Family Worship As Warfare
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CHRISTIANITY'S HELM'S DEEP
If you have seen or read the Lord of the Rings, you will remember that the defense of Helm's Deep was one of the finest battles ever filmed or written. Today, it seems that Christianity in general and Christian families, in particular, have found themselves where the forces of Rohan once stood, outnumbered, outmatched, and in a battle for survival.
Upon the horizon of Western Civilization, the storm is raging, howling like a tempest on the open sea, and threatening to engulf the Kingdom of God and all its soldiers in a torrent of doubt and misery. Under the spell of the Dark Lord's command, the forces of liberalism, secularism, and moral relativism have been amassing armies for years, bending the education system to their will, employing the entertainment industrial complex as propaganda for their perversions, and strong-arming government to execute their commands. This warfare has been aimed squarely at the home, marriages, sexuality, children, and the faith.
Like the valiant defenders of Helm's Deep, we are tempted to look around and notice that there are but few upon our walls defending compared to the advancing legions. As a result, many have abandoned the fight, convinced themselves that there is no fight or that the Uruk Hai prefer our niceness. Yet, this small and embattled group, the covenant home, though vastly outnumbered by the forces of darkness that assail them, will likewise triumph. Not because our weapons and defenses are so great but because our God and His promises are greater than the walls of Hornburg.
This means we are not defenseless. On the contrary, God has armed our men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, to wield His weapons, which are as ancient and powerful as the faith we hold dear. The sword of truth cuts through the lies and deceptions of the enemy, illuminating the darkness with a bright and piercing light. The shield of faith protects the heart of the believer, deflecting the fiery arrows of doubt and the blows of temptation. Our banner of love waves high, even above the castle walls, as a symbol of the divine affection that sustains and strengthens us for every battle. And like the men of Helm's Deep, an abiding conviction to protect our women and children will be how this battle is won.
Today, an all-out war is being waged to snuff out the light of the Gospel and plunge this world into chaos, moral perversion, and ruin. That fight is coming for you, your home, your faith, your children, and you must be vigilant to stand. This post is for our men to wake up, remember that there is a battle, join the ranks, and do everything we can to protect our women and children from the enemy's encroachment. Our family is our future. The next generation's church will be filled with our children. And if they take the Kingdom deeper and farther than we did, we will need to prepare them well. To do that, we must recover the ancient discipline of family worship!
WHAT IS FAMILY WORSHIP?
Quite simply, family worship is daily Biblical worship that occurs within our homes. It is the male-led, wife-aided, Spirit-inspired, truth-bound, faithful, and joyful morning and evening adoration of a family unto their God. It is the hymns we sing, the Scriptures we read, the thanksgivings we share, the blessings we heap, the service we render, the prayers that we pray, and the commands we commit to both memory and action that echo from the covenant home and prepare our children for the future battle.
Think about it this way, your children are being prepared no matter what you do. They are either being intentionally prepared for a worshipful life in the service of Christ or a worshipless life in the service of self. Your home will prepare them for something; what is it?
Below are a few things to consider as you cultivate a home that worships and prepares your children for battle.
1) BE A CHRISTIAN WORTH IMITATING
You will replicate what you are. Dysfunctional people create dysfunctional homes, and dysfunctional homes produce new generations of ongoing dysfunction. Instead of that, set yourself to the work of growing in Christ. As you mature in Him, your marriage will improve; as your marriage improves, your home will too. Everything in the home is downstream of your relationship with God. Cultivate it, grow in it, and thrive there. When you thrive there, everything else will thrive too.
2) DO NOT CONCEAL YOUR FAITH
When a man builds a fire, he spends time collecting various resources such as sticks, logs, kindling, fuel, and matches. Indeed, much work goes into getting the fire going before the first ember ever smokes. In the same way, the fires of family worship will not smolder or eventually ignite without preparing the family throughout the day.
Instead of gathering sticks and kindling, your preparation comes in creating a home where it is customary to speak about God. Where children regularly ask questions. Where parents share what they are reading in Scripture that morning. Where behavior is corrected with God's love, Christ's grace, and the Holy Spirit's wisdom. Where the Gospel is applied to every aspect of home life. Where the curriculum the children learn is thoroughly centered on God. These consistent efforts will prime the fires of family worship that will burn hotter that evening.
3) KEEP IT SIMPLE
After being an example worth imitating, and creating a home that naturally and eagerly speaks about the things of God, now it is time to sit down and lead the family into worship:
Pick a time of the day that works for everyone and that everyone can consistently commit to.
Choose a plan that you will follow in leading your family. This may include picking a book of the Bible to study together, selecting a catechism to memorize and explore, or committing to a particular devotional that you will lead the family through.
Talk with your wife about how she can help support your leadership and help you while leading.
Her role as helpmeet is essential to the health of your home and the efficacy of family worship, so good conversations with her will be helpful, especially around equipping her and empowering her to support you in your role.
4) MAKE A PLAN
Note that your family worship plan should not be an elaborate liturgy that takes hours to complete but a simple plan that can be accomplished in 15-20 minutes daily. Here are some examples of what I have done for family worship.
BIBLE READING PLAN
PRAY - Open Family Worship in prayer
SING - Sing a familiar hymn
READ - Choose a book of the Bible and read 1-2 verses with the family (Pauline books are perfect for this)
EXPLAIN - elaborate on what the author of the book is saying (Keep this short and very summative)
ASK - Ask tons of questions (Ask your children about the meaning of words, context, the meaning of the passage, how we can live it out, etc.)
PRAY - close out in prayer
WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM PLAN
PRAY - Open Family Worship in prayer
SING - Sing a familiar hymn
REVIEW - Review all or some of the questions your children have memorized. (quiz them, praise them when they get it right, have goals to work toward, like an ice cream party whenever they memorize 25 questions, etc.)
TEACH - Read the next question of the catechism and help your children understand the meaning of what the question and answer are getting at.
ASK - Ask tons of questions (Ask about the meaning of words, context, the meaning of the Q&A, how we can live it out, etc.
PRACTICE - After a brief discussion, break the answer down into smaller parts and begin working on memorization (you can do repeat after me, you can use catechism songs, etc.)
PRAY - When you are finished, close out in prayer.
Whatever plan you choose, make it simple, fun, and engaging for your children. We want them to enjoy worshipping our great King and not to view it as a duty or a chore.
CONCLUSION
One of the most important works you will ever do is bringing family worship into your home. Family worship will disciple your children in the faith, give them ownership that this faith belongs to them, and prepare them for the war they will be engaged with in the years ahead. Remember, your home is preparing your children for something. The question is whether it is preparing them to be dynamic, bold, and ardent worshippers of Christ? Or is it preparing them for something else?
Do not neglect this work, brothers.
