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Begin our worship each Sunday by standing and holding our Bibles over our heads? 

This blog post begins a new series titled “Pastor Why Do We?” Sometimes we pastors explain ourselves well. And at other times we simply implement something without much explanation. Thankfully, my dear flock at Corydon Baptist has been absurdly patient and gracious with me over many years now. The freedom they have given me to lead the church body has been a sweet gift. And yet, I know our sheep well enough to know they expect biblical fidelity from me and all pastors and spiritual leaders. Hallelujah! I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

That said, one of the rules of good leadership is to over-communicate. There are exceptions, of course. Pastors have no business sharing details of personal counseling sessions, for example! But within reason, we should shepherd the flock by communicating clearly. Not just from the pulpit (but certainly especially there), but in general as we direct the church to accomplish her God-given mission to make disciples for the glory of God in the gospel of Christ. One of my favorite bosses in the Marine Corps, Colonel J.C. Hardee, put it this way to his young lieutenants, “Never assume someone knows something unless you told him.” 

Good advice. Worth following. Similarly, King Solomon by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, said, “Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law” (Prov 29:18). Leaders must communicate God’s Word and God’s ways. Followers should have a clear sense of where they’re going, or where they’re being led, and why they’re being led that way. So, my prayer is that this series of blog posts serves to remind or reinforce not only what we do at CBC, but why we do it.  

Perhaps a decade ago now, I began to be convicted about the order of worship at CBC. I was especially seeking the Lord for a way to begin our worship biblically. I wanted it to reflect the truth that all true worship begins with God’s self-revealing initiative. God reveals. We respond. God speaks. We sing. God prophesies. We pray. God witnesses. We worship. Worship begins and ends with God! It’s completely Word-driven. 

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). While that statement is a deep well of theology, it must at bare minimum mean that our hearts must base worship upon God’s truth. Who He is. Really is. As revealed in the Bible. What He has done, is doing, and will do, through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Word-made-flesh. How desperately we depend upon His Spirit to explain and apply His Word. 

“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). Another almost infinitely deep well of doctrine! It harkens back to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created.” How? “And God said.” By the Word! By His Word spoken, and by His Word who is the only One who can make God known to us (John 1:18). And these things we know and are sure of, because God wrote them down! 

His Word written down, breathed out by the Spirit through humble human authors, which testifies to His Word-made-flesh, our Savior and Lord. Worship begins with God, and we are 100% reliant upon God to reveal Himself in His Word, to have any hope of worshiping Him rightly. As He prescribes. As He demands. As He deserves. As He pleases. 

“You have exalted above all things, Your name and Your Word” (Ps 138:2). 

What more need be said? God’s name, who He is, and how He can be known in the free pardon of sin, is manifested to us only in, by, and through His Word. Our God is the only God who speaks, and does so savingly to we poor sinners (Deut 4:32-40; Ps 115:1-8; Luke 7:48). 

John Calvin wrote, “We owe to the Scripture the same reverence as we owe to God, since it has its only source in Him and has nothing of human origin mixed with it." 

He was not, of course, advocating bibliolatry. But his point was nonetheless poignant. Until that day when in glory the Word is fully and finally written on our hearts, we are desperately in need of hearing God’s Word, and seeking to know, love and delight in Him in and through His Word. Until that day when we hear His voice face-to-face, we live to hear it from our Bibles. We must hear from God! We need God to speak to us, convict us, save us, sanctify us, endure us, encourage us, and yes even rebuke us, all by His Spirit applying His Word.   

Of all the good things we do and enjoy during our Sunday worship assemblies, the very best is to “behold wondrous things from Your Law” (Ps 119:118). We cry with Samuel, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10). We say, “Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling” (Ps 43:3). We cling to the words of Jesus, as He cited the Law, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). 

And so, we adopted a symbolic way for us to remind ourselves of our immense love for, and reliance upon, the Word of the Living God. Right up front. We hold the Bible high. To symbolically say, “This is our authority for all of life and godliness. We must hear from God. He speaks. We respond. And we desire to spread His Word to more neighbors near and far. So that they, too, can come to know the joy of forgiveness and true worship in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Amen. 

May the reverence shown so long ago by those gathered to hear the Word of God read and explained by Ezra the scribe, still be our hallmark (Nehemiah 8). May a “holy hush” come over us and our children as we stand and hold our Bibles high. 

Why? 

Because we are about to hear God’s Word. And without it, our worship is empty. 

by Keith McWhorter