One of these very important activities is Family Worship. It is important because families are kept safe and healthy only by the presence of God. One of the things that must characterise a family is obedience to God’s Word. This is emphasised many times in the Book of Proverbs, e.g., “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (1:8), and in Deut 6:6-7:  “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them 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.” When families come together to seek God, He will be present in our midst: “For where tow or three gather in My Name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:20).

Let me suggest some ways of conducting it. First, every member must make family worship a priority. That is, when it’s time for family worship, put away whatever you are doing. Commitment is key to success, without which it will fail. The question each family member must answer is this: Do you believe that Family Worship brings to the family God’s presence?

Second, keep the family worship to not more than 13 minutes. These are several things you can do: (1) after opening in prayer, sing one or two songs. You can use songs or hymns taken from our church song books. Many of these songs can also be found on the internet. (2) Read a Bible passage and a short sharing. You can read a passage from the YouVersion phone app. The leader can then provide a short explanation and application of the passage. Alternatively, you can use materials found on the internet. One resource is “Our Daily Bread” (https://odb.org/2019/11/21/beautifully-burdened). (3) This is the most important part of the family worship: share a thanksgiving item and a prayer request. Take turns to pray for each other.

Family worship can be conducted once to several times a week. Start with once a week. Remember, on this day and time, everyone must put aside everything he or she is doing. When a family comes together to seek God’s favour, God will be with you as Jesus promises, “where two or three gather in My Name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:20). Also, by sharing, you strengthen family bonds in a very meaningful way: by sharing your thanksgiving item, you share your joy with the family; by praying for each other, we strengthen each other with divine strength.

Doing Family Worship is difficult not because the things to be done are difficult. The difficulty lies in getting everyone to come together. To succeed, each member must agree to be committed. I suggest that if one family member could not be present, carry on without him or her. But do be committed because this time will be blessed. I urge you to start family worship this coming week.