Our Father in Heaven,
We draw near to You at this Table today with praise because you have called us out of the world, out of death, and out of enmity with Your Son, the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Father, we sit down with You at this Fellowship Meal in Christ by faith, and we trust in Your mercy and rejoice in Your salvation. We thank You, Almighty Lord, for this bread, which has been broken in likeness of the crucified body of our Risen Lord. You alone have called us from the East and the West and the North and the South, and gathered here together we sing: Glory be to the Father; Glory be to the Son, Jesus Christ; and Glory be to the Holy Ghost. We lift our hearts and voices up to You, our Triune Lord, because you have dealt bountifully with us. Amen.

“Prayer is the simplest means that man can use in coming to God. It is within reach of all,–the sick, the aged, the infirm, the paralytic, the blind, the poor, the unlearned,–all can pray. It avails you nothing to plead want of memory, and want of learning, and want of books, and want of scholarship in this matter. So long as you have a tongue to tell your soul’s state, you may and ought to pray (J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents, p. 19).”

“See that they read it all (J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents, p. 18).”

“Any system of training which does not make a knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound (J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents, p. 17).”

“See that your children read the Bible regularly. Train them to regard it as their soul’s daily food, as a thing essential to their soul’s daily health. I know well you cannot make this anything more than a form; but there is no telling the amount of sin which a mere form may indirectly restrain (J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents, p. 18).”