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Family Worship and the Restoration of the American Christian Home

By Anonymous
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan



family,worship
"The time has come to strengthen our American Christian homes and to return them to their historic role of building the foundations of America's Christian character."  Verna Hall


How can the American Christian home return to its historic role of building the foundations of America's Christian character?  How can we effect great change in America "at the dinner table"?  


Discipleship, homeschooling, church attendance are all good things.  What if as a Nation we restored (or established)  a habit of family worship?  Don't you fall in love with the sound of that?  I might say that most Christian women would love to see family worship time happen in their homes.  But, often times the demands of life take our eyes of Jesus and onto the "tyranny of the urgent."   We don't have time to worship, we don't know what it should look like, and frankly, it's been so long since we've engaged in it we've forgotten what it is!



Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines "worship" as, "Chiefly and eminently, the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like."  Is there a pattern here we could use in our family worship?  


Adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like. 

Again, from Webster's 1828...
Adoration-"Adoration consists in external homage, accompanied with the highest reverence. It is used for the act of praying, or preferring requests or thanksgiving, to the Supreme Being."

Confession-"The acknowledgment of a crime, fault or something to one's disadvantage; open declaration of guilt, failure, debt, accusation"  & also, "The acknowledgment of a debt by a debtor before a justice of the peace"

Prayer-"In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. A prayer however may consist of a single petition, and it may be extemporaneous, written or printed."

Thanksgiving-"The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies."
Family worship can be as simple as a time of praying, confession, adoration and thanksgiving along with the reading of God's Word.  You could incorporate this into your regular homeschooling day, or better yet..talk to your husband about leading a family worship time.  He might be uncomfortable in doing this so just encourage him!   Family worship does not have to be fancy or elaborate.  Just consistent and real.  Talk to your husband today.  

Here are some helpful resources for you:
What ways do you incorporate worship?  Do you have a family worship time? What keeps you from having a family worship time?  What can you do today to make family worship a reality in your home? Do you have any resources you'd suggest?
(originally posted on A Cherished Keeper )

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