Our Sunday worship services (9:30am) are structured, and "timeless" (although they're usually an hour long). They contain elements used by the first believers some 2000 years ago, as well as elements from today. Our worship guide will walk you through every step of the service, with a few explanatory notes. Worship generally includes the following components:
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Confession of Sins, and Absolution: We confess to God that we have failed to live up to the perfect standards in his law, and we plead for his mercy. The pastor announces the forgiveness of sins won for us by Jesus, our Savior, who lived a perfect life, suffered and died for us as our substitute.
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Songs of Praise: The hymns we sing during the service are thematically chosen based on the Bible verses we study that day, and remind us of the wonderful things the Triune God has done for us. Members of our church use their musical abilities to accompany songs.
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Scripture Readings, and Sermon: The pastor reads three selections from the Bible: from the Old Testament, from the New Testament epistles (letters), and one from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). The pastor offers insight, encouragement, and instruction through a longer "speech" (about 20 minutes). Expect to hear God’s guidance for dealing with the problems of life, along with the promises of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven.
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Response to the Word: We respond with prayers, thanks, and offerings. We ask for the things God has promised us and for strength to do what he has asked us to do. We bring our concerns and prayers to God, who cares about us and has promised to hear us. In every service, the pastor asks if the congregation has any special prayer requests, too.
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Free-will Offering, and Greeting: At our particular church, we "pause the service" in order to get up from our seats to place (financial) offerings in a communal basket, and at the same time we casually (and some may say enthusiastically) greet one another.
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Holy Communion: We celebrate the Lord's Supper almost every Sunday. Before receiving this sacrament in worship, we ask any visitor to please speak with the pastor. (See the column, below, about the Eucharist which explains this further.)
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Blessing: At the end of the service, we hear a beautiful assurance of God’s care for us, his guidance and his love.
After the service, we grab a cup of coffee and a plate of goodies before we casually sit and discuss, in depth, a selection from the Bible together.
We spend a month or two on one particular topic, or in one particular portion of the Bible. So even if you miss the first few sessions of a topic, you'll be able to jump in fresh fairly quickly!
Between topics, we generally take a Sunday off from Bible class before starting again.
FAQ
While we do have a couple of sign-in opportunities, we won't pressure you to sign up for anything if you don't want to. We want to give you the chance to quietly let us know if you want to stay connected, and we keep track of attendance to help us manage our resources.
You are welcome to simply come, sit, and observe; we won't ask you to make a spectacle of yourself. We might, however, extend a friendly welcome! Ideally, we hope you'll feel comfortable with us.
God knows humans all struggle with learning how to love each other. We need support, because we all continuously fail to treat our fellow human with kindness and respect. At Grace of God, we try our best to show grace and care to our fellow human - and while we too may fail sometimes, we are encouraged to try again knowing that we forgive each other and are forgiven by God's saving grace.
It's a joy to hear kids in the church, learning about the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God who loves them. It's wonderful to see them jostling, and asking, and growing, and ... just being kids together with the rest of God's children. Parents are encouraged to sit near the front of church so that little ones can better see and hear what is going on in worship.
These comments are two sides of the same coin. While our services are modest and follow an historic liturgy form, there are various ways we can respond to God's awesomeness. Everyone has things they're particularly receptive to, and we strive to share God's Word in various thoughtful, meaningful ways.
No matter what your relationship with the Bible is - skeptical? seeking? steadfast? - you can grow in scholarship and understanding of God's Word. There are historical references, parables, nuances, lessons, warnings, truths - gifts of knowledge and faith in the Book God wrote for us to know. We promise to do all we can so you can learn about your Savior, at your pace.
All of us have been in uncertain situations where we might feel out of place. We hope you can see yourself in our growing family at Grace of God. Know that you are welcome. Our church is growing, too - which means that there are opportunities to get involved doing something you love.
On any given Sunday you may see jeans and ties, skirts and t-shirts. The Bible presents no dress code, aside from "being humble." Whether it's "Sunday Best" or "Sunday Rest," when a person dresses out of love for God, your appearance is acceptable to God . . . and to us.
By taking the Lord's Supper (Eucharist) at a church, with a congregation, you are confessing that you 1) agree with everything this church teaches and 2) understand fully what God says about the Lord's Supper in his Word.
God has laid out some very specific directions - and warnings! - about the Eucharist. Since only God knows what is privately inside your heart, in our public worship we default to allowing people who have publicly confessed their faith (through church membership with us). Of course we desire every soul to benefit from and receive the Lord's blessings through this sacrament, so we want everyone who participates to be rightly prepared. We ask that anyone who is not a member of Grace of God Lutheran Church speak with the pastor BEFORE they take communion.
Members of Grace of God freely bring offerings to thank God for the providence he has shown humanity, and the forgiveness he has given to us. Our guests are welcome, but certainly not expected, to contribute.
After the sermon, we make a point in the service to gather offerings so that our worship may include bringing (monetary) gifts to God. God doesn't dictate the amount that should be brought. Scripture only teaches that our offerings should reflect our belief that everything we have is a gift from God.
Not every offering is calculated through financial gifts, though - we all give thanks to God based on what he has given us: through our prayers, gifts of time, offering of talents, or a portion of treasures.
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Grace of God Lutheran