15 Reasons Why We Should Still Be Using Hymnals | Ponder Anew. HT: Davey Ermold
worship
All posts tagged worship
“Worship isn’t about your experience of religious ecstasy. It’s about hearing God and responding appropriately, according to His Word.”
Although I have a different view of the relationship between children and the new covenant, for the most part, R. Scott Clark hits the nail on the head when it comes to The Mystery Of Children’s Church | The Heidelblog.
T. David Gordon explains The Problem with Praise Teams.
So the prayer for illumination and the prayer of consecration have similar functions. In neither instance is attention focused on the imperfect elements on the table or the failures of the pastor and others leading the service. These prayers focus the attention of the community on the Lord, who alone dispenses grace to broken and sinful humankind.
Most of us would agree that the prayer of consecration should not be excluded from the communion service. Neither should we intentionally skip the prayer for illumination when we are about to hear the Word of the Lord. Unless God works a miracle of grace when we worship, we will have been little more than entertained by a sermon and engaged in a senseless act at the table. These two prayers may seem insignificant to a casual observer, but they stand at the threshold of those moments in worship when God interacts with the believing community.
via Shedding Light on the Prayer for Illumination | Reformed Worship.
Crampton & Gonzales examine the practice of Exclusive Psalmody and find it wanting.
Psalms Only? – Robert Gonzales & W. Gary Crampton | The Confessing Baptist.
“The Scriptures teach us that the Sabbath is a day which especially calls to our attention the works of God in creation (Gen. 2:2-3; Exod. 20:11), redemption (Deut. 5:15) and the consummation (Heb. 3:7-4:11). But while worship of God and Christ’s ongoing Jubilee ministry (cf. Lk. 4:16-2 1) are the main substance of Sabbath observance in the New Covenant, I have become increasingly persuaded that recreation in the context of the covenant family is not proscribed. To the contrary, much in Scripture associates the celebration of creation, redemption and consummation with a nuance of playfulness. Thus, playfulness in biblical perspective may actually enhance our ability to worship and honor our Creator, Redeemer and Consummator. Therefore, the modest objective of this paper is to put forth a defense for volleyball among covenant families on the Lord’s Day.”
Read this entire article here.