Here is a brief description of our order of worship during Sunday worship service.
Confession and absolution: We need to have our sins forgiven before approaching God in worship, as he is Holy and we are not. So, we confess our sins at the beginning of worship service. The pastor assures us that, through grace alone, God has forgiven all our sins. We are now ready to hear God's word and receive Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper.
Scriptures and readings: Volunteers from the congregation read two short passages from the Bible for us, then the pastor reads the Gospel selection for the day. The message (sermon) of the day is usually based on one of these readings.
Creed: Together, we speak a summary of the Christian faith. The Creed signifies our allegiance to Christian doctrine and unites us with over 2,000 years of Christian history.
Hymn of the day and sermon: Each week, Pastor chooses a song for us to sing from our hymnal which fits the sermon topic and helps direct our thoughts to the day's message. Then, as the prophets and even Jesus himself did, the pastor speaks on behalf of God, bringing God's words to us.
Prayer of the church: As children of God, we have a responsibility to pray not only for ourselves, but also for the world.
The Lord's Supper: We receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, using the same words that Jesus himself spoke when he instituted the Lord's Supper shortly before his death and resurrection. The music and words (liturgy) bring us God's peace, and reminds us that Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for our forgiveness.
Benediction: Pastor announces a closing blessing from God. As we began the service with the Lord's name, we are sent out in his name.
Confession and absolution: We need to have our sins forgiven before approaching God in worship, as he is Holy and we are not. So, we confess our sins at the beginning of worship service. The pastor assures us that, through grace alone, God has forgiven all our sins. We are now ready to hear God's word and receive Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper.
Scriptures and readings: Volunteers from the congregation read two short passages from the Bible for us, then the pastor reads the Gospel selection for the day. The message (sermon) of the day is usually based on one of these readings.
Creed: Together, we speak a summary of the Christian faith. The Creed signifies our allegiance to Christian doctrine and unites us with over 2,000 years of Christian history.
Hymn of the day and sermon: Each week, Pastor chooses a song for us to sing from our hymnal which fits the sermon topic and helps direct our thoughts to the day's message. Then, as the prophets and even Jesus himself did, the pastor speaks on behalf of God, bringing God's words to us.
Prayer of the church: As children of God, we have a responsibility to pray not only for ourselves, but also for the world.
The Lord's Supper: We receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, using the same words that Jesus himself spoke when he instituted the Lord's Supper shortly before his death and resurrection. The music and words (liturgy) bring us God's peace, and reminds us that Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for our forgiveness.
Benediction: Pastor announces a closing blessing from God. As we began the service with the Lord's name, we are sent out in his name.
We are a small friendly family of believers. Our traditional worship service is ordered around the gifts of God to us. Our worship has a flow to it , both to maintain order and to highlight how it is that God comes to us. We gather together to receive these gifts and to respond with praise for all he has given us - just as was done since the early church.
Our Worship
Humanity typically defines worship as what we do to approach a higher power. Even in places where worship is considered a two-way communication (God to man, man to God) worship is viewed as an act to please God or to earn his favor.
This view of worship has everything backwards. We do not ascend to God, rather he descends to us. He does this not to give us all the things we want, but rather the things he knows we need.
