By Lilly Lewin
It seems like we all struggle to make space for “Holy Things” in our regular lives, but maybe we’re making things too hard. What if the “Holy Things,” and opportunities, are already all around us? We just need to see them and then name them.
What if everything is Holy?
Jesus used the things he saw along the way to teach his followers about God’s way of “living and being” in the world. He used sparrows and lilies to remind us that God takes care of us, and we don’t need to worry about our lives (Matthew 6:25-34).
I believe that with Jesus, everything is sacred, and the things you do regularly can be sacred practices and even rituals. But, what is a ritual?
“A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or revered objects. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community,” according to Wikipedia.
You might already have a family ritual of having a family game or family pizza night each week, or saying a prayer together before a meal or before bed, or reading the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. The Celtic Christians had prayers for doing everyday things, like lighting the fire before cooking breakfast, saying a prayer for their family members as they made up their beds, or praying for the day as they walked to the fields or milked the cows.
Most of us don’t have to light a fire for cooking, or milk the cow for breakfast, but we can use everyday tasks as prayer practices. These actions can become part of your family’s spiritual practice or rituals.
Start with what you already do, and add meaning to it. It can be something you already do together. Sometimes it can be as simple as taking time to notice what Jesus is doing and giving him credit. Or thanking Jesus for a beautiful sunset or the much needed rain. You could take time to thank Jesus for the people who grew your food as you prepare dinner or make lunches together.
Rituals can be as simple as lighting a candle or saying a prayer. This could be done around the table or at bedtime or even each week on family game night or pizza night!
Here are some ideas you could try with your family:
Light a candle
Have a candle for each member of your household to light as they share.
Ask:
- Where did you notice the Light and Love of Jesus today? Take time to say thank you to Jesus.
- Where did you feel close to the Light and Love of Jesus?
- Where did you feel or notice being far from Jesus? Say you’re sorry if you need to.
- And finally: how do you want to experience more of the Light and Love of Jesus tomorrow?
Driving somewhere in the car… Silence and Celebration
Turn off the tunes and phones and practice silence together for 3-5 minutes. You can add on to your time as you develop the practice. Set a timer on your phone and when the timer goes off break the silence and talk about what you noticed in the quiet. What did you see, hear, experience? You can do this in your home too.
Or…
Pick a song in the car that your family can sing along to, that brings you joy and celebration. Play it each day and celebrate in joy! Maybe let each member of your family pick a celebration song! You can build a family playlist too.
Praying for others
Brushing your teeth… if you use a regular toothbrush you can use a sharpie marker and write the name of two or three friends to pray for every time you brush your teeth. Pray for these friends to know the love of Jesus as you brush your teeth: 2 minutes of praying.
Create a prayer wall for your family with post-it notes
You can create a “stained glass window” using post-it notes… one window might be a “thank you God for…” adding things you are thankful for each day.
Another could be a “prayer wall” or window in your kitchen or family room where you will see it everyday… add post-it notes for people you are praying for, needs you have, prayers for people and places. Everyone gets to add to the wall.
A Family Prayer or Blessing
Write a family blessing. Something you can pray each day over each person or together as a family. Here is an example you could follow.
You are/I am greatly loved by the Creator of the entire universe.
Help me/us (name the child or person) to live boldly in that love.
And help me to love others extravagantly today.
Help _____ to notice you today Jesus, Help ____ to pay attention and be surprised by your love and the beauty around them. Give her/him/them eyes to see and ears to hear your voice and know that they are greatly loved.
Ordinary Blessings for Parents
My friend, Pastor Meta Herrick Carlson, has some great blessing books you might check out.
https://www.metaherrickcarlson.com/blog/ordinary-blessings-for-parents
https://www.metaherrickcarlson.com/blog/ordinary-blessings
Chapstick Blessing
Brittany Sky of Eastend UMC uses chapstick to draw a cross on the hand of her toddlers each morning when they leave her Sunday school classroom as a blessing to remind them they are loved by Jesus. The kids are taking the lead and passing the blessing using the chapstick to bless one
another.
Learn the Lord’s Prayer
Pray it together. A great way is to learn the Lord’s Prayer as a body prayer practice.
Aaron, Henry & Mac Niequist teach us to pray the Lord’s Prayer with gestures. They would pray this each night as a family.
https://vimeo.com/229206547
I hope these ideas spark some inspiration for how your family could integrate a new practice for seeing and naming the Holy Things all around you. Don’t do all of these, just pick one that seems doable, interesting, and fits where you are. And don’t forget: these are practices, so they will take practice.
“The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.”
Julian of Norwich
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:20
“God communicates with us by way of all things. They are messages of love.”
Ernesto Cardenal
About Lilly Lewin: Lilly Lewin is a worship curator, speaker, author, artist, and founder of thinplaceNASHVILLE, and freerangeworship.com. She creates sacred space prayer experiences and leads workshops and retreats across the country and beyond. Her passion is to help people of all ages engage God using all their senses and bring art and artists back to church. She is a big fan of Instagram (@lillylewin), writes a weekly blog post called freerangefriday at godspacelight.com, leads Finding Your Thinplace pilgrimages and creates resources for worship at freerangeworship.com.
Lilly and her husband, Rob, live in Nashville, TN, where she’s on the lookout for good coffee, dark chocolate and the best place to watch the sun set.
Lilly Lewin serves on the Youthfront Christian parenting and caregiving resource team.
