Family Insight Guide |Day 2 |
Embracing Family Rhythms: Formation through Liturgies and Practices!
What are the special moments in the mundane that are shaping your children and building your family team?
Today you will be taken through the reason to establish strong family traditions in order to build a strong family identity and connection.
For us the most special time we have as a family each week is family team night. This is a simple yet special night. Each Thursday we make a special meal (not necessarily complicated), and we have juice and dessert which is not normal for us.
We have built a culture of team around this night and to prepare all the kids to rally together and set up the table, often with homemade name places and all.
It is a special night where we share our highs and lows of the week, explore our family values, bring up issues and celebration points, give out money from jobs and pray and worship together.
Every week there is excitement in the air on a Thursday night because, Team Crocker is getting together for something special.
How can you develop a similar practice in your family to make your children excited about being part of your team? We’ll explore this in more detail in a sec.
Some of our other practices and liturgies include:
Story step every night - thankfulness, prayer, affirmations and songs of blessing.
Daily routines - getting ready for school etc…
Regular holidays together
Big celebrations - birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Passover etc...
Extended family celebrations
Holidays with extended family
House jobs and paid jobs
Family dinner at extended Crocker family
Cousin sleepovers
End of term celebrations
And more
We do all these things to build our team and to reinforce our identity in Christ. All these practices and liturgies are part of what strengthens and connects each member of the Crocker team.
The Bible offers inspiring examples of family liturgies and practices.
God, as the God of the Sabbath, emphasizes the importance of rest and rejuvenation for families.
God provides various festivals and celebrations that promote family togetherness and joy.
One such festival is the Passover, serving as a powerful reminder of the Israelites' salvation from Egypt.
Participating in these festivals allows families to reflect on their faith journey and celebrate their identity in Christ.
It is essential for families to create intentional moments to reinforce their identity in Christ and to foster reflection, gratitude, prayer, worship and celebration.
Regular family gatherings centered on faith, nurture spiritual growth and mutual support, strengthening their collective identity in Christ.
What happens in your family will be different to others and that is a good thing. If you try to copy others it won’t be authentic for your family.
It’s time to do an activity and explore your family rhythms.
Activity time:
Make a list of all your current practices and liturgies and write down why you do them.
Prayerfully consider how you could start a new practice or tweak a current practice to build your team on a daily or weekly basis.
Are there any on the list that may need removing or combining for any reason? If so, remove them as life is not supposed to be cluttered.
Consider your phone use. How do your kids feel if you have your phone out during team times?
Make it happen. Commit to it. Do it regularly.