God commands that His Word be read publicly, and has empowered His Word to pierce the heart of the hearer, to hear Him unequivocally, and to establish His rule even further, and to show that what is said in the sermon is to be derived from God’s Word, and expected to be a faithful exposition of God’s Word.

In Reformed worship, the reading and preaching of the Bible holds the place of central and exalted importance because it is through the proclaimed Word that God speaks most directly and authoritatively to His people. Reformed theology is grounded in the conviction that Scripture alone (“sola Scriptura”) is the supreme rule of faith and life. As such, the pulpit becomes the focal point of worship—not due to the preacher’s eloquence or personality, but because of the divine message being heralded. Preaching is not merely a teaching or exhortation; it is a means of grace, an instrument through which the Holy Spirit works to convict, convert, sanctify, and comfort God’s people.

This emphasis finds its roots in the Reformation. Reformers like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and especially John Calvin insisted that the Word must be the climax of Christian worship. Calvin structured the entire worship service around the hearing of God’s Word, arguing that just as God created the world by His Word, so He recreates and sustains His people through that same Word. In Reformed churches, therefore, the proclamation of the Word of God is not an interlude between hymns or sacraments—it is the high point, the moment when the congregation most clearly encounters the living God.

God is not distant or silent; He addresses His covenant people each Lord’s Day, calling them to faith, repentance, and obedience. It is not man’s word about God, but God’s Word to man. This understanding gives the preaching a weight and vitality that shapes the entire structure and tone of Reformed worship. Through the faithful reading and exposition of Scripture, Christ is lifted up, faith is nurtured, and God’s people are drawn into deeper communion with Him.

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