Hillsong City

Family Sunday Devotions

WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4

Homes of Honesty

Micah Rose

SCRIPTURE:

John 8:32 (NIV) — “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Devotional:

What a way to start this devotional — by being honest with each other. Every healthy family begins with trust, and trust grows where honesty feels safe. When we create a space where truth can be spoken without fear, we build homes where hearts can breathe again.When I was growing up, my parents built that kind of culture in our home. They would often say, “Micah, I’m praying every day that the truth will be revealed.”
At the time, I didn’t always understand it. But now I see what they were doing — they weren’t trying to catch me out; they were trying to help me live free.Here’s the thing though — I wasn’t honest with my parents just because they prayed for honesty. I was honest because they welcomed it. No matter how big the mistake, they didn’t react with anger or shame. They reflected Jesus by showing me love through my flaws. They never had to yell or scream. I still had to face the consequences, but they were calm, forgiving, and understanding. That’s what made honesty safe.When we hide things — mistakes, feelings, or choices — it starts to feel like a prison inside. We replay it in our minds, feel guilt, and fear being found out. But when we bring things into the light, that weight lifts. Truth is never meant to trap us — it’s meant to free us.And I wonder… how honest are we with our earthly fathers and mothers? Because often, that reflects how honest we are with our Heavenly Father. If we learn to hide things from people, we’ll end up trying to hide things from God too. But the truth is — He already knows, and He still loves us.Parents, when you build a culture of honesty, you’re not demanding perfection — you’re creating safety. A home where everyone can speak truth without fear is a home where healing can happen.
Kids, honesty doesn’t make you weak — it makes you brave. It takes courage to tell the truth, especially when it’s uncomfortable. But that’s where trust grows.When families are honest with each other, God’s peace lives there.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think hiding things makes us feel heavy inside?2. What does it mean that “the truth will set you free”?3. How can we make our home a place where everyone feels safe to tell the truth?4. Is there something we need to tell each other today that we’ve been hiding?5. How does being honest with our family help us be more honest with God?

Prayer:

God, thank You that You love truth because You love freedom. Thank You that Your love doesn’t change when we make mistakes — You invite us to come as we are.Help us to be honest with You and with each other, even when it’s hard. Give us courage to tell the truth, and grace to receive it with love.Teach us to build a home where honesty is safe, where forgiveness comes quickly, and where understanding grows stronger every day. Let our words bring healing, not hurt. Fill our family with Your peace and remind us that when we walk in truth, we walk in freedom.In Jesus’ name, amen.

Homes of Joy

JOSH ROCKHOFF

SCRIPTURE:

Acts 2:46 (NLT) — "They […] met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and
generosity."

Devotional:

Growing up, I always loved mealtimes with my Family. During the day, we would all come home from school for 30 minutes just to eat together. I remember, one particular Summer’s Day, we sat outside in the garden, eating our meals, when my older brothers
suddenly jumped up, grabbed my sister, carried her across the yard, and threw her headfirst into our inflatable pool. As we all broke out in laughter, my sister climbed out of the pool, grabbed the hose … and the greatest water fight in the history of the Rockhoff Household broke out.You see, our homes are not just places where we go to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. Our homes are meant to be places of life, places where we can be exactly who we are, places where we can leave the worries and challenges of the day at the door.In Philippians 4:4 (NIV) we read, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” We sometimes picture the joy of the Lord as a calm, serious kind of joy, but the Bible shows it’s often something lively and shared — a joy that grows when God’s people are together. We can experience this joy of the Lord as we gather for meals, during a family hike in the mountains, or even as we serve together in church. Each Sunday, I’m reminded of this joy when I see a father and daughter laughing together as they prepare coffee for
our church family.Here’s what I know though, Homes of Joy don’t just happen – they take effort, they take planning, they take intentionality. I am so grateful to my parents for creating a home where we laughed together, joked around, and didn’t take ourselves and life too seriously. This home instilled in me a deep love for people, friendship, and Jesus. Today, when I come home after a long or tiring day, I stop myself at the front door to our apartment, taking three deep breaths, I pray in a whisper, “Jesus, help me to enter with joy.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What is a fun or joyful memory you have of our family?2. What are traditions or habits we can start to make our home more joyful?3. What is ONE BIG THING we can plan that will bring all of us joy?

Prayer:

Jesus, we thank you that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We thank you that when things are difficult or hard, your joy helps us.We ask that you’d help us make our home a home of joy. That our home would be a place for us to laugh, be ourselves, and grow in love for each other and for you.Thank you.In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Homes of Belonging

Amy Rodriguez Campillo

SCRIPTURE:

1 John 3:1 (NIV) — “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that’s what we really are!”

Devotional:

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe you’re from a family that is so big you can’t all fit in one room at Christmas time. You may have a small family. Our family and how we feel about them may affect how we understand God. No matter what your home looks like, if you belong to Jesus, you are a part of the greatest family ever — God’s family. God calls you, His child. He loves you unconditionally.In 2018 I got married to an amazing man named Jacob. Three years before we got married, Jacob left his home country in Mexico to come to Sydney Australia to do Bible college, because God had spoken to him. This was a hard decision for Jacob to leave his family and his country to move to a place where he had not family or friends. But he trusted God. He knew his identity was in God and defined by Him, and he knew he was never alone. This gave him the confidence to step out and be obedient to God’s word. We don’t have to know all the details of what God promises, but sometimes we just must trust God and be obedient, and He will do the rest.Whether you have or haven’t moved away from your family, you may feel alone at times, or you feel like you don’t belong, or maybe you don’t feel confident in who you are. But when we remember and know that we are God’s children, it changes everything, because it changes the way we see ourselves. This way we don’t need to live by what others say or think about us — we live by what God says about us. People might say different things about us — some of this will be kind words, and some others word won’t be as kind. But regardless, God’s voice means more than the voices of others, and we get to decide that His voice has more weight and power in us, and by doing so, we don’t need to be worried about what others may say. God says you are chosen, never alone, and you are His child.Jesus showed His Father’s character of love, compassion and care towards His children multiple times. One of them, when children came to see Jesus. His disciples tried to stop them, but Jesus said, “Let them come to me!” (Mark 10:14). Can you see God’s character towards His children in this story? Jesus welcomes us with open arms regardless of our background, ethnicity, culture, achievements and mistakes.We don’t need to be “good enough” or “look the part” to belong. We already belong — because we are His! When we surrender before Jesus and declare that he’s our Lord and saviour, we become children of the Most High! If you ever feel like you don’t belong, it is in those times when we can remind ourselves that we are children of Him who created all and declare over our lives “I AM A CHILD OF GOD”.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does it make you feel to know you are part of Gods family and called a child of God?2. What habits can our family start today that help us keep God’s truth at the center of our lives?3. What are some ways we can listen to God’s voice more than other people’s opinions?

Prayer:

Dear God,Thank You for loving us. Thank You that we are Your children.Help us remember we are never alone. Teach us to love like You do.
Fill our home with Your peace and joy.We love You!In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

Homes of Rest

Nat Pingel

SCRIPTURE:

Isaiah 32:18 (NIV) — “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

Devotional:

Isaiah is speaking during a time of great political turmoil and of social injustice declaring that there would be a day coming when “a King will reign in righteousness” (Isaiah 32:1). It would not be a King ruling by earthly power or conquest, but the Holy One whose law is love and whose gospel is peace. With His coming – the promise of security and rest.Isaiah refers to peaceful dwelling places, secure homes and undisturbed places of rest. Notice, the beautiful progression of that promise intersecting our world! The world in its broadest sense (the place we inhabit), our immediate world (the place we reside) and our internal world (the place of our soul). Yet, so often, each of those spaces can feel like a battlefield! The world we inhabit is filled with conflict and unrest. Our homes can look and feel like chaos – piles of washing, busy schedules, arguments over who is ‘stole’ the charger, stress, pressure. And deep within, our souls can feel weary, anxious or fearful – far from that ‘undisturbed rest” Isaiah speaks of.True rest, is not found in a change of scenery or circumstance (though a holiday never hurts!) – it is found in a Person! Jesus invites us: “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30 NIV)When Jesus is at the centre of our hearts and homes, His peace transforms us. The rest He offers isn’t the absence of activity – it’s the presence of his peace in the middle of it all. He brings “menuchah” – a Hebrew word meaning “tranquil rest”, the deep soul-peace that comes from being in right relationship with God!So today, let’s invite Him to bring His rest into every layer of our lives – the world around us, the homes we live in and the soul within us.

Discussion Questions:

1. The world around us- What nation, community or people group can we pray for today that needs the peace of God?- Is there a practical way we can be peacemakers – showing kindness, giving or serving others?2. Our home- How can we, as a family or household, take responsibility for creating a peaceful and restful home environment?- What daily rhythms can help reduce that sense of ‘overwhelm’ in the home? (eg everyone helping with small chores, showing gratitude, acts of love, sharing meals together)- How can we shape the tone of our home through our words, prayer, music, delight and kindness?- What moments can we intentionally create that are free from screens and distractions – time to laugh, talk and simply be together?3. Our Inner World
- What helps you personally find rest in Jesus? (eg. worship, nature, prayer, journalling stillness etc)
- Are there things in your life right now that are stealing your peace? How can you give them to God in prayer?

Prayer:

Thank you Jesus that you are our Prince of Peace. We invite You into each and every part of our lives – our world, our home and our hearts.Teach us to enter Your rest and bring Your peace wherever we go.
May our home be a place where Your presence is felt, where love is spoken and where our souls find rest.May You bless our coming and our going and may You fill us with menuchah – the deep, soul rest that only you can give!In Jesus' name, Amen

The Home of Honesty

MICAH ROSE

SCRIPTURE:

John 8:32 (NIV) — “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Devotional:

Discussion Questions:

Prayer:

God, thank You that You love truth because You love freedom. Thank You that Your love doesn’t change when we make mistakes — You invite us to come as we are.
Help us to be honest with You and with each other, even when it’s hard. Give us courage to tell the truth, and grace to receive it with love.Teach us to build a home where honesty is safe, where forgiveness comes quickly, and where understanding grows stronger every day. Let our words bring healing, not hurt. Fill our family with Your peace and remind us that when we walk in truth, we walk in freedom.In Jesus’ name, amen.