Rooted deeply in the Old Testament as well as the practice of the church in the first century are the generations worshipping together. The concept of the family not worshipping together as families in an intergenerational experience would have never entered the minds of the early church steeped in Jewish tradition. In Deut. 6 we see the parents charged with teaching the precepts of God to their children as a daily activity. The whole of the Jewish community was responsible for the spiritual education of both children and youth. The first use of the Hebrew word which translates, "worship" happens in Genesis 22:5. The scene is the offering of Abraham's son, Issac on Mount Moriah. He states, "the boy and I will go over to worship." This is an amazing image of intergenerational worship with father and son side by side with their face to the ground. What a powerful picture!
Then in the New Testament, Paul encourages Timothy to, "Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (I Tim. 4:12) Paul traces the intergenerational influence of Timothy's grandmother and mother in the forming of young Timothy's faith. Both Old and New Testaments suggest that worship should be modeled by the older generation to the younger. (Titus 2:1-80, and that the older generations should affirm the spiritual gifts of the younger generations as the elders observe the Spirit of God's anointing on a new generation. (Joel 2:28)
As the faithful gather for worship, we must be intentional in creating intergenerational worship moments where all generations are able to participate fully in the worship of Him! mjm
