When it comes time to eat, don’t ask me to decide where we go. It’s not because I don’t want to go - I do! It’s not because I don’t have preferences – I do! But when the moment of decision comes, I’m overwhelmed by the possibilities. The list goes on and on and on…but it ends in paralysis.

Do you ever feel that kind of indecisiveness? Maybe you’re like me and can’t pick a place to eat. Or maybe you’re a channel surfer, unable to pick a show and stick with it. How about Bible reading plans? Many families are paralyzed by the possibility and our worship suffers as a result. If the only worship we do is on Sunday mornings, we’re most definitely malnourished. We need to learn how to worship at home. So, over the next few weeks, we’re going to write a series of blog posts about family worship.

This first one is both the simplest and hardest. It’s simple because it’s clear what to do. Just do something! It’s hard because we can get paralyzed by the possibilities and end up doing nothing at all. If you wait for the perfect family worship plan, you’ll wait forever. Even the most perfect plan won’t survive the macaroni getting knocked over or losing a cleat just before soccer practice.

One of the most important ways you can lead your family in worship is by leading them to gather for it. Nothing else happens without this first step. Here are two considerations to help get you started:

1. When? – When are you going to do it? In the morning before everyone sets off for the day? In the evening before everyone calls it quits? Around mealtime when everyone’s gathering anyway? There’s no wrong answer here, but you have to pick a time. Consider a time that works for your family and go for it.

2. What? – What are you going to do? You don’t need to sing the doxology over breakfast (but you certainly can). My advice is to keep it simple. The more elaborate the plan is, the more likely it is to get dropped after a week. Maybe you read a chapter from the Bible, but there’s nothing wrong with just reading a few verses. Maybe everyone prays, or maybe just one person.

Leading your family in worship starts by breaking the inertia. Messy worship is better than no worship. After all, life is messy. Get everyone together as best you can and do something. Just making the effort to gather at all is an act of worship because it says something about God: he’s worth our time. Few things are more disappointing than new Christmas gifts that get shoved unused in a corner a week later. God has given us the best gift we could ever receive – eternal life through Jesus our Lord. Let’s spend some time gathering around that gift!