Covenant Family Worship: An Update

I wrote an article on family worship back at the beginning of the Lent season, and at the end of that article, I promised you all that I would update the Covenant Family Worship Guide according to the Liturgical Calendar, and I have failed to keep with that promise. I want to sincerely ask all of you for your forgiveness, as I, in repentance, write this article for you all today!

This article is an update to the first family worship guide I created back in February. Since that article, I have changed the worship guide substantially, smoothed out some of the edges, taken out portions completely, and glorified others! I wanted to share this updated family worship guide with you, in hopes that you all will use it, in some shape or another, with your family! The biggest change to the family worship guide is that there is MORE singing in it! Seriously, you and your family will be singing 90% of your worship! I’ll speak more about singing your family worship below.

The family worship guide still follows the pattern of Covenant Renewal Worship, which I have written about here and here.

The Lord Calls Us

My family and I sing the first line of Psalm 122, composed by Dr. David Erb[1]: “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our Feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.”

Collect for Purity[2]

There is a prayer to prepare our hearts for worship in general, but also confession, “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open . . .” 

This prayer is followed by singing a portion of Psalm 51: Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God.

The Lord Cleanses Us[3]

We confess our sins together as a family, and that is followed by an absolution or assurance of forgiveness given by the father to his family. We have confessed our sins, and God promises us that we are truly forgiven in Jesus Christ.

This absolution is followed then by an acclamation of Praise to our Triune God, “Hallelujah, Praise to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Glory to You, O Lord, now and forever. Amen.”[4]

The Lord Consecrates Us

The Lord has called us to worship Him, we have confessed our sins to Him and are truly forgiven in Christ, and now we, as a family, ascend to the Lord. “Lift up your hearts . . . we lift them up to the Lord!” There is a back-and-forth exchange between Dad and the family, all leading up to the Sanctus, the song of the angels! We have ascended to Mt. Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and we now sing with the myriads of angels (Hebrews 12) the song of the seraphim, “Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of Hosts” (Isaiah 6).

Now that we have ascended into God’s presence, we hear from His Word. Dad chooses a passage of Scripture to be read to the family. As I’ve mentioned before, let someone else in the family read the passage, it keeps the family engaged and doesn’t turn it into the dad show or a spectator sport.

After the reading, the family responds by singing a triple alleluia! This helps instill a sense of joy and reverence in God’s Word in our families. It shows them that when we hear the Bible being read and taught, it is truly our Triune God speaking to us.

The Lord Collects Our Gifts

We now move into a time of prayer. Dad and/or the family choose something specific to pray for (a family, your elders and/or deacons, a season of trial, etc.) and ALL the family prays, including your little ones. Let your whole family exercise their Spirit-given faith, for faith without works is dead (James 2). 

Prayer ends with singing the Lord’s Prayer, which I have written about here.

Worship is drawing to a close now. We have been called by God, cleansed by God, consecrated by God, and God has collected our petitions, and now it is time for us to depart. We ask the Lord in song to let us depart in peace, and we do this by singing the Nunc Dimittis, or the Song of Simeon, “Master, let your servant depart in peace.”[5]

The Lord Commissions Us

Having asked to descend from God’s special presence, our Triune God not only grants our request but sends us out with His blessing, the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6). Dad should lift his hands and bless his family with God’s blessing, and preferably sing it![6]

Conclusion

Outside of the weekly gathering of God’s people on the Day of the Lord to renew the Covenant with our Triune God, family worship is the most important thing you do as a family. Family worship is non-negotiable. If you are not leading your family in family worship, you are not reorienting your family around your God. All of life is for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that includes your family worship!

A note on singing: The reason I stress so much about singing (not only in corporate worship but in family worship as well) is that not only is singing glorified speech, but it makes family worship more memorable, meaningful, and enjoyable. But, if your family is not ready to go full hog and ham, singing this entire family worship guide, feel free to not sing it all. You can take sung portions, and simply speak them. BUT, I would also encourage you to slowly implement singing this entire family worship guide. Start small, maybe sing just the call to worship, and maybe after a week or two, sing the benediction, and after another week or two, sing another portion, and then another, and before you know it, your whole family is singing to the Lord every night of the week! 

Dads and moms, look at the footnotes in this article, learn to sing these songs, and teach them to your kids as you learn and do family worship. If you don’t know how to sing the Sursum Corda, learn it! And then throughout the week, throughout the day, just willy-nilly sing it in your living room, at the kitchen table, while you're cleaning the yard or doing the dishes. “The Lord be with you.” And teach your kids to respond, “And with your spirit.” Then when family worship begins, it isn’t so strange to everyone.

One last note, and I’ve said this before. If you are completely new to family worship, it WILL be awkward, with or without the singing. DO NOT GIVE UP. Don’t let the awkwardness win! Push past it, I promise you if you do family worship for a week straight, the awkwardness will flee from you like the devil. 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Notes:

[1] Cantica Sanctorum: A Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs by David Erb, Logos Press: Moscow 2016, Psalm 122.

[2] Taken from the Theopolis Liturgy and Psalter, Theopolis Institute: Birmingham 2020, Vespers Service.

[3]Ibid., Vespers Service.

[4]  This song, along with the Sursum Corda, was sung at Church of the Redeemer Church in West Monroe, LA every Sunday Lord’s Day service. You can watch their services here: (1) Church of the Redeemer - YouTube

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.