Devotions

KMUPC Annual Congregational Meeting Devotions

Sunday, February 13, 2011

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;

And all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” (Psalm 22:27)

When on vacation Jayne and I have always carefully thought out which church service we would attend because we have so few Sundays to sit back and worship as a guest. Once when our children were still preschool aged we took them with us to another church. We knew they would have no problem sitting quietly for an hour if we brought coloring books and things to occupy them. At one church we visited a friendly usher tried desperately to get us to leave our children in child care. On the doors of another church, a sign urged us not to bring our children into the sanctuary because they would bother the adults. I must admit I was rather put off by the fact that children were not permitted, let alone welcomed, into the main worship service in some otherwise very friendly churches. Yet this practice was fairly common among churches in the 80’s and 90’s.

But today there seems to be a growing conviction among church leaders, especially among the next generation, that children need to worship with their parents. Many churches include children in the entire worship service, while other congregations release children for Sunday school or Children’s Church (as we do) part way through the service. Though the approaches may differ, churches today seem more committed to family worship.

Psalm 22 advocates family worship. Verse 27 reads: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him." Notice that it is not just “all nations” that will worship God, but “all the families of the nations.” The Hebrew word mishpacha, translated here as “families,” refers not only to individual households, but also to larger groups of relatives or clans. The use of this word in Psalm 22 paints a picture of people from all nations gathering with their families to worship the one true God.

In a day when so much in our culture threatens to weaken families, we ought to encourage the vision of Psalm 22:27 and find ways to support family worship. Both Lari Skowron (our Director of Children’s Ministry) and I strongly believe that the primary teachers of faith for children are always their parents. Perhaps nothing will help children to grow in their faith more than seeing their own parents genuinely and regularly worshiping God. Of course this can happen not only in church services but in other settings as well, including the home. Family worship includes such activities as praying before meals, praying at bed time, serving together on a mission trip, and more. Parents who want their children to know and serve the Lord should strive to live out their faith each day in every dimension of their lives.

As the Christian community seeks to support families, we must also remember that we are the family of God together. Those who do not currently live with relatives can find a home among their brothers and sisters in Christ. In this way all of us can worship before the Lord and offer our lives in service to him.                                                                                           -Pastor Karl McDonald