Letter To Our Children

Hello Friends,

You did it, and I thank you!

This past Sunday morning’s worship Christmas service was wonderful. You read the scriptures out loud, in public, which spoke of the most beautiful story that has ever been told. You read clearly, and with grace. You sang songs of praise to our King. You led us in our prayers, making this past Sunday morning very meaningful and helpful.

I was doubly glad when you read the scriptures out loud. It may seem like a no-brainer, still, it is something that God’s people are specifically commanded to do. As Paul told Timothy, his young pastoral student, Give yourself to the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13).

The very first place in the Bible that the public reading of Scripture is described took place at Mount Sinai in Exodus 24. It is also probably the very first place corporate public worship of God (like we do on Sundays at church) is fully described in the Bible. And part of their worship was Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people (Ex. 24:7).

Following that big moment we read in Deuteronomy 31, the Lord commands to the Israelites through Moses to read the entire law at the end of every seven years before all Israel in their hearing (v. 11). God wanted His people to remember His words, and a big part of that was the public reading of Scripture.

Joshua read the scriptures out loud to God’s people after they first entered the Promised Land. Joshua 8:34–35.

King Josiah brought changes to God’s people that began, you guessed it, with the public reading of Scripture:

Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the Lord and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 23:1–2).

Both Ezra and Nehemiah read out loud for hours from early morning until midday on a special wooden platform that may have been the first pulpit (the place where many preachers put their bibles and sermon notes on) in history (Neh. 8:3–4).

And of course, Jesus, who is our example in everything, began His public ministry by standing up and reading the scriptures out loud in a worship service—just like you did!

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read (Luke 4:16).

Kids, when you read the scripture out loud in front of everyone this past Sunday, it was a big deal. Sometimes people think worship services should be like Television Shows or like a mini-concert. Sometimes the Bible is not even read in a church, and therefore some people don’t know the real reason for Christmas. Sometimes people make up all kinds of reasons why Jesus came to earth.

Therefore, may God bless you because when you read the scriptures out loud in public on Sunday, you help make things clearer about Jesus Christ, God’s plan to save people, about our sin, whom we are without Christ, therein making things very clear about Christmas.

Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!

Your friend and fellow out loud Bible reader,

Pastor Joe

P.S. Here is a link to the scene from Scrooge, a little dated, you might enjoy—with your parent’s permission.