Gavin Long - At Home with God: A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home

At Home with God

At Home with God

A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home

GAVIN LONG

At Home with God: A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home

Copyright 2011 by Gavin Long

ISBN 978-1-55725-685-0

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publisher, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Long, Gavin.

At home with God : a complete liturgical guide for the Christian home / Gavin Long.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-55725-685-0

1. FamiliesPrayers and devotions. 2. Church yearPrayers and devotions.

I. Title.

BX2170.F3L66 2011

249dc22

2010041990

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press
Brewster, Massachusetts
www.paracletepress.com

Printed in Italy

The cross image on the cover of this book is reproduced courtesy of Liguori Publications.

Simple home and community rhythms can radically transform our lives. Even though they may be simple, home liturgies reshape the way we see God and the way we see the world around us. They help restore us to the life for which we were created, gently redirecting our thoughts and actions so that we may see the world through Gods eyes.

Living in the rhythms of the faith not only helps us navigate our own relation to the world, but it also restores us to each other. Our busy schedules often lead to fragmented existences. Our work identities are different from our social identities, which are also different from our worship identities, which are again different from our home identities. A liturgical life seeks to integrate those disparate identities within the truth of the gospel. This liturgical life fully acknowledges a complete dependence upon God, his presence, and his leadership, where our brokenness begins to give way to wholeness. From our confession that we are entirely dependent upon God for everything, we begin to see our lives, circumstances, relationships, and experiences as gifts from God.

For many, liturgy represents a more formal approach to worship. For others, liturgy is something with which they are comfortable, but largely within the context of corporate worship. For this book, the word liturgy has a more expansive definition. Quite simply, a liturgical worldview uses simple reminders to reposition each of us within Gods redemptive story. These simple liturgies in our everyday lives reconfirm that we are not the main character of our lives, but rather that God is the center of realityboth the greater cosmic reality and the reality of our lives every day. A liturgical life celebrates the reality that the infinite God who spoke Creation into existence, who holds the world in the palm of his hand, is the same God who knows the number of hairs on our heads. The reality of Gods redemptive story for the universe is wrapped up in the details of our everyday lives.

The worldview of the gospel, as we experience it through daily acts within the liturgical life, witnesses God at work around us everywhere and encourages us to lovingly submit to him and, in response, to each other. Daily rhythms of liturgical living shape the way we function. Reminders during the course of the day provide us with invitations to engage or reengage God and each other. The truth of the gospel, then, becomes a beautiful giftit provides us the lens of the redemptive story that empowers us to see, inquire, and create so that we might be able to navigate the difficulties, complexities, and realities of everyday life.

Celebrating the redemptive story in our homes requires a balance of creativity and catholicity. Home and community rhythms are not magic. Rather, their goal is to create an environment for a continuing conversation with God and each other. As you begin to incorporate these liturgical rhythms at home, resist structuralism and uniformity. Embrace learning from each other and adapting expressions that awaken the creativity of your own home and community. Be aware of each others unique interests and creative gifts. Some may respond to these liturgies and home celebrations with a desire to incorporate more music. Others may respond with a longing to employ more visual arts or food. Recognizing and encouraging each other in those creative responses is essential in the discovery and celebration of our life in God.

Though the value of creativity cannot be overstated, we must also remember that we do not just celebrate any old story. We celebrate the redemptive story that takes us back to the beginning of time to the God who lovingly created the world. God has continued to reveal his love and his redemptive plan throughout history and remains in the process of saving and restoring the world today. To tell such a great story as it deserves to be told, we must include the major branches of the family tree of our faith. For this reason, this book of liturgies and celebrations is inspired by and incorporates aspects of the Hebrew, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions. These home rhythms have been adapted from ancient home and community celebrations, many of which date back thousands of years and are rich in meaning and tradition. The project seeks to recontextualize these celebrations in a meaningful, accessible, and honorable fashion. Respecting and reinvigorating our heritage embraces the historical and theological continuity of the faith while also liberating our creative energies to adapt Gods story into todays contexts.

I hope these liturgies will awaken new possibilities for families and communities. What I believe you will discover, as my family and community have experienced, is that living in and experiencing Gods story through these liturgies is more powerful and more transformative than any amount of knowledge we can gather about God.

This book is intended to get you started. Discovering your own home traditions is a journey that is full of surprises. You will discover that life in the redemptive story unlocks a sense of creativity and new identity in home and community life. Just remember, the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. Small steps of faith may begin humbly, but will blossom into fuller, richer expressions as you, your family, and your community walk with God every day.