LEFC Guide to Worship at Home
May 3, 2020
$ Introduction
$ Home Worship Guide
$ More Links to Helpful Resources
Introduction
Dear Church Family,
I wish we were gathering
together for worship in our building on our campus this Sunday. Sadly, we are
not, and it currently seems that we may be in for a longer wait
until it is wise and loving to gather in large groups once again. The Lord
gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be praised.
For now, we continue to worship
at home and use technology to connect with and care for one another. We have
prepared another ten-step guide for families to use in home-based worship.
You’ll notice that the theme of rejoicing
continues throughout. As followers of Christ, we have so many reasons to
rejoice! Lord-willing, I will be posting another video message this weekend on
Philippians 1 where Paul says that exact same thing, “I Will Continue to
Rejoice.”
Our “Worship in Unity” this week
features an important piece of theology from the Westminster Larger Catechism,
the “big brother” to the one we used last week. It succinctly captures what we
believe happens to a Christian when they die. When the WLC speaks about
“members of the invisible church,” it means “invisible” now in that we cannot infallibly tell from the outside if someone
is truly a Christian on the inside, but
God does know! And it also means “invisible” then in that after a Christian dies we cannot see them at all, but
we know that they are safely with Christ.
I hope that your family is
singing together these days. Singing together is the thing I miss the most
during this time away from our worship gatherings. However, we don’t need to be
at church to sing, and we do need to sing. It’s good for our hearts and helps
us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us.
What time are you going to
gather your household this weekend to worship the Lord Jesus Christ?
In His Grip,
- Pastor Matt
P.S. CityAlight, a group from
whom we’ve learned a number of our worship songs, just released a new one
titled, “Your Will Be Done” which I think has a great
message for us today.
Home Worship Guide
1. Call to Worship
Read Psalm 33 with joy as your
family gathers to worship the Lord.
Have someone pray and ask God to
bless your time of worship at home.
2. Worship in Singing
As a household sing “Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry (1876).
**Option. Families with younger
children might also or instead choose to repeat the song from the end of last
week’s worship guide: “Rejoice in the Lord Always.”
Parents might plan to do this short song for several weeks because repetition
helps us to learn something well. Don’t forget that it is also a canon you can
sing “in the round.”
3. Worship in Unity
Recite together Question #86 of
the Westminster Larger Catechism (1648).
Q: What is the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the
invisible church enjoy immediately after death ?
A: The communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the
invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is, in that their souls are
then made perfect in holiness, and received into the highest heavens, where
they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption
of their bodies, which even in death continue united to Christ, and rest in
their graves as in their beds, till at the last day they be again united to
their souls.
4. Worship in Lament and Thanksgiving
When Job’s children died, he
responded with great faith and said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken
away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21).
Have each family member share
something that the Lord has given and something that He has taken away.
Gave:
__________________________________.
Taken Away:
__________________________________.
After each member speaks, say,
“May the name of the LORD be praised.”
**Option: During the family
fellowship meeting on Zoom today, we are going to ask everyone, especially the
kids, to tell us something the Lord gave you this week. Prepare a family
spokesman to tell us about the Lord’s gifts to your family in the last seven
days.
**Option. Have someone pray a
prayer of lament that we are not all partaking of the Lord’s Supper together
again today.
5. Worship in Bible Memorization
Recite Philippians 4:4, the
first of our new “Hide the Word” verses for this Spring:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I
will say it again: Rejoice!”
**Option: Don’t wait until the
verses get long and difficult to memorize. Have each family member close their
eyes and say the verse out loud. Remind everybody to rehearse it each day this
week.
6. Worship in Prayer
Take prayer requests and pray
for each other.
Read the prayer guide together
and pray for the rest of the church family and the requests listed.
7. Worship in the Word
Watch or read Pastor Matt’s
message: “I Will Continue to Rejoice.”
Some
families may want to watch/read the message on their own and then have a Bible
study and discussion together during this time.
Application Questions for Personal Reflection
and Family Discussion:
1. Why
did Paul insist that he would continue to rejoice? Would I do the same thing if
I were in his situation?
2. Am
I prepared to die? Why or why not? If not, what do I need to do be ready?
3. Why
did Paul expect to go on living at that time? What can I learn from his example
for my own life right now?
8. Worship in Singing
Sing
“In My Life, Lord, Be Glorified” by Bob Kilpatrick (1978).
**Option:
Our church’s hymnal includes 3 verses, “In my life...” “In my song...” and “in
Your Church...” The author’s original had a 4th verse,
“In our home, Lord, be glorified.” Consider adding a 5th verse that
corresponds to today’s message from Philippians:
“In my death, Lord, be glorified, be
glorified.
In my death, Lord, be glorified, be glorified
someday.”
9. Worship All Week
Have
someone pray a prayer of commissioning for your family as you end this time of
gathered worship and face a week of new opportunities and new challenges to
serve the Lord, the church, and the world in His Name.
10. Participate in LEFC Family Fellowship
Meeting on Zoom.
- See
one another’s faces and hear each other’s voices.
- Tell
the group something the Lord gave to your family this week.
-
Interact with Tim and Debbie McIntosh as they retire from active missionary
service.
- Pray
for one another live and online.
More Links to Helpful Resources
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