I have been thinking about this year’s carol services for the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford Church of Christ for several months. However, I sat down to write out a draft order of service more recently.
I’ll share with you what we are doing this year (you can access the TV service here, and the Watford service here), but I’d like to know what ideas you have.
Our format is based on the tried and tested template we’ve use for a few years now. A number of popular carols interspersed with readings by preteens and teenagers along with one or two newer songs.
The two Carol services I’m involved with this year in Thames Valley and Watford will be almost identical. Here are a few highlights.
* The song “He shall reign forevermore” by Chris Tomlin and Mat Maher. We learned it last year. * In the Watford congregation when we sing “Away in a Manger” we’ll begin with one of our preteens, Leah, playing the tune on her flute whilst I’ll support her with my melodica. * This year’s new song is “Midnight clear” by Richard Willis, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jonas Myrin. One of the advantages of a song like this is that the tune of the verses will be familiar to many in the congregation. There’s only a chorus to learn. If you’re in a situation like mine, it’s hard to find the time to teach new songs. Learning one where either lyrics (like “He shall reign” referenced above) or tune are familiar keeps things fresh while not making learning a new song too demanding. * We’ll also be performing for the second year in a row a song I wrote last year called “Bethlehem Carol”. Bethlehem Carol Sheet Music * Communion will be taken whilst a three-part version of “Coventry Carol” arranged for keyboard and soloist is performed. Coventry Carol – Arranged for piano and solo * The children will be performing something Christmassy, I’m assured by the children’s ministry people!
What are you aiming for with your carol service? I’m aiming for a mix of old and new, tradition and freshness which will have enough familiarity for people visiting our congregation along with some variety to spice up things for our long-time members. The involvement of the children seems to be particularly significant.
Could you post your entire carol service outline? It’d be helpful and even inspiring to see the different things we’re doing.
Question for today: “How to you balance the traditional and the fresh in your carol service?”
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.
If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.
Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.
“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)
God bless, Malcolm
PS: You might also be interested in my book: “An elephant’s swimming pool”, a devotional look at the Gospel of John
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NIV11)
What does it mean that the pure hearted will see God? And how is this connected to the kingdom of heaven?
In this series we are immersing ourselves in the beatitudes – Matthew 5:5:3-12. We’re trying to figure out what each beatitude means for us practically and how that affects our relationship with God, and in particular, our times of quiet with God.
Join me today as I examine what it means to be pure in heart.
Showing mercy needs a pure heart because it must be done altruistically. Although the merciful will be shown mercy, the reward is not something that a merciful person thinks about.
What is purity of heart?
The heart is the source of our struggles with sin (Jer 17.9, Mk 7:17-23). It is not our environment. This is why dealing with the heart is so important. We may be able to change our circumstances, but the heart will not change because of that. The Fall happened in paradise.
The heart is at the core of who we are. “..the heart means the centre of the personality.” It is the mind, the will, the heart. The Bible enjoins us to purity because God is pure (1 John 3:3) & holy (Hebrews 12:14). This beatitude connects directly to the first great commandment to love God will all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
A mark of purity is total sincerity. The JB Phillips translation has this as, “Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!” Public life and private life match up. No hypocrisy.
Why bother with keeping a pure heart? Because we will be like our Lord, who is pure of heart, in the next life (1 John 3:2-3). A Christian strives to be as much like his or her Lord because he is our model and hope. One who does this is displaying that, “His present efforts are consistent with his future hope.”
What does it mean to ’see’ God?
What does it mean to ‘see’ God? Not literal. In being like God are we seeing more clearly who he is? A bit like a child growing up and people saying he looks more and more like his father and mother, and also the child themselves comes to understand their parents better. Others see more of God in us, but we also see more of God.
Some of this is fulfilled in eternity with God. For then we shall see him as he truly is. We shall see face to face (1 Cor 13:12).
We are not capable of keeping our own hearts pure, of course. So what can this mean? Perhaps it refers to keeping a spiritually narrow focus in life (Psalm 86:11).
Rather than a moral purity perhaps it refers more to a relational purity. The sort of thing we see in marriage and in covenants. Old Testament covenants focussed on Israel having only one God. Marriage is a relationship characterised by a commitment to one another exclusive of all other people. I have one wife and I have one God. I have a ‘purity’ of heart in this. There must be no ‘mixing’ of my commitment to these relationships or else the relationships themselves will be compromised.
‘Pure’ silver is that which is not mixed with alloys. ‘Purity of heart’ means that I will not allow myself to be distracted and polluted by the world (James 1:27). A person who is divided in his loyalties is not pure of heart (Rom 7:22-23).
In relation to these being the norms of the kingdom, this is a tough teaching but a logical one. We have one king – we must be loyal to him. How does this beatitude affect our times of quiet with God?
Suggestions:
Pray for an awareness of the way in which your circumstances trigger your temptations. But also pray that you would find the strength available from God to help you remain pure no matter what the circumstances may be.
Pray for a tenderness towards purity. Ask God to reveal more of himself to you and in you.
Be decisive about cutting out anything from your life which divides your heart towards God.
What does being pure of heart mean to you? How do you recognise when you are striving for purity? What symptoms are you aware of when you have lost touch with the significance of purity of heart?
Retreat updateThere are still a few places left for the spiritual disciplines retreat, “Wait for the LORD”. You can find details on the dedicated page of my website. If you have any questions, please drop me a line: malcolm@malcolmcox.org. I’m working on the booklet which I will send out in advance. This will contain information about the area, the details of the schedule, some tips on how to make the most of the retreat and an exposition of Psalm 130.
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.
If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.
Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.
I am continuing to receive very helpful feedback from the three-part series I taught recently for the Thames Valley churches of Christ.
Here is a second excerpt from an email I received from Celia Forbes of our sister congregation in Birmingham:
“2) Why do I speak? I speak to help people to find strength in God (Romans 1:11; 1 Samuel 23:16). I appreciate that we absolutely need close relationships in the church, but I feel that we all (not just the full-time ministry staff and the leaders) need to grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures so that we can do better at helping each other to find strength in God.”
Let’s have a look at the Scriptures she references to see in what way they might help shape the way we speak.
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (Romans 1:11–12 NIV11)
“While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.” (1 Samuel 23:15–18 NIV11)
Neither Scripture is in the context of public speaking, but both bear some relevance to that context.
Speak to the people, not the occasion.
Paul wants to go to Rome. It is the most magnificent city in the Roman Empire. There he would see sites to provoke awe and wonder. If you’ve ever been a tourist in an impressive city you know what it’s like. However, Paul was not interested in the occasion or the location, but in the people.
When we speak, our focus must be on bringing God to the people, rather than the occasion or the opportunity.
Jonathan could send a messenger. Yet, at great danger to himself he makes the brave decision to be physically present with David. Whilst acknowledging the difficult situation, the focus here is not on Saul or the problem. Instead the focus is on God and the desire of Jonathan to help his friend.
Compassion and faith are the primary qualities on show.
What does this mean for the way we speak to a congregation? Let me offer a few suggestions:
Pray in advance for the people who will be present. If you know the people, pray for as many as is feasible by name.
Pray that your talk will have an impact on individuals, irrespective of what the group needs.
Look at people during your talk. Make eye contact.
If you are a visiting speaker, find out from someone in the local congregation about the needs, both general and specific.
Connect personally with people before the service begins and again afterwards. Have individual conversations. Arrive early and leave late. Your responsibility as a speaker begins when you walk through the door and continues until you are off the premises.
Speak for strength, not behaviour.
It’s interesting that Paul wants the people to be ‘strong’. In the context this word (sterizo) means, ‘to render mentally steadfast, to settle, to confirm’.
His desire is that their minds are undisturbed, resolved and, well, strong. Strong in what? Strong in their faith. He is hoping that his presence will strengthen their faith. As such, the focus is on the strength which God’s supplies ( the implication behind his desire to give them a “spiritual gift”).
In other words, his focus is not on getting them to behave in a certain way.
Of course there is a connection between faith and obedience (James 2). However, aren’t we more likely to see healthier and lasting obedience to God’s commands if, first, we have helped people to find their strength in God.
The danger of preaching for behaviour change is that it focusses all too easily on human effort.
Jonathan does not urge David to do anything different. He does not tell him what to do. He provides reassurance and friendship. More than that, he points David to God. They make a covenant before the Lord. This is not simple human friendship, this is a spiritual bond whose strength is in God.
When we stand up to speak, it’s as if we’re making a covenant with our audience before the LORD that we will work together in search of greater strength in God and for God. When we speak with the aim that our hearers will gain greater strength in God, it is surely inevitable that we will see change in their lives to a greater Christ-likeness as a result.
What does this mean for the way we speak to a congregation? Let me offer a few suggestions:
Use lesson titles and subtitles that reference God, Father, Jesus, Spirit. Keep the focus on God in the titles, and it will be easier to keep the focus on him in the body of what you are sharing.
Speak about God, Father, Jesus, Spirit as much as you can. Certainly add practical points of application, illustrations and personal sharing. But, do not neglect talking about God himself. Have a listen to some of your recent lessons and assess the balance.
Reference the qualities of God which are revealed in the passage or the topic about which you are speaking. In other words, don’t just talk about how we should respond, but also the motivation and inspiration behind our response.
Speak optimistically about the future. Both Paul and Jonathan were optimistic about the way God was going to arrange the future. Paul was aware of the problems in the church in Rome and Jonathan was well aware of the problems between his father and David. However, Paul and Jonathan’s tone was positive. If we are going to help people find strength in God we will not serve our congregations well by being negative, doom and gloom merchants. Instead, whilst at times it’s important to be straight and challenging with a congregation, the overall tone must be a positive one. My wife tells me that whenever she has an opportunity to speak to a group, she remembers something I told her many years ago – “Always leave the group with hope”. If God is in the picture (and he always is), then there is never any call for a message of despair.
There is much more to be said, but this will do for now. As usual, I would love your comments.
What I’d like to know today is, “How do you speak in such a way as to help people find strength in God?”
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.
If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.
Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.
“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)
“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.” (Luke 22:14–23 NIV11)
QUESTION: What is the context for this meal?
Discussion
Question for discussion in small groups: “Why do you think God gave us the Lord’s Supper as the one and only repeated act to help us remember Jesus?”
Love, Jn 13 – washing feet, “Greater love has no one…” Jn 15.13
Material remembrance about the cross rather than the resurrection.
Why?
Because the love of Christ is more primary than the power demonstrated in the resurrection.
This is the most important thing to remember this week
Conclusion
Memories we hold on to shape our future
Communion shapes our future week
What do you admire about Jesus that you want to remember this week?
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1Pet 2:9–10
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.
If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.
Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.
“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)
