Our worship here is the center of all our endeavors in the surrounding community. We look to God here, now, for His own sake.
But at the same time, the right worship of God should inform, drive, and inspire all our efforts at local culture building. Our problem has been that because our worship has been so anemic, when we go out in the world, we promptly resort to modern makeshifts when we confront the problems caused by the relation of Christ to culture. But if you understand what we are doing here, and why we are doing it, at some point your thoughts will naturally turn to those things outside which must be transformed as a result of what happens here.
So first, teach your children the catechism. Establish and inform their developing faith. When you are done with the Shorter Catechism, move on to the Heidelberg Catechism. As you teach it to them, learn it with them. The culture that develops will be based on the truths of God’s Word.
Second, learn to celebrate the Lord’s Day. Learn to look forward to it as a day of worship, fellowship and feasting. Sabbath keeping is not an abstaining negation. On the Lord’s Day, we do rest, but we are waiting upon God, who alone gives the increase. The culture that develops will be based upon the goodness of God’s faithfulness.
And third, as I have said before, learn the psalms. In the history of the church, reformations have always been psalm-singing reformations. If for any reason you have been reluctant, let that go — you cannot hold back and hold a psalter at the same time. The culture that develops will be based on the beauty of holiness.