To Start
Bring your kids together in a place where they will be able to focus and pay attention. Maybe this is around the kitchen table or on the carpet of your living room. Wherever it is, be intentional about creating a special environment for your kids to share in family worship. Know that family worship will look and feel differently for each family and does not have to be perfect. Your children will remember the time spent with you as a family so work to create a space that is safe and loving for them. Also, decide before you begin what you will need to gather for your worship experience to run smoothly. If you are playing songs together as a family, go ahead and gather instruments. If you are doing communion get bread and juice ready. If your children will be coloring while you watch the sermon go ahead and have crayons and a coloring sheet ready. A few minutes of prep will make your time together seamless and enjoyable!
The family worship time is designed to mirror our time in service and incorporate your children into this worship and discussion time. You know your family best so be sure to structure this time in the best way for your family, setting up space for your children to move, make noise, and play within that space.
Prayer
Open by praying and asking God to lead your time together as a family. God brought you together as a family and has kept you this week. Open by thanking him for caring for each of you this week. If one of your children is able, allow them to open in prayer for your family and for your time.
Adoration
Each Vintage Service and Kids class begins with songs of adoration. Feel free to tailor this song time to fit your family and ages of those in your family using some of the choices below. Vintage Live stream will include worship songs for you to sing along with, or feel free to choose one or two of the following to enjoy as a family with younger children at this time. Bringing in ways your children can move and worship is important, so putting instruments in their hands, allowing them to dance and clap, and even substituting one of the Vintage songs for a kid-friendly song you sing as a family can bring worship together for you all at this time!
Confession & Assurance
After spending time adoring God through singing and prayer we enter into a time of confession. This is a beautiful time as a family where you can discuss what it means to make choices that are unlike the ways of Jesus and repent or turn back to God. Discuss with your family how we do not experience shame, but Jesus erased the power of sin and through him we are completely forgiven and covered by his grace. This can be a great time to model as a parent what it looks like to repent, sharing with your child or children something that you are repenting of and the freedom you have to confess. Leave space for your children to do that as well. Be sure to take time to truly repent. This is your moment of assurance as much as it is a teaching time.
Lesson & Sermon
If your children are able, watch the sermon together as a family. This week our sermon will be different from our children’s lesson as we respond to how the Lord is working during this trying time.
If your children are younger, they may want to use headphones and listen to the story from Matthew 20:25-28 told in a child-friendly version by one of their favorite Vintage Kids teachers. Click here for Pre-K, and click here for Elementary. Your children will be learning about God’s Kingdom and how Jesus came to serve. The teachers will charge them with a question to think about at the end, so be sure to have paper, something to color with, and/or something to build with for after the story is over so that they can reflect on their time in scripture in a way that works for your family.
After your children watch their lesson video they may want to respond by coloring our Vintage Coloring Sheet while you listen to the rest of the sermon, or by building with legos what they learned.
Family Response & Activity
After the sermon we respond. This is a great time to share with your family what it means to respond, and how each action is a response to what God has done in your life. If your child isn’t at the age where he or she understands the sacrament you are participating in, we still encourage you to model that sacrament and explain to him or her the meaning behind each sacrament. What a great time to slow down and share what you believe with your children!
We respond in a few ways at Vintage: we sing in confidence that we are a part of Christ’s church. The live stream will take you through a few songs together. Be sure to choose at least one song your children will really be able to engage in and enjoy, even if that means turning down the live stream and playing a family favorite from Spotify! Second, we also declare our dependence to our Good Father by giving tithes and offerings. As you give talk to your children about how everything we have is not ours, but it first belongs to God. If your children are old enough you can even have conversations with them about how you made decisions to give the amount that you give, how often you give, and what that money goes toward. To give online visit this link. Finally, we take the Lord’s supper as a picture of worshipful obedience to Christ and as a means of Grace by which we are reminded of our place in God’s family, the church, as adopted sons and daughters. We remember Christ’s body broken for us and His blood spilled for us. We recommend reading aloud from Matthew 26:26-28 as your family partakes in the taking of communion to remember the meaning behind the meal you are taking.
Talk To Your Kids: Based On Matthew 20:25-28
PRE-K
What kind of leader was Jesus? Jesus was a servant! He came to serve others!
ELEMENTARY
What are some ways Jesus has served us? How can we take what he modeled and serve others? Think about how to serve a member of your family while you are in such close quarters with them!
STUDENTS
What would the world look like if we were striving to serve and love others instead of seeking our own glory? What is something we can do to love a neighbor or member of our family this week?
For more guided activities during the week, click here!
This is a great time to visit the serve site as a family and see how you can get plugged in, loving and serving as Jesus did during this difficult time for many! Are you already serving? Remind your kids of the reason you serve. It isn’t because of your own good, but because of who Jesus is. Jesus said he came to serve, not to be served. We serve because Jesus served first!