Our style of worship on a Sunday morning is familiar to many of us and welcome. At the same time, it is unfamiliar to many new people among us and awkward. We new people among us may be younger generations who have little or nothing else in our day to day experience to help us understand and conect with the family of God in our act of worship on a Sunday morning. We new people may be previously unchurched seekers or new believers in Jesus Christ. We may be believers who are used to very different styles of worship from other past or present congregations or fellowship groups. We may be people who come from places culturally and/or generationally quite different from what we find here at Messiah Church.

Having a strong desire to be a united people in our worship on Sunday morning, we give thanks also for our diversity. Like several small streams flowing into what becomes a mighty river, we are from many nations and generations. We may have walked with God for a half century--or a half an hour. We may be strong and joyful, firmly established in our faith. We may be deeply troubled, nearly overwhelmed, hanging on by our fingernails. We may be well off financially, by this world’s standards. We may be what another calls “poor.” Most of us are somewhere in between.

We may believe the gospel message with all of our hearts. We may come with many doubts, questions and reservations. Whoever we are, whatever we are....we come, offering one another respect and welcome as we gather to bring our worship to God Alone who creates, sustains and redeems us in Jesus Christ, by His Spirit.

The word for our worship style is most commonly known as Liturgy, which originates from two Greek words, meaning literally, “the work of the people.” Having said this, let us understand that the focal point in our worship is not our individual experience. ie. What did I get out of it? Did it please ,....much like a good restaurant, theatre or movie performance. The focal point is God. Our coming together to present ourselves in an act of worship, regardless of how we may be feeling or doing. We come, first of all, not because we want or need something, true though this may be. We come because He invites us. We come because He is worthy! As the contemporary worship song states:

“I will give you all of my worship,
I will give you all my praise,
You alone I long to worship,
You alone are worthy of my praise.”

That being understood, let us review what commonly takes place as we do “the work of the people” on a Sunday morning. Before our worship service even begins, we pray “A Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness” (page 56). Just as we wash and “break fast,” put on clean clothes if we’ve got them, so also we sense our need to be washed and fed in the Spirit as we prepare to, by faith, enter into the presence of God. Words of forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ are offered to us and we begin our services in a hymn of praise.

This is followed by sung prayers, led by the choir, that the Lord would have mercy (Kyrie). These prayers for mercy will be for ourselves, our families, our congregation and community, our nation, our world, and for all who offer up worship and praise to God throughout the world. The song of praise follows, in which we give glory to God (most commonly for us, though not always, “This is the feast of victory for our God.”) where we recognize that our worship time is really a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What Jesus has done has freed us! We cry out in thanks, ALLELUIA! Praise the Lord!

A Brief Prayer of the Day focuses our attention on some aspect of our walk with Christ that will be a theme in today’s service. We then listen to the public reading of scripture as the Word of God penetrates our mind and heart. First we hear from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). A responsive Psalm, where in an interactive way, we give voice to our struggle, reflect on God’s ways and give Him praise. We then hear a reading from the New Testament letters (Epistles) increasingly pointing to the person of Jesus Christ. Next, we stand to hear the Gospel, the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. We stand to give Him honor and command our own attention even more, briefly singing responses of praise and thanks that these words are true and powerful and that we are allowed to hear and experience them.

We have just heard the scriptures read from the Hebrew law or prophets, through a Psalm (Old Testament) to the New Testament letters and the gospel story of our Lord Jesus Christ, for which we stood to better hear and honor him.

At this point, as we sit and reflect, our choir does special music, an anthem, usually related to the theme of the readings, always relating to the good news of Jesus Christ. The goal of the anthem music is not merely to entertain the congregation as in a theatre or concert, but rather to help us form a response to God for what He has revealed in His written and spoken word. At this point, we generally shift to a season of worship, song and prayer that is less traditional, and we hope, more accessible to emerging generations. We desire to grow in expressions of praise that more completely reflect the whole people of God from every nation. It is our hope that this worship time at this point in our service will, in a small way, help to bring us together as one family in God’s house.

Next comes the preaching of the Word of God, or sermon time. The preaching and teaching of the Word, should be something more than just giving a talk. The goal is not to merely motivate or manipulate, must less to entertain. The goal is to encounter God Himself in His Word. This would seem impossibly ambitious, but for the fact that it is God’s idea, not our own. “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). So we speak and so we listen, in faith, recognizing how much we need him, and how much we hope that our worship experience will be a transforming event, centered in the Word of God.

Again, this is followed by a hymn in response to the Word, as we continue in what we understand to be a dialogue between ourselves and our Creator and Lord revealed in Jesus Christ.

The offering is to be our continuing response to God for all that He has given us in life. Our congregation likes not to have special collections or financial appeals. For this to work, those of us who worship in this place give regularly, generously and yes, even sacrificially of our time, talents and treasures (signs of His gracious love) to the work of the kingdom, to which we are called and chosen from this church. We especially want newcomers and seekers to be treated as guests, appreciated for who they are, not just for the offering that they may bring. Yet as we continue, most of us have found that there is true joy in contributing to the spreading of the gospel and responding to the needs of the saints and the poor of the world in Jesus name. This congregation sings the verse on page 67 found in the hymnal. These words reflect the true meaning of our offering as a thanksgiving to what God has first given us.

What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord. I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

This leads into preparation for communion. Whether we call it the Lord’s supper or table, the breaking of bread, communion or eucharist, we once again are receiving God’s gift of Himself.

Jesus says, “Eat and Drink!
This is my body, given for you,
This is my blood shed for you.
Do this remembering me.

While many may want to discuss and perhaps argue the theological essence of communion, we choose to simply do it, remembering Him, receiving His life afresh, pondering these things in our heart.

Communion, for us, is a fresh act of surrender. We are sobered that Jesus had to die for us and for our sin. We are encouraged that He did it gladly, that He rose from the dead. We understand that He unites us to Himself in this gift and also, in some way, to each other.

Strengthened and kept by the grace of this gift, we move toward concluding our worship service, closing prayers and offering. We sing the post communion verse found on page 72 in the hymnal.

Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell everyone what he has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his name. He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia. Alleluia.

A benediction or blessing is given as the pastor or leader pronounces a blessing over us in the name of the Lord, and sends us out to serve Him, to be His hands and feet and lips, until next we gather to worship.

We conclude with thanks and praise in our closing hymn, hopefully energized to continue for a while in informal fellowship, then for most, to experience a Sunday rest in preparation for a week of living out our faith in the opportunities and callings we share.