Faith@Home: Table Graces

Compiled by Rosemary Beales

For what we are about to receive
May we be truly grateful. Amen.

Lord, thank you
for the food before us
and the love between us.
Keep us ever mindful
Of the needs of others. Amen.

For this new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For every gift your goodness sends,
We thank you, gracious God. Amen.

We close our eyes,
We bow our heads,
And offer thanks
For daily bread. Amen.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything. Amen.

Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts
Which we are about to receive
From thy bounty,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We thank you, Lord, for happy hearts,
For rain and sunny weather,
We thank you, Lord, for this our food,
And that we are together.

(sung)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him, all creatures here below,
Praise him above, ye heav’nly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Without thy sunshine and thy rain,
We would not have the golden rain.
Without Thy love we’d not be fed,
We thank Thee for our daily bread.

Lord,
Bless this food to our use
And our lives to your service. Amen.

Food, oh God, is your love made edible.
May we be swept into your presence.

O God, bless this food
we are about to receive.
Give bread to those who hunger;
And hunger for justice to us who have bread.
Amen.

God of pilgrims,
Give us always a table to stop at
Where we can tell our story
And sing our song. Amen.

A Quaker grace:
(Everyone at the table joins hands for a silent moment.)

Faith@Home: Spiritual Practices for Families

The following practices constitute a “menu” from which you are invited to select an activity each week. You may also consider ideas not on this menu from your own tradition, such as Catholic Rosary, etc. The goal is to establish a new habit that may become a lasting part of family ritual.

• Say grace before meals.
• Take a “thank you, God” walk around your neighborhood. Point out schools, offices, trash trucks, and be thankful about all the people around you.
• Sing with your children – use a song you often sing at church or ask them to teach you a song from school. Camp or scouting songs are good, too!
• In the evening, take turns sharing one grace and one disappointment of the day, share highs and lows.
• Draw, paint, or work with clay together with your child.
• Perform a deed of service with your child(ren).
• Share some silence -- as an invitation, not a command. Start with 20 seconds, then share what each of you has noticed. Work up to a minute or more.
• Talk about giving money to church or a helping agency. Set up a system for children to give their own offerings.
• Attend Saturday or Sunday worship, and reflect on it together afterward. Talk about what you and your child(ren) liked, what was most important, what you would like to leave out, etc.
• Select a Bible story to read or tell each night this week.
• Select a Bible verse for each family member to memorize and carry around with them this week (or provide a basket of possibilities for them to choose).
• Learn prayers in sign language or create your own actions to prayers.
• Bless your child with touch and simple prayer as you part each morning.
• Tell family stories – not necessarily religious in nature, just family stories.
• Walk a labyrinth in the neighborhood, create one in your backyard, or use a finger sand labyrinth or a pocket version. Notice how it makes you feel and talk about it.
• Set up a prayer basket in your home where family members can write prayers of thanksgiving or petition. Read prayers out loud (unless they’re marked “private”) at dinner or bedtime so all can pray for each other’s intentions.
• Pray together – use your own words and/or the Lord’s Prayer.
• Set up a home “altar” where the seasonal color is displayed, flowers and/or a cross are placed, etc. Or use napkins or tablecloth in the liturgical color.
• Read a book together that stimulates “God-talk.”
• Light your child’s baptismal candle (or any candle) on the anniversary of his/her baptism. You might want to look at pictures of the event, or just tell what you and s/he remember. Talk about your child’s name – and yours. Names are very important in the Bible — and in life!

Adapted from Rosemary Beales

Faith@Home for Advent

The Advent season is approaching, and we think this is a wonderful time to begin cultivating and encouraging all of our Faith@Home practices. We have several families who have been participating in practices at home with their families and are preparing to present you their experiences.

The following online resources are available to help you learn about Faith@Home and incorporate it into your family.

Spark Family is a quarterly subscription designed to help families fit faith into everyday life.

Sabbath in the Suburbs: For one year, a family committed to a practice of Sabbath-keeping. For a whole day each week, they set aside their doing in order to simply be. Work took a backseat to games, walks, Legos, naps, homebrewing, and leisurely contentment. The practice never got easier---the house was a mess, the kids still fought--but Sabbath became the one essential "to-do" each week.”

Daily Online Devotionals are written for young people by adults who work with students. With short scripture and reflections, this is a great site for your own daily devotions.

Forward Day by Day, daily devotionals for adults

Bread, Not Stones is a Presbyterian pastor’s blog about “feeding the spiritual lives of children” also contains articles and thoughts on faith for families.

Candle Press resources assist families with young children, including seasonal booklets for children and families to better understand worship and prayer.

Advent Calendars for families use scripture and images of the nativity to tell the real meaning of Christmas

Vibrant Faith@Home is an app with options for all ages to discover prayer, daily devotions, bible study, and other stories of faith. “unlimited access to easy-to-use tools, tips, family activities and advice” to form “a stronger, more faith-focused family.”

The Pray-as-you-go Podcast turns your MP3 player into a mobile mini-retreat, with daily music, scripture readings and reflection question to engage your senses and support your prayer life.

Several children’s books can help children and families better understand worship and faith in your daily life:

• Water Come Down by Walter Wangerin Jr.
• Psalms for Young Children by Helen Marie Delval
• Give me Grace: A Child’s Daybook of Prayersby Cynthia Relant
• A Child’s Yearbook of Blessings by Cynthia Relant
• Jesus the Word by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones

St. Paul's Men "Stirred to Action"

On Monday, November 12, over 150 of the men of St. Paul’s gathered at the Virginia Theological Seminary’s refectory for dinner and an inspirational program. The “Stirred to Action” event was planned not only for fellowship, but to serve as a springboard for greater involvement in the life of the church and community. As a memento of the occasion, each attendee received an official St. Paul’s tie created by Vineyard Vines specifically for the event.