We can use language to open the door to true worship by the grace of God, but he makes that worship true in every heart, not us. Repetition can be the tool needed on a particular Sunday to hammer through the walls of hardened hearts or it can be the means by which worship rises to a climactic crescendo of praise. We labor in the fields, but God brings about the harvest.
For those who use the lectionary, Year A brings us to Matthew 2 and the slaughter of the innocents. This is a difficult pericope and one that you might be tempted to skip over in lieu of Epiphany’s light. But there are important theological reasons to remember this part of the Christmas story and include it in your worship services. If you are struggling with how to do it, here are a few practical helps.
Because that blood in the tank, the blood nourishing the church, didn’t really come from the worship leaders; it doesn’t come from the Pastor, the elders or the deacons. We are only ever graced to be conduits.
