So why do Christians gather to worship week in and week out? The answer is that there are at least three very good reasons: to acknowledge God’s presence and worth, to remember that we are not alone but part of a community that is growing and learning, and to offer a visible witness to ourselves and others. But when we gather to worship for these reasons, what do we do? We celebrate!
The keynote of worship is celebration. At times in its long and winding history the church has lost its sight of this. But that is what Sunday mornings are all about—celebrating who we know God is (wow—he is our Father) –celebrating what Jesus has done for us (wow—set us free from the consequences of our sin)—celebrating that can live in relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit (wow—we are not alone).
God is a God who throws parties. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Jesus told adults to keep their eyes on the children if they wanted to know what God is like. Left on their own, adults develop strange ideas of what worship should be. …in the purely adult world, God frequently comes across as a cranky old grandfather..but children seem to know instinctively that God likes celebration.
Christians are people who are called to live in community, and we are a community of learners. We need to realize how impossible it is to be a Christian on our own, not to mention half the fun.
As Redeemer Church comes together, we’ll have three approaches to worship, in order:
Personal: We encourage you to engage in prayer, particularly on Fridays. We also hope you’ll have personal moments of worship to thank God for what happens in your life day to day.
Small Groups: As you share our challenges with friends, we hope your Friday prayers will no longer be something quiet and personal but something you share with the team. Share the moments when God was at work in your life, and pray about them!
Celebration Events: Up to now, our celebration events have been just about fun, but in a few months we’ll start to host events with worship component. We want to hear from you what will help you worship God as part of a larger community.
Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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Families learn through routines.
One blog author wrote: “What families regard as important is evidenced by the manner in which they spend their time.” How do we spend our time? Watching TV, playing video games, or shopping? Sadly, many families devote more time to these things than they do teaching their children about God, or just simply spending quality time together.” http://theresurgence.com/2009/08/19/discipleship-starts-at-home-part-1
Yesterday we talked about teaching Christian values in day to day life, but what about teaching them the source of those values? Today we’ll focus on reading the Bible together.
Here are some tips from http://theresurgence.com/2009/08/22/discipleship-starts-at-home-part-2
Find a good children’s Bible.
Remember to have fun with your children while learning the Bible.
Keep the time brief to hold the child's attention.
Recite the verse several times a day in your child's presence so it becomes familiar to them.
Make flash cards with Scripture on one side and the book, chapter, and verse on the other.
Put the verse to music or rhythm. Your child will enjoy singing and clapping their hands.
Think of fun activities to make the verse fun and easy to remember.
Tell them you are proud of them and have them recite it to someone else, like a grandparent or teacher.
Pray with your children every day at meals and before they go to bed at night.
Some other resources: http://www.sermons4kids.com/ and http://www.dltk-kids.com/
Challenge: What routines will you introduce into your personal and/or family life to practice Christian faith? How can RTC support you as a family? What kind of church community would help you disciple your children? Complete our survey here:
Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8TS7K93
