Sunday is the Sabbath, when the people of God gather to worship and fellowship. But what, exactly, is supposed to happen in worship? Below, you will find an explanation for each part of worship and a little bit on why things look the way they do.
Call to Worship: We are invited to center our hearts and minds on God, who calls us to worship through his Word.
Songs and Hymns: We sing from the heart (even if God has not blessed you with a great voice!) to praise God and to take our praise into the week. When you sing from the heart on Sunday, you will find yourself humming, whistling and singing on Monday and beyond.
Confession and Pardon: We confess, shoulder to shoulder, before God and our neighbors, because we know that even though sin remains in us, it must not reign in us. Confession and repentance will be a part of life until Christ returns. The “pardon” – the forgiveness declared to us – is the first time you will hear the Gospel on a Sunday morning. The Pardon should be received as the words of Christ himself who loves to run to his prodigal children (that’s all of us!) to apply to us what He did for us on the Cross. Our group confession does not rule out private confession if you need it. Sometimes we go through seasons where we struggle with a sin and need a personal word of forgiveness. We pass the peace of Christ, that we receive in forgiveness, to one another with hugs, handshakes, smiles, and waves.
Children’s Message: Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me…”. We sing “Jesus Loves Me” as they walk down the aisle, and so build faithful, future memories of how much God and their church loves them.
Offering: We give from the heart for Christ’s mission in Mattituck, the North Fork, and beyond. We praise God for his gifts when we sing the doxology – “Praise God from whom all blessings flow! ... ”
Scripture and Message: The Word of God read from Holy Scripture and preached in the Message, is the primary way that God speaks to us, his Church. God makes special promises to his people when they gather around his Word to receive it in faith and thanksgiving. When we feed on the Word in worship, we grow as the people of God – we are given energy to do his work in the world.
Pastoral Prayer, Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer: We offer petitions and praises to God and join our hearts with Christ as he intercedes for us and the world, at the right hand of the Father. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we follow the pattern of all faithful prayer.
Baptism In baptism, Christ unites believers and the children of believers to himself – they become members of his Body, the Church. In baptism, we say Amen to God who chose us, first. For children and adults, the faith given in baptism should be “confirmed” by the child, when he or she is old enough to understand the call to serve Christ; by the adult, through fellowship and service in the Church and the world.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion: Christ himself comes to us in the Lord’s Supper and feeds us spiritually. We do not just ‘remember’ Christ in the Lord’s Supper, but receive his body and blood, spiritually through the bread and the wine. Children can receive the Lord’s Supper when they are of age (usually 3rd Grade); have taken a class; and so, can understand what they are receiving and how to prepare themselves to receive Christ’s body and blood. We should all examine ourselves before we take the Lord’s Supper, and not leave any sin unconfessed, so that we receive Christ’s body and blood in a worthy manner.
Confession of Faith: We stand in a long line of faithful witnesses. When a Confession – like the Apostle’s Creed – is based solidly in Holy Scripture, we join the great cloud of witnesses in confessing the Faith handed down to us.
Anthems When the Choir and Worship Team praise God – without the congregation participating – it is meant to be a picture of the Church praising God as one. As they sing, we are invited to give thanks for our unity in Christ, and to consider how we can work together as the one Body of Christ in Mattituck and beyond.
Charge and Blessing: We are charged to go, love, and serve Christ and the world that he gave himself for. The blessing that Pastor James offers at the end of worship, is the blessing of Aaron to ancient Israel – it is how, according to God, he “puts his Name on his people”, that is, blesses them with his presence and his promise to be with his people, always.
Pulpit, Table and Font: The Presbyterian Church has always strived to arrange its worship space according to a holy simplicity, so that nothing distracts – or detracts – from the Word of God. The arrangement, in one line, of the pulpit that Pastor James preaches from; the table where we send out the Lord’s Supper; and the font where we baptize, represents our unbroken commitment to hear God’s Word in each of these ways. The Word of God comes to us: in the reading of Scripture and the preaching of the Word; in the Word that Christ speaks when he feeds us his body and blood, spiritually; and, in the Word he speaks when he unites us to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in baptism.
