Family Worship Guide for July 19, 2026
Prepare for Songs and Psalms
A Song to Learn This Week
Practice this hymn with your children, and talk about what it means.
436 | “A Christian’s Daily Prayer,” Dave Fournier, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker
From The Sing! Hymnal: “This hymn is a helpful, hopeful prayer for each and every day. It moves us through morning, midday, and evening, ending with the promise, ‘Though our strength fades like the light, new mercies will appear.’ It can be used in personal devotion, family worship, and corporate gatherings.”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 13
Read the Psalm together. Practice saying it responsively. Try memorizing one or more verses.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
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 13 Memory Verse | 1 Kings 8:60 — “That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.”
Unit 13 Big Picture Q&A | How many gods are there? | Preschool: There is one true God. | Elementary: There is one true God who alone deserves worship.
Bible Story | “Israel’s Evil Kings,” 1 Kings 14–15; 2 Chronicles 12–13. 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 | The first kings of Israel led the people to disobey God and to worship idols. Israel’s kings suffered the consequences of their sin. We all sin when we disobey God and worship other things. Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sin and bring us back to God.
Introduction to the Story
When we hear the word idolatry, we might think about the golden calf in Exodus 32. While today’s story includes King Jeroboam crafting two physical golden calves, it points to the invisible idolatry of the heart. What is idolatry? Idolatry is a sin in which we love and value something else above God.
Rehoboam had been cruel to God’s people, and because of his harsh treatment, ten tribes rejected him as king and sought out Jeroboam to be king of Israel. Rehoboam’s domain in Judah was smaller but held an important status because it was the location of the temple.
Jeroboam feared the people would eventually abandon him and return to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. Taking matters into his own hands, Jeroboam led the people to break the law of Moses and worship two golden calves. God was angry with Jeroboam and sent the prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam that he had behaved wickedly, that God was going to bring disaster upon his house, and that there would be a new king over Israel.
After Jeroboam, Israel had other evil kings—Nadab and Baasha. Like Jeroboam, they led Israel to turn away from God and worship idols. All three of these kings were eventually judged for their sin.
The first three kings of Israel led the people to disobey God. We all sin by disobeying God. Like Israel’s kings, we may turn to other things above the Lord. Is there anything that has become an idol in your heart? As you prepare this week, remember the gift of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that paid the price of our sin. Likewise, remind kids that Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sinful idolatry and bring us back to God. Pray for boys and girls to grasp the weight of our sinful choices to worship other things and the depth of Christ’s love to provide salvation.
Prepare for Pulpit Ministry
This Week’s Text | John 7:1–24
Some Context for Adults | From the Gospel Coalition Commentary: “The evangelist skillfully gives the reader a glimpse of the diverse opinions regarding Jesus. Reading his account, one almost feels like he/she is mingling with the crowd and overhearing people’s comments regarding Jesus. ‘Where is he?’ some ask. Clearly, people expect to see him among the pilgrims who have made the trek to Jerusalem for Tabernacles, one of the three pilgrimage festivals. Yet opinions regarding Jesus differ sharply and range from him being a good man to him leading the people astray.”
COMA Questions
Context, Observation, Meaning, Application
- What do you remember about the story of the Gospel of John so far?
- 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.
