In the benediction our corporate worship service comes to a close, but we are blessed by God to begin in our mission in the world.
During the Prayers of the People we reaffirm our connection with God, with each other, and with the world into which we are sent, asking for God’s power and mercy be poured out “on earth as it is in heaven.”
Through water, word and Spirit, all who are baptized into Christ have been clothed with him and are part of one unified community.
When we stand together and speak a creed in worship, we remind and instruct ourselves afresh of the things at the heart of our faith in Jesus Christ.
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are experiencing the truth and power of the gospel not just in our minds but in our bodies and souls, too.
The Offering (or Offertory) is a profoundly intentional act that is meant to shape us week by week as the people of God. Each Sunday, our Offertory reminds us that we are stewards, not owners; partners, not consumers; and givers, not hoarders.
God's word in Scriptures is authoritative for all humanity, as it guides, challenges and reveals who God is and who we are. But hearing it preached together on Sunday morning as a part of worship, it also unites and transforms us into who we are meant to be--not only as individuals, but as a whole community.
Praise is the act of appraising God as worthy and glorious--and giving heart and voice to that act of valuing the Almighty. Therefore, praise in corporate worship helps us orient ourselves to the priorities of God, helping us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.
The passing of the peace is not just a time to greet those in the pews around us; it’s our response to Jesus’ command to share the Gospel—that God’s shalom was now coming into the world—with neighbors and strangers, alike.
Because the Spirit works so powerfully and personally through music and singing, we need to pay special attention to what Scripture says are the characteristics and purposes of musical worship for and in the church.
The weekly practice of confession–when, in the midst of our gathered worship, we admit both individually and together that we are sinners–is just about as counter-cultural as the Christian community gets.
This week we’ll be looking at the Call to Worship, and how it reminds us week by week that God is at the beginning and center of everything.
What we do in worship, week by week, shapes our identity as God’s people living by a distinctive set of practices and rhythms.
God declares that our gathered worship is worthless unless it spills out into the rest of our lives.