Elements of Worship – What we do and why
Prelude
Musical selection designed to give people an opportunity to settle themselves, leave their duties alone for awhile and prepare for worship
Announcements
Matter of interest for the church. It’s included in the worship service as a reminder that the Holy Spirit interacts with all of our lives, not just Sunday morning.
Call to Worship
A responsive reading, usually from the Psalms. This is a chance for all of us to speak the words of God together.
Hymn
Music is the perfect vehicle to worship God in the name of Jesus Christ.
Invocation
All of the congregation together unites for our purpose this morning and welcomes the Holy Spirit.
Gloria Patri
-The tune is selection 142 in the hymnal. The words go like this:
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shell be, world without end. Amen. Amen”
Dating back to the second and fourth centuries, A.D., this brief hymn helps contrast this temporary world with the eternity of God. It is sung by Christians all over the world.
Children’s Message
A part of the service devoted to the younger generations of the church, from childhood up through high school.
Pastoral Prayer
The Pastor leads the church in prayer for the needs of the congregation and the community. There is a time of silence included so that people can share their own thoughts and concerns with the Lord.
The Lord’s Prayer
The example taught by Jesus when His disciples asked Him how to pray. There are two versions. We use the one that includes the words “debts” and “debtors”. “Debts” here refers to sins or moral failures that put us in debt to God and to those we have harmed by our selfishness. It goes like this:
“Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be They Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen”
The Offering
The music of worship continues as people give of their means, each according to their ability. The Offering demonstrates that all we are, all we accomplish and all we gain belongs to God.
The Doxology
Derived from the Greek words for “glory” and “words”, the doxology is a brief hymn of praise that has its roots in the Jewish Kaddish (“holy”) hymns that end the worship. This version of the doxology was written by Thomas Ken in 1674. It was part of a hymn he wrote for worship at Winchester College, England.
Prayer of Dedication
This recognizes the meaning of the Offering
Scripture
Passages from the Bible to be considered today.
Sermon
Reflection on the Scriptures with an eye toward what is means for us; not just what we are to do, but how to pray, and what God is like.
Benediction
Final blessing from the Lord, and a reminder to get back to day-to-day life.
Congregational response song
“Sanctuary” Sung as a response to the benediction, asking the Holy Spirit to speak and act through us this week, that we may be good servants and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Communion
Once a month, usually on the first Sunday of the month, we share in bread and grape juice, in remembrance of the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples. We consider this a Sacrament (a sacred event-the other one is baptism) and by partaking we believe that we make a statement to the Lord-sort of a prayer that is acted out-in which we gratefully lay claim to all the promises of Scripture and acknowledge that we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ; mind, body and spirit. During the Last Supper Jesus declared that He would not drink again of the fruit of the vine until He drank it together with His disciples in the Kingdom of God. By partaking, we believe that we are saying to the Lord, “we want to be there when this takes place.” Consider Matthew 26:26-30