Intentional Practices - Song

Reviewing catechisms is a big task. So, how are you doing? Has it been challenging or easy? Are your kids picking them back up quickly? Do they feel like it’s more school work? It’s ok if this is a struggle. It doesn’t mean you’re failing, and it doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel. Consider experimenting with some changes if needed. You could try attaching it to a different anchor. If you’ve been attempting this in addition to school time, try making it your dinner discussion. Or if you’ve been putting it off until to the end of the day but keep forgetting, try making it part of your “get ready” routine in the morning. 

Something simpler. This week’s challenge will hopefully come a little more easily for most of us, and especially for our children. Music! Songs and hymns are one of the most powerful teaching tools the church has used throughout history. Even before preschoolers can read, they can sing along with the Doxology. And we adults still remember the songs we learned as children. 

The Third Element: Song
There are lots of ways to include song in our everyday rhythms. But instead of leaving this open ended, let’s do something specific together. We’ll focus on two things: the doxology, and the Call to Worship refrains that our Director of Worship and Arts, Jen, has created for this Easter season. Here’s the refrain from Psalm 100 that will be repeated next week:

|D              C                            |G
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
               |A
And his courts with praise.
|D                       |C
Give thanks to him.
                |Bm                     |A    G|
Bless his name; bless his holy name.

We are working on a recording, but for now, you can find it here, beginning at the 3:32 mark.

• Preschool and below - Try singing the doxology or refrain during a diaper change or while getting dressed. Sing it over them while rocking them to sleep. For older kids, encourage them to sing along with you. You could even use the doxology as a blessing over a meal. On Sunday mornings, alert them to the refrain during the call to worship by saying, “Hey! You know this song, right? Sing with us!” Invite them to participate as much as possible.
• Elementary - For pre-readers, you can try some of the appropriate preschool suggestions. For readers, encourage them to read along with the refrain during the service on Sunday. Help them memorize the song and ask them if they know what each line means. Have them explain it back to you. Remind them it comes from Psalm 100 and read it together. Try singing the Doxology together at the breakfast table as a way to start your day, as a blessing for a meal, or sing it at bedtime as a final prayer. 
• Middle School & High School - These two age groups are very similar. Singing together at this age might still be fun if it’s a part of your family culture, or it might be awkward. Not every family is musical and adolescents can also be very self conscious. If yours is the former, encourage them to sing the doxology during your desired anchor. If they play instruments, help them to find the chords for the Doxology online (it’s in the public domain) or pick it out by ear and practice playing it. Use the chords above for the refrain. Or simply break into song and have them join you throughout the day.  If your family is not particularly musical, that’s ok. You can still encourage each other to make a joyful noise! Ask them if they can recite the lines of either song, speaking rather than singing if they’re uncomfortable. Read Psalm 100 together and discuss the meaning of the refrain. Research together the origin of the doxology, along with its widespread use in the global church geographically and historically. Analyze the theological truths that have stood the test of time and transcend cultures. Discuss how and why singing or reciting from memory can be beneficial rather than stale or boring, as it’s often seen by our culture.