Worship

Our worship is shaped by the historic practices of the Church — practices that have fed the people of God for thousands of years. Through liturgy, we give thanks to God, remembering all he has done and affirming all he continues to do. If you're confused by any of the liturgical elements of the service, don't feel ashamed; we're all learning what it means to be creatures of worship.

If you join us, you can expect the following elements:

PROCESSION — We begin our service with a procession following the cross. From the very start, this teaches us that Christ is our King, not the powers of this world. This is who we want to be as a church: people led by King Jesus.

SONGS — Our music mixes ancient hymns with more recently written songs. Our hope is that this teaches us to remember those who've gone before, while looking forward to those who don't yet know Christ.

SCRIPTURE — Every week, we hear from God's Word, reading aloud from the Old and New Testaments.

SERMON — The scriptures for the week are explained to help us better follow Christ.

CREED — One of the historic creeds is said in unison as we remind ourselves of our common faith.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE — Each week, we ask God to show his mercy on ourselves, our city, and our world.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION — In Christ, we are set free to be honest before God, so we confess our sins and are reminded of his forgiveness.

PEACE — Assured of Christ's forgiveness, we are then free to make peace with one another, knowing what's been forgiven us.

OFFERING — Seeing how much has been given to us, we freely give of the blessings God has given us.

CONSECRATION — The bread and wine are prayed over as we prepare to come to the Lord's Table.

LORD'S PRAYER — We pray together with the words Jesus taught us to pray.

COMMUNION — We come forward to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion, believing that we are being spiritually fed by Christ.

BENEDICTION — Having been spiritually nourished by Jesus, we are commissioned to go out into the world to extend God's grace and forgiveness to others.

RECESSION — We end the service much like it began, but in reverse. Having followed the cross as we gathered to be fed by Word and Sacrament, we now follow it back out into the world as missionaries in our city.