Families together at times like these: Introducing a series of five devotions for families

Welcome to this series of five devotions that have been specifically written for families confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sessions are designed for all ages and are simple to use - they don’t require lots of set up or materials, just you and your family.

The devotional can be used as your church service on a Sunday or divided up over a few weeknights - you choose what works best for your family. Alternatively, you could join together with other households via an online platform.

The series is structured around the choices we can make during this time. It’s a good time to talk together as families about how we respond to this global crisis. Each devotional will focus on one of these choices:

  • Anxiety v peace: Matthew 6:28-31 - do not worry
  • Boredom v purpose: Matthew 5 - how are we to live?
  • Looking after #1 v caring for others: Matthew 5:13-16 - being salt and light
  • Loneliness v community: Matthew 14 - reaching out to others
  • Fear v faith: Matthew 8:22-27 - Jesus calms the storm

 Practical suggestions for families

  • Find what works best for you, recognising that each family is different. Don’t set high expectations of what the session will look like but celebrate the small wins.
  • Choose a place to have your time together. Have the same place each time to create a routine. This could be around a table or on the couch together.
  • Have at least one adult in the family read through the material beforehand and familiarise themselves with it. Share this responsibility around. One day it could be Dad, the next day it could be Gran.
  • Divide the tasks up. Different members of the family can read the Bible passage or ask the questions or lead a song. A family member might like to play an item as part of the response time.
  • Sharing times can be difficult. To avoid one family member dominating the conversation, encourage active listening: each person shares while the others listen in affirming silence. Then, when everyone has shared, there can be discussion. This allows each person to share without interruptions.

Each session includes

To do a simple fun activity (no materials required)

To talk about a question to get the conversation started

To explore a short Bible passage to read and an optional video clip to view

To think about something for the family to ponder

To respond choose from a few options (prayer ideas, a song to sing, an action)

To pray finish by praying a simple blessing together