"...Although the sermon is the central form of proclaiming the Word, the whole service should be a ministry of the Word. We gather each Lord’s Day to hear God, not to see inspiring symbols, to express our spiritual instincts, to have exciting experiences, or even merely to hear interesting and informative discourses. Furthermore, we come not only to hear this Word proclaimed in the sermon but to hear God address us throughout the service: in God’s greeting, in the law, in the absolution, in the public reading of Scripture, and in the benediction.
"To each of these divine speaking parts in this script there correspond our lines as well: the invocation, the confession of sin, the “amen” and confession of faith, the offering, and the songs. Therefore, as in our salvation, God’s work is always the main event and our involvement is the appropriate response. Even the purpose of singing in church is not to express our individual piety, commitment, feelings (though it enlists these). Rather, according to Paul, we sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God”—so that “the Word of Christ [may] dwell in [us] richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16; cf. Eph. 5:19)...."
-- Michael Horton, "The Gospel Commission," (pp. 169-170). Baker Books. Kindle Edition.
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