About Our Worship

What is worship? It is many things, but one of the things that we believe is that it is a dialogue, a conversation between God and man. We aim to have all of the elements of our service based upon God’s word, beautiful, reverent, joyful, and honoring to God. We hear him address us, and at various points we respond to what he says to us. Here is the basic flow of our service.

1.       The Lord calls us to worship him and greets us as we gather

Our worship service begins with God’s word. Throughout the Bible he calls the world, but especially his own people, to assemble and worship him. He is worthy of our praise and adoration, and we respond to this call by singing a song that praises God for who he is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The opening song is followed by one of the most assuring moments of our service: The Votum and Salutation. This is a promise from God and a greeting from him as we begin our service: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of his Holy Spirit, Amen.”

2.       The Lord cleanses us in His Son

For all those who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, all sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven. That is great news! We believe that God’s word tells us that hearing this explicit proclamation of the gospel week after week refreshes and sustains our spiritual lives in Christ (Romans 1:16). To this end, we confess our sins together, hear of the full forgiveness that Jesus gives, celebrate in light of God’s grace, and learn of the life to which God calls us.

3.       The Lord feeds us with his Word

We believe that God has ordained that his people be built up, encouraged, and sustained through the preaching of the word (Romans 10:14). Our pastor will tell you that this happens in spite (not because!) of the minister. Throughout the sermon, God is speaking through his word and creating new life.

4.       The Lord sends us with his blessing

Does the Christian life end with the sermon? No, it’s just beginning! We are called to live the way God calls us, as “little actors” who enter the grand drama of what God is doing in the world in light of Christ. Before we do that, though, we get one final blessing from the Lord from his word. The dialogue between God and his people ends fittingly, with God getting the last word as he sends us out in his grace.

Listen to a sermon series on worship: