Curious Christian

I thought I’d share a bit about how we do home church. It’s not a weekly thing for us. We attend a NSW Baptist church most Sundays. But every now and then, as circumstances allow, we like to create our own simple gathering at home. Last Sunday was one of those times.

Many emerging churches you read about on the net talk about reflective spaces with edgy art installations and all sorts of creative stuff. Not us I’m afraid. Though I very much prefer contemplative styles of worship, the life stage that we and many of our friends are at simply do not allow that. Silence is a luxury we don’t have. Last weekend was a perfect example: the gathering consisted of six adults and seven kids, with most of the kids under five.

Over time, I’ve found that a “keep-it-simple-stupid” (KISS) approach works best for us. Rather than trying to fight the noise, we embrace it. We start by lighting a candle to mark this as a special time, and then dive straight into what I like to call “glorious noise.” I’ve collected many simple percussion instruments over the years—a Tibetan singing bowl, Aboriginal tapping sticks, maracas, an Indian rattle, a rain stick, and my prized Djembe drum. We hand out these instruments to everyone, kids included, and I hop on the guitar for two pre-chosen songs. From there, we just let the music happen. Everyone, regardless of age or musical skill, joins in. It’s chaotic but wonderful—the simplicity of the instruments makes skill less important, and it’s a lot less stressful than trying to get young kids to sit still and be quiet.

After the music, we keep things simple with a short, kid-friendly Bible story. The children are invited to act out parts of the story, giving the older ones a chance to take the lead. Then, we say a prayer and send the kids off to play in the backyard while we watch through the back windows. This is usually our opportunity for a brief moment of calm. During this lull, we have communion together—often in the Eastern Orthodox style, dipping bread in wine. Sharing a single chalice this way is both meaningful and practical, especially for families with young children who worry about hygiene.

Next, we read the same story again, but going deeper, focusing on adult reflections. We follow that with a short time of group reflection and discussion, finishing with open prayer. We close by asking some of the kids to help us put out the candle. Then, it’s time to socialize, with informal conversations that often veer into more personal or spiritual topics.

It’s not particularly innovative, but I’ve come to realize that innovation doesn’t always need to happen during worship gatherings. The real creativity lies in how we live out our faith in everyday life as a community. If we focus all our energy on crafting perfect gatherings, we can end up reinforcing the importance of the event itself, rather than the life we live between gatherings. Sometimes, the most revolutionary thing we can do is to keep it simple and focus on the real work of faith, out in the world. Does that make sense?

As for contemplative time—yes, I do manage to find it. Usually, once the kids are asleep!