Family Worship Guide for June 21, 2026
Prepare for Songs and Psalms
A Song to Learn This Week
Practice this hymn with your children, and talk about what it means.
456 | “Trust and Obey,” John H. Sammis, Daniel B. Towner
From The Sing! Hymnal: “This selection epitomizes the best of gospel songs, which distill a simple yet core challenge of the Christian faith and help it to live with us for the rest of our days. This hymn is concerned with the rewards of trusting God’s word and obeying God’s will, ultimately found in ‘fellowship sweet’ when ‘we will sit at his feet,’ in a way that has been a challenge and a balm to countless believers (and even those yet to believe), as we hope it is for you.”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 15
Read the Psalm together. Practice saying it responsively. Try memorizing one or more verses.
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Talk About the Songs and Psalms
Choose a verse from a song or psalm. Read it together and discuss these questions using the “Swedish method:”
- What do you notice about these words? What do you like? What is surprising?
- Is there anything you don’t understand? Is there anything you wonder about?
- What do these words tell you about God? What do they tell you about yourself?
- Talk to God together about what you’ve discussed. Praise Him, thank Him, and ask for His help.
Prepare for Children’s Worship
Use this guide to prepare your children for their time learning in the classroom on Sunday morning (and for the Old and New Testament readings).
Unit 12 Memory Verse | Proverbs 3:7 – “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”
Unit 12 Big Picture Q&A | What does God know? | Preschool: God knows everything. | Elementary: God knows everything about the past, present, and future.
Bible Story | “Solomon Thought About Life,” Ecclesiastes 1. Read this story to your children from the Bible or from a storybook Bible. Prompt your children to describe the characters and events of the passage.
Christ Connection | People spend their lives trying to get riches, power, and fame, but none of it lasts. Only a life spent trusting in Jesus as Savior and following Him will matter in the end. Jesus lived, died, and rose again so we could find purpose in Him and be with God forever.
Introduction to the Story
The book of Ecclesiastes is part of the Old Testament poetry and wisdom division. Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon toward the end of his life as he reflected on his legacy and leadership. Though he had all the riches and wisdom life had to offer, he relayed in this writing that nothing matters apart from fearing the Lord and walking in His ways.
If everything is worthless, how are we to live meaningful lives as Christ followers? How is Jesus able to redeem our purpose in life?
The overall tone of Ecclesiastes seems pretty dreary. Solomon spoke of the meaninglessness of all our hard work and effort as people in a fallen world. These ideas seem to be in stark contrast to the ideas of God’s beautiful, wonderful creation that we find throughout Scripture. A deeper look reveals that Solomon wasn’t commanding his readers to stop caring about working hard, investing in the next generation, or experiencing what life has to offer. Instead, he poetically explained how lives spent on pursuing only the things of this world have no eternal meaning and will not be remembered.
The pursuits of this life are done in vain when we place them above our pursuit of the Lord and the wisdom He provides. Everything loses its meaning when held up against the cross of Jesus Christ. Only a life built on faith in Jesus will matter in the end.
When we order our lives with Jesus as our main pursuit, we experience the purpose and meaning that Christ died for us to receive; we experience life everlasting here and now. The gospel frees us from chasing after temporary, empty things and transforms our hearts to love and serve God. Christ died so that we may have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10).
Lead the children in your care to see the beauty of a life spent pursuing Christ! When all else seems meaningless, in Him we find our meaning as creations lovingly fashioned by a good Creator. Pray they would turn from their sins and receive the gift of abundant life.
Try this Scripture song to learn Proverbs 3:7
Prepare for Pulpit Ministry
This Week’s Text | Romans 12:4–16
Some Context for Adults | From the Gospel Coalition Commentary: “This ‘measure of faith’ is not describing different amounts of saving faith or differing statuses before God. Given the context of the passage, the ‘measure of faith’ is synonymous with the different grace gifts that Paul describes in 12:6. When they think rightly about themselves, these Roman believers can embrace the truth that the church in Rome has many different parts that have been united into one body and have been placed there to fulfill the different functions they are each gifted to fulfill. This unity in Christ means that, even though they are individuals and in Jewish or Gentile groups, they are members of one another because they are in Christ Jesus.”
COMA Questions
Context, Observation, Meaning, Application
- In our church, who does the work? Could any one person do everything?
- What do you notice about this passage? Are there any words you don’t know?
- What do you think is the message or story of this passage?
- What do you think God wants you to think or do after reading this passage?
Pray | After you have read and discussed the passage, thank God for His Word and ask Him to apply it to your life. Ask for the specific applications you identified in your discussion.
