These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6.6-9)
If the atom in the “physics” of the faith is the individual soul, then the molecule is the nuclear family. The first lessons learned, the deepest hurts either inflicted or cured, the most intimate secrets shared are all in the family. For this reason, family religion is - in a certain sense - the truest sort of corporate religion there is. Or perhaps better said, it is the seed bed in which corporate worship and public godliness are planted and nurtured.
St. John’s wants to encourage family religion in a variety of ways. One way is through encouraging a regular devotional life in the family, with Bible reading and prayer. Another is through catechesis, the process of systematically inculcating important information into each family member.
We offer the resources below to those ends.
Catechesis has been something that has always been part of God’s covenant with his people. Catechesis is implied in the comment that the Apostle Paul makes about Timothy’s faith: I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. (2 Timothy 1.5) The conversation between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch is catechesis. Paul’s instructions to fathers requires it: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6.4)
The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are catechetical tools. The work of the reformation was very largely a work of catechizing the church, as is evidenced by Luther’s Catechism in Germany, the required use of the Elizabethan Homilies in England, Calvin’s Genevan Catechism in Switzerland, and many other such works, all of which provided revitalized tools for teaching and worship.
It’s in this spirit that we offer this little work. This booklet will be used as the basis for training throughout the various grade levels in our Christian Education program. We also commend it to you as part of your home devotional life.
From grandparents of the ripest faith, to harried parents finding bits of time here and there to disciple their children, to little children lisping their faith as best they can, a common faith can be nurtured in a common expression. The Book of Common Prayer is our "language" of worship. This little work can become our "language" of education.
May God use this tool as a blessing in the life of your family, reaping a return on investment that is beyond your imagining!
This was first presented to the families of St. John’s, with love, by the members of the Christian Education Committee on "Youth Sunday" (The Fifth Sunday After Easter), May 17, 2009.
We are very pleased to be able to offer several helps for personal devotions and family religion. There are two primary tools:
In order to download the above tools, right-click on the link and select 'Download' or 'Save' in the context menu. These tools will also be printed out and available at church for those who wish to pick them up.
Below, you'll find a variety of other suggestions for Bible reading plans. A couple of comments about these sites.
This site offers a variety of devotional options, including an online one year Bible reading program that you can read directly from your web browser.
This plan was downloaded from Perimeter Church, in Duluth, GA.
This is the plan that is used in the St. John's devotional guides. It is also available as a PDF file for downloading to your hard drive.
We are not using the lectionary from the 1928 BCP for family devotions and the astute reader will probably ask: Why not the lectionary?