Is family worship practical in this day and age? One man said, "My wife and I both work full time; I leave at 6:30 a.m. for work, the children catch the school bus at 7:15, and my wife leaves at 7:30. Almost every night it seems there is something going on: band practice, choir practice, church committee meetings, etc. We tried family worship, but it engendered so much strife that we finally gave it up."

There will be no family worship in Seventh-day Adventist homes unless we recognize its vital importance and are willing to carve out time for God and family togetherness. "Fathers and mothers, however pressing your business, do not fail to gather your family around God's altar. Ask for the guardianship of holy angels in your home." Child Guidance, p. 520.

Let me suggest a few reasons why I think family worship is important:

1. Children learn to pray. They begin to recognize the power of prayer as they see family prayers answered.

2. Regular family devotions will build a wall of protection around your children. We live in a world that is seductive, corrupt, and sinful. "The youth in this age must be fitted by the grace of Christ to meet and overcome evils which have been introduced into society.... There should be a living, growing interest in storing the mind with Bible truth. The precious knowledge thus gained will build a barrier about the soul." Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 36.

3. Family worship helps build family solidarity. In this hectic age, we need family togetherness. A genuine closeness is hard to achieve.

4. Regular morning and evening family worship will help to "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers..." (Mal. 4:6, NIV).

Family worships can be "intensely interesting," "pleasant," and "enjoyable." In order to make this possible, our worships should: Be "brief and full of life," "varied," and "to the point," (See Child Guidance, pp. 521, 522.)

Family Worship Strategies

1. Build a series of worships around the stories of angels. Look up "angels" in a concordance which will give you lots of Bible passages containing interesting stories.

2. Select a Bible story in which the characters dialogue. (The parable of the great banquet, Luke 14:15-24; the story of Lazarus, John 11:3-44.) Assign the parts to be read by the family members. A narrator reads the connecting phrases.

3. Find ten proverbs that you think have meaning for families today and talk about how they can be applied to your family.

4. Read a continued story suitable for the age levels of your children.

5. Use nature items for spiritual object lessons.

6. Read a devotional book together, alternately reading paragraphs.

7. Plan a series of worships around Psalm 1.

Avoid long prayers; don't moralize; take time to visit with your children--especially on Friday evenings; encourage questions; and involve small children by using finger plays and motion songs.

My mother was a strong believer in family prayers. There were four children in the family. Mornings were often stressful--only one bathroom in those days. I don't remember ever getting out of the house in the morning without mother gathering us all together for prayer. We always knelt for prayer. Mother's prayers were short but intense. She would mention each one of us by name. She prayed for our protection, for God to keep us from sin, to help us to be faithful in all things. Those prayers had a profound influence on my life. In times of temptation I remembered them. At night our worships were longer. Mother usually read a portion of the Primary or Junior Sabbath School Quarterly, or a few verses from the Bible. Then we would discuss their meaning. The memory of those family devotions helped me to schedule family prayers for my own family.

What is the condition of your family altar? If it is broken down, take the initiative and reestablish it. If you are currently conducting a regular family worship, think how you can improve it. Prayers ascending to God from sincere Christian families are pleasing to God. "Prayer is communion with God, the Fountain of wisdom, the Source of strength, and peace and happiness... The Lord has a special interest in the families of His children here below... Morning and evening the heavenly universe take notice of every praying household." Child Guidance, pp. 518, 519.

(Adapted from How to Teach the Bible With Power, by Charles H. Betz, published by Review and Herald, 1995, Chapter 14. Available at the ABC.)