Family Worship Guide for Easter

 

From Ministry to Children


Here is a simple devotional guide to help families worship Christ together during Easter time. It might be ideal for Saturday evening before Resurrection Sunday. Family Worship is the regular and intentional assembling as a family unit to worship God by reading scripture, praying and singing praise. This brief worksheet will help you lead your family in a short time of devotion on Saturday. Children should be involved as much as their age allows. This devotions should last between 15-25 minutes.

Step 1: Gather the family

If this is a new experience for your family, keep it very simple. Have the whole family gather in the living room together. Even the very young children should participate. Turn off any radios or televisions that might be distractions.

Step 2: Read scripture

If your children are confident readers, ask them to read portions of scripture from their bibles. Prepare in advance to explain any difficult words.

• Read Mark 15:33-47: Discuss v.35 where Jesus says to God “why have you forsaken me?” Explain this was Jesus quoting Psalm 22, which foretold what would happen to the Christ. As Jesus took on our sins, he suffered the great punishment in our place. He became our substitute and took what we deserved.
• Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: Discuss the central elements to the Easter story. (Died, buried, raised, appeared to witnesses).  Discuss the importance of the phrase “according to the scriptures.” Explain that Jesus’ death was predicted and promised in the Hebrew Bible. Discuss the importance of Jesus appearing to many witnesses. Explain this was a real historical event, not something imaginary. Many real people saw it.

Step 3: Pray

Lead the family in a time of prayer. Include elements of Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession and Requests. The pray time should focus on the passages you have just read and be a response of worship to God.

Step 4: Sing

Select a song that is familiar to your family. Using a worship CD may be helpful. Many families prefer to sing without background music. Choose songs that remind you of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.  Sojourn Kids has posted some wonderful original music you can use. “The Cross Is Not The End” and “God’s Love Goes On Forever

Freedom From Sin - Spurgeon

"Jesus said unto them, If ye seek Me, let these go their way."
--John 18:8 

Mark, my soul, the care which Jesus manifested even in His hour of trial, towards the sheep of His hand! The ruling passion is strong in death. He resigns Himself to the enemy, but He interposes a word of power to set His disciples free. As to Himself, like a sheep before her shearers He is dumb and opened not His mouth, but for His disciples' sake He speaks with Almighty energy. Herein is love, constant, self-forgetting, faithful love. But is there not far more here than is to be found upon the surface? Have we not the very soul and spirit of the atonement in these words? The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, and pleads that they must therefore go free. The Surety is bound, and justice demands that those for whom He stands a substitute should go their way.

In the midst of Egypt's bondage, that voice rings as a word of power, "Let these go their way." Out of slavery of sin and Satan the redeemed must come. In every cell of the dungeons of Despair, the sound is echoed, "Let these go their way," and forth come Despondency and Much-afraid. Satan hears the well-known voice, and lifts his foot from the neck of the fallen; and Death hears it, and the grave opens her gates to let the dead arise. Their way is one of progress, holiness, triumph, glory, and none shall dare to stay them in it. No lion shall be on their way, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon. "The hind of the morning" has drawn the cruel hunters upon himself, and now the most timid roes and hinds of the field may graze at perfect peace among the lilies of his loves. The thunder-cloud has burst over the Cross of Calvary, and the pilgrims of Zion shall never be smitten by the bolts of vengeance.

Come, my heart, rejoice in the immunity which thy Redeemer has secured thee, and bless His name all the day, and every day.

Jesus Gave Up Everything For His Bride.

Here is a familiar story…

I just wanted to be heard.  Is that really too much to ask?  For once in my life, I just wanted to have to share what I have been through and all of my junk… and she wanted nothing to do with it.

It’s not too much to ask for, is it?  What about all my problems?

My bad day…

Job going bad…

Friends being weird…

This is not what I planned for…

My past…

Oh sure, I HAD to listen to her, but why wouldn’t she listen to me?

Classic story, right men?  Often times it seems as if we have to listen, a lot, and our wives, not so much.

Here is the truth, our marriages are supposed to reflect the relationship that Jesus has with his bride.  Some would even say that they DO reflect it.  Now I know, I know – how can we truly reflect something that is impossible to reach?  After all, we are not Jesus.  We are not perfect.  We can’t truly love and cherish our wives like He does the church.

That command is not an excuse.  Nor a crutch.  We are not exempt from attempting at what the gospel declares. 

Picture this:  Jesus came to court his bride and did so by washing her with His Word.

He gave up His glory for us.

He had to remove His crown for us.

He couldn’t talk to His Father face to face.

He didn’t have the fellowship of the Trinity.

He was not in Heaven.

He was living among sin.

He was being tempted to sin.  Continually.

He was not being worshiped like He should.

He had the pressure of the world on Him.

He knew the physical pain that His life was leading to.

He knew the emotional pain that His life was leading to.

He knew the spiritual pain that His life was leading to.

And not once did he complain to His bride.

In fact, he did the opposite. 

John 13:4-10 “He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…”

I know that our first thought is to share our _________ (fill in the blank here) with our wives and tell them how hard our life is, but what our wives really need is for us to just wash their feet.

That’s all, just wash their feet.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross (Col. 1:19–20).

Don't Waste Your Cancer

From Between Two Worlds:


The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

I Want to Believe God.

I don’t want to just believe in God anymore.

I want to believe God.

What I mean by that is that I don’t want to be identified with just the same belief that the demons have.  In the book of James we read that the demons believe in God.  I don’t want to settle for the same as that of a demon.

I don’t want to stop at believing in God.  I want to make sure that I am believing God.  Period.

For anyone can believe in God, but not everyone believes God.  Here is a list of promises from God for those who are His:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  -- Romans 8:38-39

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -- 1 John 5:4-5

"The Lord remembers us and will bless us... he will bless those who fear the Lord - small and great alike. May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." -- Psalm 115:12-15

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." -- Psalm 46:1-3

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." -- Psalm 18:2

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me." -- Psalm 138:7

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." -- Isaiah 43:1

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." -- Isaiah 40:29

What other promises are you believing today?

What Do You Want to Be Known For?

Earlier in 2010, there was a mass gathering of people in Vancouver BC, Canada for the Winter Olympic Games. All for the purpose of celebrating diversity in sports and the spirit of human ability. Hundreds of people entered to be the best in their sport category. Many played, few won. Medals were handed out and records were broken.

In November of 2009, the team from Guinness World Records organization decided it would be good to hold a "World Records Day," encouraging people all over the world to set their own records. You can see some of them by clicking here (viewer discretion is advised).

This one in particular, I thought was a little funny.

Joel Waul, 27, stands on top of his rubber band ball on the driveway of his home in Lauderhill, Fla., Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. Waul, a 27-year-old who works nights restocking a Gap clothing store, has spent the last six years carefully wrapping and linking and stretching rubber bands of various sizes into the ball shape. The Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world's largest rubber band ball in 2008. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Now, I don't want you to hear me saying that celebrating great feats of mankind should not be celebrated. I most definitely think we should. My family, like many others sat glued to our TV sets watching many of the past winter games. It was thrilling.

Even some of the recent Guinness World Records are creative, fun, exciting and thrilling - and need to be celebrated as well.

But my question or rather the reason for this post is what about you? What do you want to be known for?
Ski jumping?
Largest ball of yarn?
A messy home?
The husband of a frazzled wife?
The father of a family that is disconnected from the Word?

Men, I want to challenge you to step up and be the man that God has created you to be. No more slacking off. Today is the day. God has created us as federal heads of our homes. Let's take that label with gusto.
For our wives.
For our children.
For the church.
For the glory of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”

I Am Committed

A love song.

Usually when we hear love songs on the radio (or the Disney channel), they are either one of two things:  mushy or depressing.  Why is that? 

The reason why, is because the "world" does not know how to celebrate great love.  Love that lasts forever.  Love that is committed.

In the Word, we certainly see the standard set.  Christ died for His holy bride.  In Eph. 5, Paul writes,
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body,

Here is a video from Sho Baraka, were he attempts to showcase the very thing.  Watch it, I hope you will be encouraged.



Men, let's rise up and commit ourselves to purity, righteousness, truth, love.  It's so worth it.  
For our kids.  
For our wives.  
For the Gospel.  
For the glory of Christ.