Die Heilige Gees en die Skriflesing in die samekoms van die gemeente

The Holy Spirit and Scripture-reading in the gathering of the congregation The realisation of the presence of God in the gathering of the congregation is often hampered by the lack of emphasis on the communicative action, the Scripture-reading by which God directly talks to his congregation. In this article the basic theoretical exploration indicates that Scripture-reading is the way in which God addresses us as: “Here I am!” God discloses his power to bestow grace upon and judge the congregation. Scripture-reading as signifying communicative action in the service can be regarded as a continuation of the idea of God’s presence implied by the tabernacle, temple, and synagogue – an idea also emphasised in New-Testament times and in the twentieth century. Scripture-reading is thus the binding and decisive factor in the meeting of God with his people. Some possibilities for the practical application of the independent Scripture-reading are indicated in this article