This is not a general textbook on homiletics. Charles Rice sharply defines the focus and early forges the link between Word and sacrament. His basic thesis is that preaching cannot stand apart from the sacraments, and the aim of the sermon is to bring the worshiper to "make Eucharist."
Today's parents no longer assume that they know what family worship should be. Even those brought up with some sort of family prayer and Bible reading are often looking for a more meaningful way to worship at home with their families.
This service focuses on the gospel narrative of Thomas' journey from doubt to faith; it is intended for an evening service on the Sunday after Easter. The service incorporates a dramatic reading prepared by Bert Polman, associate professor of music at Redeemer College. It was first held at the Ministers and Spouses Conference held at Redeemer College on March 28,1989.
Hymn: "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" (1)
[PH 113, PsH 388, RL 325, TH 277]
Psalm 18 may at first seem a strange choice for a congregational song, especially during Lent. Praise, militant language, despair, destruction, salvation, and apparent boasting present a confusing mix. Congregations will appreciate an explanation of the psalm or, better still, reading it responsively before attempting to sing it.
Ministers in the Reformed tradition have always been shy about stressing rituals and symbols. We don't kneel as the Anglicans do, and we seldom raise our arms as Pentecostals do. We don't know what gestures we should use in the "presentation" of the offering, and we are unsure if we ought to lift the chalice or goblet in the Lord's Supper. But we do have a fixed tradition in the "breaking of the bread." And here we give the wrong message.
The worship team of our church met recently to discuss the Lord's Supper—not its theology or spiritual significance, but the mode of our participation. Should we sit in pews, the way we have done for the past sixty years? Should we consider gathering around tables, as our church's founders did in 1915? Should we come to the front and take the bread, dip it in the cup, and eat while walking back to the pew, as we have tried a few times (dubbed "dip and run")? Should we stand in a circle as we take the bread and wine?
It's quiet in there now. There's a crack in the curtain, and when I looked inside, I saw all of those kids sitting there on the edge of their chairs, just like I thought they would. That's not to say I wasn't worried. I prayed a lot...
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
