The Liturgy of Our Lives
My father was predictable. Every morning he was up around six, he fed the horses, cows (when we had them), and chickens, and arrived at the breakfast table showered and ready for a day in the office. He owned and operated a business making patterns, models, and molds for many different industries. By the time he died ten years ago, there were about 70 men working for him.
The aroma of our homes is created by the liturgy of our lives. The liturgy of our lives, simply put, is what happens when we deliberately think through what we do and why.
When I came down the stairs to breakfast every morning, I knew I would find him sitting with my mom at the table, sipping his coffee, and talking about the day or listening to the news on the radio. I also knew that he would return from the office around six that night and my mom would have dinner on the table and music playing in the background. I could count on the fact that within five minutes of being home from corporate America, my dad would give my mom a big kiss and then go change back into his jeans and flannel shirt, ready to work more around the farm or sit on the sofa and read from his vast history library. I probably could have lived my whole life without a wristwatch or clock, and never been late to anything, just by observing my dad’s schedule.
As I grew up in our home I wasn’t thinking, “Wow, isn’t it great that my parents are so faithful, consistent, and predictable?” While my parents would surprise us from time to time, we pretty much knew what to expect from them and what they expected from us. My father, in his unannounced way, kept all six of us right where he wanted us and, for the most part, we were comfortable there. I never thought about, and he never spoke of, our family liturgy or the traditions that helped to make our home peaceful. I just grew up. I fell in line, lived like a Murphy, and have grown up to be my father’s son.
There have been many times in the last ten years when I have wished I could see my dad and talk with him about our life now. He would bring some of that not-so-common common sense to our lives, and my seven sons and I would enjoy the continuity of generations. He would realize how much I have become what he was, and he would smile.
With the recent birth of Gabriel, I now have nine sets of feet following the footsteps I’m taking, and you better believe that makes me think twice about my steps. Will my children walk in the steps of their father? Even more importantly, will their father follow in the steps of Christ?
The aroma of our homes is created by the liturgy of our lives. The liturgy of our lives, simply put, is what happens when we deliberately think through what we do and why. I want my family to remember that we are God’s people, so we read Scripture and talk about the behavior of God’s people. I want my children to know the joy of worshipping God through music, so we sing together. I want my children to be readers, so I buy books and more books and read aloud to them.
There is liturgy in all of our lives. We all have family traditions that in many ways tell the stories of our homes and what we value. While my dad has moved on to glory, my mom is coming soon to visit for a week, and I am looking forward to her joining us around the dinner table and, in plain view of my children, thanking her for the wonderful things I remember about our home.
©2009 Homeschooling Today magazine, Nehemiah Four, LLC