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 intuition or through what we enjoy – but in His Word. Each of the elements we have noted so far are each grounded in the Word but also articulate the Word of God – the Call to Worship, Prayer of Adoration and Confession, assurance of God’s grace – and last time, singing God’s praise.
Next in logical order is to wait upon God in reverence and attentive desire to hear from Him through the reading of His Word.
In 1 Timothy 4:13-16 Paul exhorts the young pastor Timothy in his ministry as follows:
“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you… give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
That the Scriptures are meant is clear from the context, for Paul connects this reading to exhortation and doctrine, which are based on the Scriptures. “Reading” refers 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.
This follows the practice of Neh 8:1–8 and subsequently carried on in the Synagogue, which was approved by the example of Jesus who would take the portion of the Word that had been appointed for the Sabbath Day’s public reading in Luke 4:16–27; and later imitated by Paul in Acts 13:15.
At the time Paul wrote these words, the church’s Scriptures were largely the Old Testament, with what has become the New Testament gradually becoming available. And we have in the NT instructions to have them read before the congregation.
Believing the whole Bible to be the Word of God, and knowing that the Old and New Testaments are in harmony rather than form a contradictory relationship, we then make a deliberate effort to read from both Testaments.
Now in doing so we believe, as Paul clearly articulated to Timothy, that the reading of the Word of God is a means of grace – as is the hearing of it read.
Through this reading, God speaks directly to the congregation in His own words, the one who performs in that act serves as God’s representative voice. It could then be argued that this should be done by the recognised Elders of the church, or at the very least under their careful oversight. Indeed, all engaged in the reading should handle that Word with great care, so that their reading does not diminish the reality of what is happening let alone to serve to alter the intention of God in that Word by how it is read.
For this reason, the reader should refrain from interspersing the reading of God’s Word with human comments. He should read clearly and with understanding, and the congregation should attend to the reading with the deepest reverence and eager attention to comprehend and apply, understanding this is an action or worship and engagement in worship.
Indeed the fruit of the public reading of God’s Word ought to be continued and enhanced worship – as we hear more of the God we worship, His glory, His grace to us our adoration, prayer and praise should compound.
This, however, must then overflow into our daily lives, giving attention to the personal and family reading of God’s Word. As Joel Beeke observes in light of 1 Tim 4:13-16, ‘If we are to be godly in this crooked world, we will need to diligently read the Scriptures and meditate on their doctrines, making applications to daily life in the way of pointed exhortations. Without it, our lives and worship will suffer detrimentally.’
So,
Let us give our attention to the reading of the Word of God…
Together in Christ’s love and service,
John
Your Pastor