize Scripture when we have countless obligations vying for our attention?
Consistency is key, and ideally family worship should occur daily. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 guides us to embrace God’s word as a family not only on Sundays but every day—when our kids rise, when they walk in the way, and when they lie down. Having said this, the time of day your family gathers will vary depending on your season of life. The specific hour is less important than consistency; choose a time to which you can regularly commit and then commit! Some families choose to hold worship over breakfast, others at dinner or before bedtime. A mealtime works best for our family; as we open the Bibles beside steaming plates, I witness Jesus’s words in Matthew 4:4 come to life before my eyes:
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
This time together as a family, while precious, will not always look picture-perfect. In fact, expect it to be chaotic. Cell phones will ring with urgent messages. The cat will claw up the carpet. Soccer practice will invade worship time. Kids will squirm to go to the bathroom. Expect distractions! The enemy will fight hard against efforts that honor the Lord and equip your children in his word (1 Pet. 5:8). When challenges arise, don’t lose heart but instead press on doing exactly what the enemy fears: bringing your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Take a breath. Give the moment to the Lord. Then keep going!
Stories Woven in Silver
Kathryn Butler, Korrie Johnson
In this concise guide, author Kathryn Butler and book reviewer Korrie Johnson provide discernment, practical resources, and thoughtful notes on some of Christianity’s most cherished children’s books to foster gospel-centered engagement and conversations with kids.
How to Approach Family Worship
Three essential elements to include in family worship time are Scripture, prayer, and singing. As Charles Spurgeon affirms, “I agree with Matthew Henry when he says, ‘They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.’”1 While this may sound like a daunting addition to your already busy schedule, let me encourage you that family worship isn’t a mini church service, and it doesn’t need to take long. Choose a passage to read. Discuss it together. Close in prayer. Sing a hymn. That’s it! God will use these brief moments spent in reflection of him in abundant and life-giving ways.
1. Scripture
If family worship is a new endeavor for you, I recommend beginning with passages familiar to you as you establish a rhythm. It’s important to read Scripture contextually; model this by reading God’s word with your family book by book rather than plucking out chapters in isolation. You don’t need to study all the books in order, but when you start a new section of Scripture, read it to completion before you jump to something else. Don’t dive into the middle of Ecclesiastes on Monday, leap to an epistle on Tuesday, and then vault back to Genesis on Wednesday. Give your kids a cohesive understanding of Scripture by steadily working your way through one book at a time. If you don’t know where to start, pick a Gospel, start in chapter 1, and read one story or a pericope (a small section under a heading) every day. Have a study Bible on hand to clarify any events or terminology that might confuse you (The ESV Study Bible, available at www.esv.org, is a fantastic resource). After you read a section together, discuss the content with your kids.
It’ll take some trial and error to see how long your children can listen attentively. Be patient. This isn’t a sprint; it’s training for the rest of their lives. They may not comprehend every word, but as you guide them through difficult terms, your children’s abilities to absorb and process will amaze you. I experienced this firsthand after studying Proverbs 27 with my kids.
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing. (Prov. 27:14)
Later, one of my daughters was being rather noisy. My six-year-old son reprimanded her with, “Don’t you remember what we just read in the Bible? Don’t be loud in the morning!” Kids grasp more than we think!
I’ve been awestruck at children’s capacities to comprehend deeper theological concepts. During a typical harried-mom moment, my friend Mary said, “I’ll get to the next thing as soon as I can. I can’t be everywhere at once.” To which her five-year-old replied, “But God is everywhere at once!” He had voiced an understanding of God’s omnipresence (Ps. 139)! In another instance, my friend Emily’s four-year-old declared a ghost decoration at Halloween to be inaccurate because we are both “body and spirit,” and when we die our spirit immediately enters either heaven or hell (Luke 23:43). Finally, my friend Kyra’s son memorized Ephesians 6 before he turned two (you read that right!), and he would cite this passage during moments of discipline. Our kids can handle and begin to understand much more than we give them credit for, even at a very young age. Don’t skip a section of Scripture because you think it will go over a child’s head. God’s word always accomplishes his purposes (Isa. 55:11); we can’t overestimate the power of the Spirit to work in our kids’ lives when we guide them through Scripture.
My one caveat is that we show discernment regarding passages with adult themes like rape or prostitution. In the same vein, descriptive and violent stories might be challenging for sensitive children. I experienced this firsthand during a reading of 2 Samuel with my daughter. In a moment of incredibly unfortunate timing, we read about Absalom’s demise right before bed: “[Joab] took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak” (2 Sam. 18:14). Immediately, my daughter burst into tears. She admitted she’d been having nightmares about all the “icky death stuff” in 1 and 2 Samuel, and she begged me to stop reading. Her young mind just wasn’t ready to process the gruesome depictions in these chapters. She’s since aged a few years and can now read those passages without fear, but at that moment she most needed a hug and a comforting word.
Few sections of God’s word fit into the category of 2 Samuel 18:14, but as parents we should be prayerful about how to navigate such instances when they occur. Whatever your stance, make sure you and your spouse are on the same page. Reading Scripture daily with your children shouldn’t be complicated. Trust that the Lord will work through your humble efforts. Then open your Bible, guide them in his word, and watch as he gives life to your family.
Reading Scripture daily with your children shouldn’t be complicated.
2. Prayer
Praying together doesn’t need to follow a formula or be long-winded (Matt. 6:7). One day a parent might pray, and the next time each person might contribute. You can ask each family member to say a brief prayer (“popcorn style”) or ask one child to lead prayers for an evening. Recite the Lord’s Prayer, teach your kids the ACTS mnemonic (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication), or pray the psalms together. Whatever your approach, encourage your children to actively participate. As J. I. Packer eloquently argued, there is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God: “How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? . . . It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.”2 Your kids can best cultivate a personal relationship with God if they reflect upon the truths they read about him in Scripture and then speak with him about those truths through prayer. Teach them to come to him regularly and often, sharing their hearts and meditating upon his attributes. Family worship is a wonderful space in which to model for your kids a prayerful relationship with God. Thank him for providing for your family daily. Ask him with humility and trust to have mercy upon the hurting in your midst. Guide your kids toward an assurance that when they seek him, God will answer their prayers and deliver them from all their fears (Ps. 34:4).
3. Singing
Why sing during family worship? Because God exhorts us to praise him in song!
Sing to God, sing praises to his name. (Ps. 68:4)
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works! (Ps. 105:2)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with signing! (Ps. 100:1–2)
Studying God’s word deepens our knowledge of him. Prayer strengthens our relationship with him. Singing turns that knowledge and love for him to praise and thanksgiving. Singing is the capstone of worship!
And yet, I have a confession to make. Despite the clear role of songs in worship, our family struggles in this area . . . which is ironic, as both my husband and I have vocal music education degrees! Though we often play instruments as a family, singing a cappella at the kitchen table doesn’t have the same appeal; and yet we rarely have time to shift our worship session to the piano after dinner. Recognizing this challenge, we’ve had the most success incorporating song into our family worship when we’ve planned ahead what we’ll sing and chosen a song familiar to our children, so they can join in without prodding. Our experience has taught us that if a family struggles to sing, family worship isn’t the right time to teach kids new songs. For worship around the table, pick verses your children can sing with ease and confidence. Purchase a family hymnal or check out Hymnary.org to access lyrics and audio files to guide you.
If you can’t carry a tune, don’t be discouraged! Scripture is clear that it’s the position of your heart not the clarity of your voice that matters. Ephesians 5:18–19 says, “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Likewise, Colossians 3:16 echoes this sentiment: “. . . singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Even if your voice cracks or you can’t read music, keep singing with a glad and grateful heart—and teach your kids to do the same!
Notes:
- C. H. Spurgeon, “The Happy Duty of Daily Praise,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 32 (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1886; repr., Pilgrim, 1986): 289.
- J. I. Packer, Knowing God (Intervarsity Press, 1973), 23.
This article is adapted from Stories Woven in Silver: Pointing Kids to the Gospel Through Children’s Literature by Kathryn Butler and Korrie Johnson.
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