Practical Theology / Worship

  • The Foolishness of Idolatry

    Isaiah 44:6–20

    Every form of idolatry manifests our doubts that God really has the ability to save. Counselors have long understood, for instance, that one of the main reasons people become drug, alcohol, and sex addicts is because they are looking for ...Read More

  • The Form of Worship

    1 Corinthians 14:26–40

    Take some time today to consider the liturgy used in your own church. Have its different elements become meaningless to you, things you do without consideration? Or, do you take care to contemplate the significance of the words you speak ...Read More

  • The Handmaiden of Theology

    Colossians 3:16

    Not every traditional hymn is good simply because it is old, and not every contemporary song is unfit for worship simply because it is new. There are bad traditional songs, and there are edifying contemporary songs. Our goal in worship ...Read More

  • The Music of the Covenant

    Psalm 101

    Reformed Christians are sometimes referred to as the “frozen chosen” on account of their demeanor in worship. Of course, everyone expresses joy differently, but our joy as Reformed Christians should be readily apparent in our worship no matter if its ...Read More

  • The Regulative Principle

    Leviticus 10:1–3

    Even within the Reformed tradition, where the regulative principle is highly esteemed, there is disagreement as to how it should be applied. But adherents to the regulative principle agree that human beings are not free to introduce things into worship ...Read More

  • The Sound of Worship

    Psalm 150

    The importance of music in shaping our worldview and theology means that we must never sing songs without carefully considering the meaning of the lyrics. As we participate in worship each week, let us always think carefully on what we ...Read More

  • The Sound of Worship

    Psalm 150

    Paul confesses the depth of God’s ways when concluding his explanation of Israel’s salvation (Rom. 11:33). Though we can learn much about the Lord, we also realize how little we know about Him as we plumb the ...Read More

  • The Taste of Worship

    Psalm 34

    God designed the elements of the Lord’s Supper to teach us specific things about His salvation, so it is appropriate for us to think carefully about what we learn from the taste of the bread and the wine as ...Read More

  • The Taste of Worship

    Psalm 34

    God has graciously given us many different foods, and every time we taste something we should remember the goodness of the Lord and His marvelous provision of our basic sustenance. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a church ...Read More

  • The Touch of Worship

    Acts 6:1–7

    Paul exhorts us to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16). The way in which we can appropriately convey the love of God physically differs from culture to culture. But whether it is a handshake, hug, or ...Read More

  • The Worship of All Flesh

    Isaiah 66:15–24

    Isaiah also conveys the glorious blessing of the new heavens and earth in today’s passage when he says “some of them also I will take for priests” (Isa. 66:21). He is referring to the Gentiles, and this would ...Read More

  • True and Counterfeit Glory

    James 2:1–13

    “Clothes make the man,” the saying goes. We behave better and feel more serious when we dress up. Do we dress up to go to banquets with mere men but not to attend the Lord’s Supper? Do we dress ...Read More