What ever happened to Sunday evening worship?
It’s now a common occurrence for churches to only have a single service on a Sunday. We spend time dining, socialising and finishing off our chores or even a day out shopping. The evening service is disregarded as we fill our time with other things.
Seeing the Psalms as the songs that Jesus sung
Songs connect with us emotionally in ways that no other form of expression can. Songs reverberate around our heads more than plain words do. In this post, I want to argue that if we want to be more like Jesus and live more like Him, then we need to sing the Psalms just like He did.
Seeing the Psalms as the songs that speak about Jesus
It’s staggering to think that as we read, sing and pray the Psalms, we use the same words Jesus Himself would’ve used during His time on earth.
Rediscovering the wonder in the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper or Communion is an event which the Christian church has been celebrating for the last two thousand years. Yet in so many churches it seems to be rushed or tagged on at the end of a service; or it is a source of contention. We need to rediscover the wonder of the Lord’s Supper, understand why it has been neglected and how we can restore it.
Does it matter what you wear to church?
Are those who dress smartly in their ‘Sunday best’ for church just holding onto silly traditions? Does it matter what you wear when you worship God?
Let’s get rid of excessive evangelism and reform the church
Over the last few decades, I believe that many of us have lost sight of what church is about and are instead gripped and obsessed with modern evangelism techniques in all their shapes and sizes. From seeker sensitivity to the construction of endless cafes, churches up and down the land have neglected the lives of the congregation. This is not healthy.
This Christmas don’t forget the wonder of the Incarnation
What is the greatest event in the history of the world? What is the most amazing thing to happen across the entirety of the cosmos? What story lies at the centre of absolutely everything, past, present and future? God coming as a man. That’s what.
Praising God
Billy Bray was an eccentric preacher of old. He was known for spontaneously breaking out in song and dance (not unlike David, 2 Samuel 6:14). A lot of people didn’t know what to make of him, was he a raving loony or was this genuine joy in the Lord? When people complained of his over-enthusiasm, […]
What is wrong with celebrity Christianity?
The Israelites were fed up. They wanted a king to lead them and fight their battles. They were bored of living in a theocracy. They wanted a celebrity leader to look up to, a body to see and idolise. They wanted to be like the other nations. The tragic reality was they were bored of […]
Active and passive singing
Singing is (or should be) an important part of our walk. The words of hymns can help us reflect upon the Word and what we learn on Sunday. Historically, Psalms played a significant role in congregational singing in reminding God’s people throughout the ages of God’s character, to encourage, to rebuke the nation and provide […]
Recommended songwriters and hymns from the twenty-first century
I have often talked about the issues of church music; in fact, some may think it is the only thing I can talk about! The debate in the church should never be old versus new, contemporary against tradition, but rather about what honours the Lord. Thus, although we like traditional hymns, we also are really […]
Christian Music: an updated opinion piece
Psalm 96 1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be […]