Where Worship Orchestrates Life
What do we mean when we say that at Christ Church Worship Orchestrates Life?
Reverent, thoughtful, joyful, orderly, corporate worship begins with the call the worship. Families, young and old rise to worship the Triune and living God.
Here’s an example of he call to worship…
Minister: Grace, mercy, and peace in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Lord be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Minister: Arise, shine; for your light has come!
Congregation: And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.Minister: Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “People shall yet come,
inhabitants of many cities; the inhabitants of one city shall
go to another, saying, ‘Let us continue to go and pray
before Yahweh, and seek Yahweh of hosts. I myself will go
Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to
seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before
Yahweh.” Zechariah 8:20 22Congregation: Amen!
Followed by a Psalm or Hymn.
As we come into the presence of the Holy and Triune God, it is right and fitting to acknowledge our sins, and be reminded of the promises of the gospel of God’s grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here’s and example of our time of kneeling together to confess our sins.
Minister: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a humble heart and confess our sins to God, our Father, imploring Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Congregation: O most merciful God who pardons all who truly repent and turn to You; We humbly confess our sins and look to Your mercy. We have not loved You fervently with a pure heart; neither have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justly, nor loved mercy, nor walked humbly with You, our God. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, according to Your loving-kindness.
(silent prayer)
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out our iniquity. Create in us a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within us. Do not cast us away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from us. Restore unto us the joy of Your salvation, and uphold us with Your free Spirit. We humbly pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Minister: Arise, lift up your heads, and hear the forgiveness . . . in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen!
Consecration centers around the Word of the LORD. The sharp sword of the Spirit prepares our spiritual offerings namely, our praise as we responsively read Psalms, hear the reading of the Word, respond in song, hear the proclamation of the Word in the sermon, give God’s tithe and our offerings, and lift up our corporate prayers of thanksgiving and petition.
Our corporate praise ascends as a pleasing aroma to God, and He does His work of reshaping, re-ordering, and renewing our souls in His Holy presence. We respond in conclusion by standing, lifting our hands, and singing together the Doxology.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
As the Lord’s service concludes we stand and sing the Gloria Patri.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:and to the Holy Ghost;As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:world without end. Amen.
Our pastor speaks the benediction and we conclude with the threefold Amen.
God sends us out into the world to honor, serve, and obey Him in all our various callings and circumstances.
The Christian Church is the New Family...
where all people from all backgrounds and situations find their new home around the table of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is where the fatherless find their Father, where the widow is defended, and where the solitary are set in families (Psalm 68).
At Christ Church, we love kids, we love lots of them, and we want them in worship with us. We practice family worship and Christian education as an essential application of the mission of discipling the nations—beginning with our own children. We believe that all who are baptized and are in fellowship with the Church are welcome at the Lord’s table, especially children. Because we recognize that children are in covenant with Jesus they are present at His feast.
