Worship

“Good theology leads to worship.  Good worship leads to action.”

 

On a typical Sunday morning we:

Sing songs…new ones and old ones.

Pray prayers… written, silent, spoken, and spontaneous; we say the “Our Father”

We read from the scriptures.

There is preaching where we attempt to explain some of the scripture – we don’t pretend to understand it all, but we hope to be drawn more deeply into the mystery.

We celebrate the Eucharist (also called the Lord’s Supper or Communion)

For a more detailed Order of Service, see the I’m New section.

The Church Year

We also follow the church calendar as a way to walk through the seasons of the year.

For centuries, the church has operated on a cycle of fasting and feasting, marking important points in the story of God’s interaction with the world – especially the life of Jesus. This cycle is called the church year or church calendar.

These are the major seasons in the year along with their corresponding colors (the colors have symbolic meaning).

  • Advent (blue) – Advent means “coming” and comprises the four Sundays prior to Christmas. It is a time of longing, praying, and preparing for Christ’s coming.
  • Christmas (white & gold) – The 12 days of Christmas plus Epiphany – celebrating that Christ has come!
  • Ordinary time following Epiphany – (green) –  Epiphany means “appearing” or “brightness.” In this season we recognize the fullness of Christ’s identity.
  • Lent (purple) – Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Lent comprises the five Sundays prior to Easter, including all the special days in Holy Week. It is a time to closely and honestly examine our own lives in light of Christ.
  • Easter (white & gold) – Easter lasts through Pentecost (red) which happens 50 days after Easter. This is a time to celebrate the Resurrection – Jesus’ victory over evil!
  • Ordinary time following Pentecost – (green) –  Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church and in this time we reflect upon the ongoing work of the Spirit.

Recognizing this progression in the year helps us stay connected to the Story of God, reminds us that we are part of a larger (global) Church, and helps display our unity with other congregations – Nazarene, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and many more Christian traditions around the world and throughout time.