Worshiping at Home May 3, 2020

Worshiping at Home

May 3, 2020

GETTING READY TO WORSHIP TOGETHER AT HOME

When a family that includes children worships at home, it will look more free form than what happens in a sanctuary.  Especially HEARING THE WORD will be more active.  Children explore God’s word with eyes, voices, hands and even feet as well as their ears.  Within this free form it also good to have a few rituals that are repeated every week.  You will find suggestions for both ways to hear God’s particular Word each week and rituals that surround it every week.  Over the weeks, every family will develop their own worship style.  This week focuses in the Acts description of early Christians - they “broke bread together with glad and generous heart, praising God.”

My family many years ago

Set up your worship space.  Create a simple worship space spreading a pretty piece of fabric on a table and placing a Bible open to John, and maybe a candle.  Add a photograph of your family.

It is possible to worship together without singing at all.  But if your family sings together, decide before worship what you will sing.  Sing whatever songs about Jesus and God your family knows.  If you have been singing Easter songs, sing them today.  (It is still Easter season.)  If you have instrumentalists, decide early enough that they can practice.  Or, Google the titles of songs to find YouTube videos for singing along.

Praise Ye the Lord, Alleluia

Jesus Loves Me

I am the church, you are the church we are the church together

WORSHIPING GOD TOGETHER

CALLING YOURSELVES TO WORSHIP

Worship leader gathers the family saying:   “Acts 2:46 says of the early Christians ‘they broke bread together with glad and generous hearts, praising God.’  So come, let us worship God together.”

SINGING FOR GOD AND JESUS

Sing one or more songs of happy praise songs or Easter songs that you selected as you got ready to worship.

TELLING GOD WE ARE SORRY AND HEARING THAT GOD FORGIVES US

A parent reminds the family that each one of them have things they need tell God they are sorry about, maybe from the last week, maybe from a long time ago.  Allow a full minute of silence for everyone to close their eyes and talk to God about the ways they have messed up.  The same parent then says, “Look at me.  God promises us that whenever we mess up and are truly sorry, God forgives us.  God always loves us no matter what.  Because God loves us no matter what, we can love each other no matter what.  So…”  Pass the peace as you do in the sanctuary if you are all healthy.

HEARING AND EXPLORING THE WORD

Read Acts 2:46 and ponder these questions together.

How do we rate ourselves on “they broke bread together with glad hearts”?  Are our mealtimes glad times? 

What ways are we generous to each other and to other people?

How do we praise God?

What could we work on doing better?

OFFERING OUR GIFTS AND LOVE

Plan to live together with glad and generous hearts this week.  Each member of the household writes or draws a promise for the coming week to another member of the family, e.g. MOM, I will wash dishes one night this week; SON/DAUGHTER/SIBLING, I will read with you after dinner each night this week.  When you finish, say a brief prayer giving your cards to each other and to God.  Sing whatever song you sing at offering time at church.

PRAYING FOR OURSELVES AND THE WORLD

Together gather things to pray about for yourselves and the world.  Either gather all concerns with one person writing them down to read as a list of prayers.  After each prayer, all say together, “Hear our prayers.” Or, simply take turns offering prayers to which all respond.  Close praying the Lord’s Prayer together.

SING ANOTHER SONG – Point out that the Doxology begins, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”  Define blessings as all the wonderful, good, important things in our lives, then together list blessings.  You may want to go around the family circle or let people chime in as they think of blessings.  When you run out of steam, sing the Doxology together with glad and generous hearts.   

BENEDICTION

Each member of the family says to at least one other person, “Go in peace.  God loves you and I love you.”  This may be done by going around the circle or with each member of the family saying it to every other member of the family.