Private & Family Worship
A Christian’s time of Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer ought not be restricted to their time of gathering with the church on Sunday. While Sunday bears special significance to us, our whole lives are dedicated to the purposes of God. And while there is something unique about gathering with the church, the Lord is always present with us.
Moreover, parents have a unique responsibility to train their children in the ways of the Lord, which calls for regular instruction in the word with prayer.
It is in light of these realities that the elders of the church encourage the other members of the church to nurture patterns of private and family worship: setting aside daily time to read the Bible and pray, both individually and as families. Below are some resources that we commend for your use. All of these resources are available online for free or on the church bookstall at a significant discount.
Resources for Regular Bible Reading
The Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
There are many good Bible reading plans available. The one the elders commend for your consideration is the M’Cheyne bible reading plan.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne was the pastor of St. Peter’s Church of Dundee, Church of Scotland, from 1836 until he contracted Typhus Fever and died in 1843. In December of 1842, just a few months before he died at the age of 29, he wrote and distributed a Bible reading plan to serve the private and family worship of the members of his church. The plan included 2 readings a day for private worship and 2 readings a day for family worship, along with pastoral instruction.
The M’Cheyne plan can be utilized in a variety of different ways, and Christians shouldn’t feel like they need to read all 4 readings every day to make good use of it. And, because the M’Cheyne plan has been widely used by Christians, there are many good companion resources available for it. Some of those resources are shared with you below.
D.A. Carson’s Devotional Commentary
D.A. Carson has published a very helpful M’Cheyne companion resource in two volumes: For the Love of God, vols. 1 & 2. Each volume selects one M’Cheyne reading and provides a devotional commentary on that reading each day. Both volumes are available at a discount on the church bookstall. The Gospel Coalition has also made this content available via audio for free at the following link: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/devotionals/read-the-bible
M’Cheyne Calendar Tabs for Your Bible
Below is a pdf template of 4 M’Cheyne Calendar Tabs to place in your Bible for easy access to each of the readings. Premade, laminated copies can be found at the church bookstall, as available, one per person.
Here are the instructions to make as many copies as you would like:
Downloaded the pdf below.
Open the pdf and print out a color, double-sided (left bind) copy of all 4 pages on thick paper or cardstock at home or at your local office service center (e.g. UPS, FedEx, Office Depot, Office Max, etc.).
Cut out the 4 M’Cheyne Calendar Tabs.
Laminate each of the cutout Calendar Tabs with a home laminating machine or at your local office service center.
Cut out the lamination and place your tabs in your Bible as bookmarks in the appropriate pages.
Joel Beeke’s Family Worship Bible Guide
Joel Beeke’s Family Worship Bible Guide provides a few short and helpful devotional thoughts on every chapter of the Bible, and it can be used as a companion to any Bible reading plan in both private and family worship.
Resources for Prayer, Meditation, & Singing
The Sing! Hymnal
We encourage the members of our church to not only read God’s word, but to take time to meditate on the truth of it in prayerful communion with God. God has commanded his people to sing the truth of his word, in part to aid us in this meditation and prayerful communion.
Our church utilizes The Sing! Hymnal in public worship, and we encourage the members of our church to use it in private and family worship as well. We provide a personal copy to members of the church when they join, and it is available on the church bookstall at a significant discount. There is an amazing suite of electronic Sing! Hymnal resources available for free at https://www.singhymnal.com/browse/ . Even when not used for singing, the poetically restated biblical truth of the lyrics to many of these songs provides a helpful aid in prayer and meditation.