Family Worship (July 12)

Have you ever gone on a family vacation or a trip to a zoo or amusement park? Before you even leave the house, your parents usually have a plan. They know where you are going first, when it is time to eat, and what fun things you will do later. But sometimes kids spend the whole day asking for something different. “Can we get ice cream now?” “Can we go over there?” “Can we buy this?” It is easy to forget that Mom and Dad have a good plan for the whole day. The happiest trips usually happen when everyone trusts the plan and enjoys each part of the adventure together. Jesus teaches us that praying is a little like that. Instead of asking God to follow our plans, Jesus teaches us to pray that we will join God’s plan. God’s kingdom is bigger, better, and wiser than anything we could imagine. When we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” we are asking God to help us love what he loves and do what he wants us to do.

Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think it means to pray, “Your kingdom come”?
2. What are some things God has already told us to do in the Bible?
3. How can our family help other people know and follow Jesus this week?

Activity: Vacation Planner
Take out a piece of paper and draw two columns. Label one “My Plans” and the other “God’s Mission.”

In the first column, let each family member write or draw one thing they would normally pray for themselves, like school, sports, friends, health, or work.

In the second column, write ways your family can pray for God’s kingdom this week. Include missionaries, your church, neighbors who do not know Jesus, government leaders, and ways your family can show God’s love to others.

Pray through both columns together, beginning with God’s Mission before praying for your own needs. Talk about how Jesus teaches us to put God’s kingdom first while trusting him to care for us.

Prayer
Father, thank you for loving us and inviting us to be part of your kingdom. Help our family care more about your plans than our own. Teach us to love you, love our neighbors, and tell others the good news about Jesus. May your kingdom come and your will be done in our home this week. Amen.

Memory Work:

New City Catechism
28. What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?
They will be cast out from the presence of God, into hell, to be justly punished, forever.

Memory Verse
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,  and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.