Posts from January 2021

 Dear Congregation,  Most things we do in worship we do every time we worship – yet some things are more seasonal. The first may suffer from what might be called ‘familiarity contempt’ – we are so used to these things they simply happen. We trust that the various elements of biblical worship are always engaged in as a meaningful reality, but if we are honest, we…

Dear Congregation,  In worshipping God there is of necessity a key place for the Word of God, read and preached. Following the sermon the congregation is encouraged to respond appropriately to the message they have been given. In some churches within the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition the giving of the tithes and offering has always formed part of this response.…

Dear Congregation,  In worshipping God there is of necessity a key place for the Word of God.   Last week we saw from 1 Timothy 4:13-16 that the Pastor is to “give attention to reading” – a reference to the custom of public reading of Scripture in the church’s worship service, followed by the exposition of the passage that had been read. As we noted,…

Dear Congregation, As we return to our understanding of the elements of public worship as a congregation of God’s people let us see next the place of the Public Reading of God’s Word. The importance of God’s Word of course should already be obvious – it is God’s Worship so He should be the one to tell us how He wants that to take place, and He does that not in our…

Dear Congregation,  And the Bible verse of the year in 2020 was… A report in Eternity News this week declared: ‘Makers of The Bible App, the most-used Bible reading app in the world say that the most shared, bookmarked and highlighted verse in 2020 was Isaiah 41:10.’ “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I…