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Worship Services
What is a Worship Service?
Twice every Sunday, the church gathers together to meet with her God – that is the
essence of worship. Why do we worship? Simply put, because God calls us to. He wants
to maintain a relationship with His people. God has given us the Bible as His Word,
and from there we hear Him call us to meet with Him in worship. We gather in order
to honour, praise, and glorify Him. We do this because God is our Creator and our
Saviour. At the same time, we receive from the Lord wonderful gifts – forgiveness
of our sins, peace with Himself, and His continued care over our lives.
Receiving God’s Gifts
How do we receive these gifts? God gives them to us especially through the preaching
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we listen, we hear from the Bible all about God’s
gifts, how he has sacrificed His own Son to save us from our sin, how He has sent
His Holy Spirit to give us faith and even live in our hearts. It’s really amazing
what God has done! As well, we hear God’s will explained in the preaching so that
we understand how we are to live as Christians, as God’s holy people.
Worship Service Tour – Enter in!
Well, you ask, what actually takes place inside the church building every Sunday?
Let’s take a walk through a typical Sunday morning worship service. Members and
guests usually begin to take their seats in the auditorium at about 9:40 AM. In
the background you will hear the organ playing songs which help focus people’s attention
on the coming meeting with God. A member of the Church Council will greet you at
the door and the usher will be happy to provide you with a Bible and song book if
needed. As the usher directs you to your seat, you will see various families seated
around you. God wants all His people to worship Him together. Infants and toddlers
are cared for in a nursery, but as soon as the children can sit in church they do
so.
Dress Code?
You will notice, too, that most people are dressed up. Please don’t mistake this
for elitism or snobbery. All we are trying to do is to show honour and respect to
the Lord God as much as we can. Much like if we were to have an audience with the
Queen where our whole attitude, demeanour, and dress would reflect our respect for
her Royal Majesty, so when we meet with the King of Kings we want to show Him honour
in every way.
Praise and Blessing
We use a song book which contains the 150 Psalms of the
Bible put to music as well as 65 Hymns based mostly
on texts of Scripture. As much as possible we want to keep the Word of God on our
lips as we praise Him! With a bit of practice, you’ll be singing them as well as
anyone!
The service formally begins as the minister issues a call
to rise and worship God. The congregation responds by confessing her trust in the
Lord alone to which the minister responds by giving God’s greeting of peace on His
behalf. Throughout the service you will find a back-and-forth interaction as God
and His people come together and speak together.
Reflecting on the 10 Commandments
After singing a song of praise, we then listen to God again through the reading
of His law, the 10 Commandments. Why read the law? That may sound like an odd thing
to do, but it is an important act of worship. The 10 Commandments show us how God
wants us to live. They act as a mirror for our lives and a standard of perfection
to strive for. As we listen and compare our lives to God’s law, we realize every
week how our lives do not match up. Our sin is made clear to us and we are humbled
before the Lord.
But the amazing thing is we are not led to despair! Instead
we are driven into the arms of our Saviour Jesus Christ! In the prayer after the
law, we publicly confess our sins and then seek forgiveness for them in the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because God has promised forgiveness, we do not go
away dreading or doubting, but we continue our worship in humble confidence that
we stand right with God again. It’s a beautiful moment- our guilt has been cleared
away! Even more, we are given the Holy Spirit to help us fight against sin and to
show how thankful we are to Him. In the end, the law shows us how to be thankful
to God!
Taking in God’s Word
After the law, singing, and prayer, we then read a portion or two of Scripture that
is related to the “text” of the sermon. The morning sermons are based squarely on
one text of Scripture. After singing a song to prepare our hearts and minds for
the hearing of the gospel, we then set to work listening to the preacher explain
God’s Word from the selected text. Each sermon is about 30 minutes in length. It
takes up the most time in the worship service for one key reason - because God wants
us to be instructed by the preaching of His Word (Romans 10:14-17).
You won’t see any visual aids nor will you hear a lot of personal anecdotes or funny
stories. But you will hear a Bible passage explained, the good news of salvation
in Jesus Christ trumpeted, and how we Christians should live outlined. As we listen,
the Holy Spirit makes us understand and believe God’s Word, and then helps us to
live it out each day.
Offering of Thanks
After the sermon is over, the congregation responds with a song of praise chosen
in connection with the message of the sermon. After singing, a prayer of thanksgiving
is offered. Following this, the congregation again responds to the gospel
message by bringing a thank-offering to the Lord. Yes, this is indeed a financial
gift dedicated to the Lord, but please do not misunderstand this as a payment for
the service or even as support for the minister. Not one penny of the offering goes
to support the minister – that is done by the voluntary contributions of the members
on their own. The offering is given to show your thanks to the Lord for His salvation
as just proclaimed, and all the monies are distributed to the poor and needy, whether
in the congregation, or community or the world. The offering is accompanied by a
song of thanksgiving.
Parting Blessing
The Lord has the last say in the worship service as He sends His people home with
His blessing of peace. We may leave His presence having our faith strengthened by
the preaching and being equipped with renewed commitment to live a life pleasing
to Him. After the blessing, the congregation trickles out of the building, gathering
informally in conversation and fellowship. All in all the whole service takes about
1hr and 15 minutes.
Twice on Sunday?
Yes, we come back once again in the afternoon to meet with the Lord. And why wouldn’t
we? As part of celebrating the Lord’s Day, we are glad to have the opportunity to
gather twice with His people. We are thankful to be able to praise Him and receive
His good gifts a second time. When you are thirsty, you look forward to a cool drink
and even to a refill – that’s what worship is like for God’s people.
The afternoon service is much like the morning with only
a few differences. For example, instead of reading the law, we publicly profess
our faith by singing the Apostles’ Creed.
But the key difference lies in the type of sermon we hear. Whereas in the morning
the preaching is based on one text of Scripture, the afternoon sermon explains a
teaching of the Bible that is learned from several texts (e.g. the Trinity, how
we are saved, how we are to live, etc). The church has long ago summarized the Bible’s
major teachings in a written confession called the Heidelberg Catechism.
This Catechism then serves as a guide for the Scripture teaching but the basis of
the message remains the Bible. Catechism preaching is geared especially to teach
the young people the main doctrines of the Bible.
What About You?
And that’s how we worship God. It’s simple, Biblical, and beautiful - why don’t
you come and worship with us? God is calling you too!
Here are the precise orders of worship for morning and
afternoon:
Morning Service (10:00 a.m.)
- Elders and deacons (Church Council) arrives
- General announcements are read, after which the minister
will ask the congregation to rise.
- As part of a Call to Worship, a scripture passage
will be read.
- The congregation confesses its dependence on the LORD
by reciting the Votum together: "Our help is in the Name of the LORD, the Maker
of heaven and earth." (Psalm 124: 8)
- The minister conveys the Lord's greeting to the congregation
(1 Corinthians 1: 3
or 1 Timothy 1: 2 or
Revelation 1: 4, 5a).
- Congregational Singing
- The Ten Words of the Covenant (10 commandments), from
Exodus 20: 2 - 17
or Deuteronomy 5:6 - 21
are read.
- Congregational Singing
- Prayer (public confession of sins; prayer for forgiveness,
renewal and illumination).
- Reading of Holy Scripture (one or more passages related
to the sermon)
- Congregational Singing (standing)
- Reading of the Text
- Ministry of the Word
- Congregational Singing - responsive song
- Prayer (thanksgiving, and prayer for all the needs of Christendom)
- Offertory
- Congregational Singing -- closing song.
- Benediction (divine blessing) from Numbers 6: 24-26 or
2 Corinthians 13: 14.
Afternoon Service (3:00 p.m.)
- Elders and deacons (Church Council) arrives.
- General announcements are read, after which the minister will ask the congregation
to rise.
- As part of a Call to Worship, a scripture passage will be read.
- The congregation confesses its dependence on the LORD by reciting the Votum together:
"Our help is in the Name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 124: 8)
- The minister conveys the Lord's greeting to the congregation (Revelation 1: 4, 5a
or 1 Corinthians 1: 3
or 1 Timothy 1: 2).
- Congregational Singing
- Prayer (for the opening of the Word).
- Reading of Holy Scripture (one or more passages related to the part of the Heidelberg
Catechism to be explained)
- Congregational Singing (standing)
- Reading of the Heidelberg Catechism
(the Lord's Day to be explained)
- Ministry of the Word
- Congregational Singing - responsive song
- Profession of Faith: The congregation will rise and sing the Apostle's Creed (Hymn
1A or 1B)
- (Administration of the sacrament of Holy Baptism)
- (Celebration of the Lord's Supper -- celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in January, March,
May, July, September, November)
- Prayer (thanksgiving and intercessions)
- Offertory
- Congregational Singing -- closing song.
- Benediction (divine blessing) from 2 Corinthians 13: 14
or Numbers 6: 24-26.
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