Bath, Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending

Bath.

Entrance into the community of faith comes as it has throughout the ages, through the cleansing bath of Holy Baptism. In the center of our worship stands a filled font, into which water is poured with each baptismal remembrance. Like the bloodlines that unite relatives, we believe that the “waterlines” of this sacrament bind us together in a community of faith with both gifts and responsibilities for those who would follow Jesus.

Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending.

Every Sunday service is a celebration of Holy Communion unfolding in four movements.  This pattern of worship allows for freedom and flexibility while maintaining the essential holy things and actions we share in common with Christians throughout in all places and throughout all times.

Gathering
God calls disparate individuals and groups of people, bringing us together and by the Spirit, makes us one.   Following the pre-service music, our worship begins at the font with the pouring of water and the invocation of the triune God.  Depending upon the season of the liturgical year, we begin with confession or thanksgiving for baptism or a simple remembrance of baptism.  Music follows that praises God in a variety of ways.  The Gathering is complete when the Presider leads the assembly in the Prayer of the Day.

Word
The Word of God is living and dynamic, proclaimed through the scripture readings and preaching.  The scripture readings come from the Revised Common Lectionary that follows the cycles and rhythms of the liturgical year.  The lectionary is a gift we share with many Christian traditions.  The sermons seek to faithfully interpret the scripture for our time and place, and to nurture and awaken faith.  We respond to God’s Word with song, prayers of intercession for church and world, and the sharing of Christ’s Peace.

Meal
In the communion meal, God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.  Before the meal, we join our prayers and praises with all the church in heaven and on earth, in the Great Thanksgiving prayer.  In this prayer we praise God for the gift of creation and salvation, made known through the ages and especially in the crucified and risen Christ. We recall Jesus’ own words when he instituted the Lord’s Supper and we pray for the Holy Spirit to infuse the meal shared by the gathered assembly with hope, joy, and renewed passion for justice and mission in the world.

Sending
Once communion has been shared, God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.  The sending takes place at the same font where our worship began and in the name of the triune God.  We are sent into the world as disciples, Christ’s own body, continuing our participation in God’s mission of loving and healing the world.