Worship Christ as Lord during this Christmas Season!

This morning I pulled a book off the top shelf of the bookcase to look at it again after many years. This is a special book. I gave it to John, my husband, several years ago when we started thinking about having family worship. It's entitled: "Daily Family devotion; or, Guide to Family Worship" by the Rev. John Cumming and was published in Edinburgh, Scotland around 1700. Many years ago (about 20) we asked our friend and pastor, Scott McAlpine, who is from Scotland and now pastors a church in Washington, DC, to bring us a book like this when he took a trip to Scotland. We have treasured it ever since.

Inside the book, W. Lindsay Alexander writes an introduction which reminds us of the importance of family worship. Here is an excerpt:

The institution of family religion has come down to us from the remotest
antiquity, invested with the highest sanction, and recommended by the noblest
examples. The first social worship in our world was family worship. When the
progenitors of our race gathered around the altar hard by the gates of lost
Paradise, it was as a family group that they assembled: and though error and
ungodliness too soon introduced schism into their little society, and set up a
rival altar to that at which they worshipped, yet in the line in which the
primeval revelation was preserved, the worship of the true God by devotion and
sacrifice was followed, and the father still officiate as the priest and
minister of his household.

Abraham, the friend of God, content to dwell in tents, and to lead a nomade life, that he might show that he sought not an earthly settlement, but a heavenly inheritance, was careful, wherever he pitched his tent for any protracted stay, to build there an altar, that he might call on the name of the Lord. His example in this respect was followed by his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob. And that in thus providing for the worship of God they sought not merely their own spiritual benefit, but were solicitous also for that of their households, is evident from ceretain statement in the brief record of their history.

More on this tomorrow.......

Family Education - Hebrew or American?

Families today hear a lot about the importance of shaping and discipling the next generation. Along with that envisioning we have a lot of tools and resources to equip families to disciple their children. But there still seems to be inactivity on the part of Christian parents. Why? We realize that parents have a great potential in developing spiritual strong young people.

Could it be there we are not basing our ministry in the home to raise up disciples on a holistic model? One that involves the spiritual, relational, experiential and instructional dynamics of transformation.

Let's learn from the ancient Jewish education. These lessos may help us fram the nurturing in our own families. The practices of the Jewish home show a holistic process of transformation. According to Edward Hayes in his book, The Biblical Foundation of Christian Education, "The relgious rites of Hebrew people were occasions for pedagogy. Household ritual provoked wonder, reverence, and joy, as well as questions." Parents should strive to intentionally set spiritual goals and think about a holistic process to disciple their children to know and love God.

Ancient Jewish families viewed the "extended family" when they defined the term family. Today, how can we think more creatively about inter-generational people building?

In ancient Jewish homes, all generations were learning together. Life together, conversations, working together and eating together were more prevalent in Jewish homes. It's pretty hard to have conversations when we rise up (referring to Deuteronomy 6) and laong the road when we are too busy or when we don't have a plan.

So what does this mean to us today as we discern our responsibility as parents to train and disciple children?