Scripture guides us, teaches us about salvation, and communicates the kingdom of God to us. In daily family life, we ought to ever turn to the Word and to works that keep the Word as their focal point to cultivate our faith.
Take It as Gospel
What are some of our core beliefs about the Word of God? We believe it is illumination and comfort in a darkened world—“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” says the psalmist in Psalm 119:105.
We believe that every part of the Bible proclaims Christ, who said, “It is [the Scriptures] that bear witness about Me,” and “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me” (John 5:39, 46, emphasis added).
We believe that the Bible is both divinely inspired and inerrant, God’s medium for speaking directly to His creation. The writer of Hebrews says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2).
The Imperative
Therefore, it is imperative that we read the Word to sustain our faith and teach it to our children in their formative years. Why? Because this is how we pass down that faith and the promise of salvation that Jesus’ death and resurrection assure. The book of Deuteronomy gives pretty clear direction:
You shall teach [the Scriptures] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. . . . You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7–9)
And this is something we, as parents, should take to heart.
Our Favorite Resources
In our household, this means that we use our Bibles a lot. The Lutheran Study Bible is our go-to for everything—the context and history preceding each book is a trove of enlightening information, as are the study notes. And have you tried The Lutheran Study Bible App? It’s become a favorite for us during Bible study at church because it’s so much simpler to transport our devices than our Bibles when we’ve got a daughter with disabilities, whose behaviors sometimes require having our hands and arms free!
When our kids were younger, The Story Bible served us well for nightly devotional reading as a family. The beautiful illustrations for each of the 130 Bible stories are so engaging for kids of all ages—and their parents too!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our family hymnal as well. Lutheran Service Book doesn’t only contain the hymnody we use as a church body; it also includes most of the book of Psalms and the liturgy of all our services—which is completely steeped in Scripture. If you’re familiar with the services of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, maybe you noticed that the quotation from Hebrews above is in those liturgies (LSB, pp. 238, 247):
L: In many and various ways, God spoke to His people of old by the prophets.
C: But now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
It is an excellent resource. Ever since our girls were little, we’ve sung hymns at bedtime. “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb,” “Thy Strong Word,” and “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” are our greatest family hits.
We would hardly be a pastor’s family if we didn’t also keep the catechism on hand. It is the lens through which Lutherans understand Scripture, and it is meant as a teaching tool for family use. Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation expounds on the catechetical text neatly, and we love it so much that my husband keeps extras on hand to give to others.
Our copy of My First Catechism went to school with our younger daughter all last year. We bought it so she could have her own personal copy. When she started attending a non-Lutheran school at our current military station, she knew she would learn theology that departs somewhat from ours. So she decided she liked having her catechism on hand at school too.
I could continue. I have used Equipped for personal study. We hand out Arch Books for Christmas book exchanges at school (shoutout to The Shepherds Shook in Their Shoes). There are many titles that I’m excited to use as my children grow up.
Most of all, we simply love having the biblical resources we do, which our church body’s publishing arm so faithfully produces. We are enlightened, assured of salvation through Jesus, and learn of God’s will through these resources because they are directly derived from God’s Word. What a blessing to our family’s ongoing cultivation of faith!
Scripture: ESV®.
Quotations marked LSB are from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Make spending time in God’s Word a habit for your family with children’s Bibles for every stage.
