God-centred - our focus is on the Lord and on His glory
Biblical - our worship seeks to follow the principles laid out for us in God's Word
Covenantal - in our worship, we are God's covenant people, entering into His presence by His grace. He speaks to us in His Word, and we respond to Him. This covenantal nature of worship shapes our liturgy, the form of our worship.
Joyful - in our worship, we rejoice in God's gifts, celebrating the life that He has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Liturgical - our worship follows a format that varies little from week to week. Worship is led by the pastor, and the congregation participates in response to the Word.
What should I expect?
You should expect an atmosphere where you will be welcomed, a place where you will be included, and a fellowship of people who care. Our worship style may be unfamiliar to you, but we will be happy to explain anything that you don't understand!
Our Liturgy (Order of Worship)
The order of our worship services is as follows:
1. Word of welcome, and announcements.
2. Call to worship - a passage of Scripture, usually one of the Psalms, is read as the Lord's call to worship Him.
3. Votum - as God's people, we confess our total dependence on Him, and we recite the words of Psalm 124:8 - "Our help is in the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth."
4. Salutation - the Lord's greeting to His people. The minister uses the greetings of either 2 Thessalonians 1:2 or Revelation 1:4 to bring the Lord's greeting to those who are gathered to worship.
5. Opening song - a song of praise, usually one of the Psalms.
6. Reading of the Ten Words of the Covenant - we listen to God's covenant law, read from Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5, which God has given us as the rule of thankfulness for our lives, and which also act as a mirror by which we can examine our lives. When we examine ourselves in the light of God's law, we see that we need a Saviour. And God has provided that Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfectly faithful to His Father, and who has provided the perfect sacrifice that restores our relationship with God.
7. Song of response - we sing a song of confession, such as Psalm 51, Psalm 32, Psalm 15, Psalm 119, or Psalm 19.
8. Prayer - in our opening prayer, we confess our sins to the Father, and receive His assurance of pardon in Jesus Christ. We also seek the Lord's blessing on our worship, and bring to Him the needs of His people, in the local congregation and in the Church throughout the world.
9. Scripture reading - we read a portion of God's Word relating to the sermon text.
10. Song of response - we sing a song in response to hearing God's Word being read. This is usually a song that relates in some way to the passage which we have read.
11. Reading of the sermon text - the passage of Scripture upon which the sermon is based is read.
12. Preaching of the Word - God's Word is brought to the congregation, in a sermon that is usually about a half hour long.
13. Prayer - we pray that God will help us to apply the content of the sermon, and the message of His Word, to our lives.
14. Song of response - we sing a song in which we respond to the message of God's Word as His congregation.
15. Confession of Faith - together we recite one of the historic creeds of the Christian Church, either the Apostles' Creed, or the Nicene Creed.
16. Offering - we give our financial gifts to the Lord, to support the work of the ministry, or to support another worthy cause, in our community or in other parts of the world.
17. Closing song - our closing song is another song of praise, in which we give thanks to the Lord for all of His many blessings!
18. Benediction - the minister brings the Lord's blessing to His people, with the words of 2 Corinthians 13:14 or Numbers 6:24-26.
