Category: Worship

Teaching right worship and right feelings: The pastor’s responsibility as worship leader

If “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”[1] then that tells us a little about what the primary role and duty of pastors is all about.  If we were made and redeemed to worship God, to praise him and to enjoy and delight in his presence, then the pastor’s… Continue reading Teaching right worship and right feelings: The pastor’s responsibility as worship leader

Is there a sudden appetite for ritual and tradition?

We can draw hasty and sometimes wrong conclusions to major phenomena -especially when the media magnifies them.  For example, there have been quite a few people suggesting that the period of mourning and the Royal Funeral demonstrated a great attitude for ritual and tradition. Here is one example in The Daily Telegraph Om a side… Continue reading Is there a sudden appetite for ritual and tradition?

O Thou who camest from above

At the memorial service to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday evening in St Paul’s cathedral, a few traditional hymns were sung that are probably not so well known to many.  So, I thought I’d share them with a few reflections.  One of them was “O Thou who camest from above” by Charles Wesley. The lyrics… Continue reading O Thou who camest from above

Honoured? The clues to what we really believe and worship

Last weekend, my parents visited and so on Saturday we went for a day out with them.  The weather was inclement and so looking for an indoor option, we ended up at Lichfield Cathedral. Two things stood out to me from the visit. The first was that the Cathedral had housed a shrine for St… Continue reading Honoured? The clues to what we really believe and worship

Joy, enjoyment and singing

In my article on singing the other day, I talked about the importance of enjoyment and joy when we are singing.  I wanted to expand on a little footnote I included in the article.  There I commented that: Incidentally, when I talk about joy and enjoyment here, I don’t think that means we are meant… Continue reading Joy, enjoyment and singing

On singing when I don’t enjoy it

This week, Steve Kneale answered the question “If I don’t enjoy the songs at church, is it okay not to sing?”  I broadly agree with much of what he has to say in his article.  We live in an individualistic age where we believe that our desires and preferences come first. If we see church… Continue reading On singing when I don’t enjoy it

Should we sing “the father’s wrath completely satisfied”?

A friend recently asked on social media for recommendations of newish songs for their church to learn. One I mentioned was the Sovereign Grace song, “Jesus Thank you” by Pat Sczebel .  Another friend commented that whilst they too love this song, they struggle a bit with the chorus which goes: Your blood has washed… Continue reading Should we sing “the father’s wrath completely satisfied”?