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Worship and the Means of Grace
But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24). Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)
We believe that the church’s worship is the place where God Himself meets with us in a unique and special way. Worship is where God distributes His life-giving Word and Sacraments. It is also the place where we respond to these precious gifts with great reverence through our offerings of thanksgiving and praise.
For this reason, we believe that the corporate worship gathering should contain certain components, which are derived from Scripture and faithful historical practice. These components are outlined in the five points below. The sub-points demonstrate common ways in which these essential components might be carried out in a typical worship service. Please note this outline is not an order of service but a listing of the primary elements that go into a biblical worship service. Of course, we believe there can be legitimate variety in the arrangement and outworking of the details.
- Acknowledging the Unique (special) Presence of GodGod’s Greeting
Benediction
- Prayer
Prayer of Invocation
Prayer of Confession
Prayer of Illumination
Prayers of the People
Prayer of Thanksgiving
- Offering
Words of Thanksgiving
Songs of Praise
Tithes and Offerings
- God’s Word
Scripture Readings (the Word read)
Preaching and Teaching (the Word preached)
- Sacraments (signs and seals of God’s covenant of grace Baptism (observed one time as entrance into covenant membership)
Lord’s Supper (observed weekly as a continuation of covenant membership)
The worship at Redeemer Presbyterian Church is liturgical in nature. This simply means that our services use a historic and very articulate structure that helps to convey biblical truth.
In addition to providing an easy-to-follow, orderly format for our worship services, there are numerous benefits to such a structure. For example, the weekly repetition of liturgical elements and the resulting familiarity is an effective way of teaching certain basics of the Christian faith. A common “liturgical language” that speaks of sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness, God’s actions and our responses, etc., presents a powerful message and continually invites us to further reflection and devotion.
Articles on the Lord's Supper
Since the Lord’s Supper is a significant, weekly event at Redeemer, we have provided a number of articles for reflection upon the blessed meal. The most recently added article is listed below. You can view all previous articles by clicking the second link.
- Precious Benefits of the Lord's Supper, Pt. 7 by Matthew Henry.
- Previously featured articles on the Lord's Supper can be found here.
Vestments
Because our worship is liturgical, you may notice that the pastor wears a black gown while leading worship. This gown is known as a “Genevan gown” and simply identifies the pastor as an ordained servant of God, one who is called by the people to minister in a specific capacity. The gown does not mean that the pastor is “more important” than other Christians. Quite the contrary, it is intended to obscure the person and emphasize the office of holy ministry.
The pastor also wears a stole (a band of colored cloth worn across the shoulders). The stole symbolizes the yoke of Christ under which the pastor joyfully serves.
The various liturgical colors of the pastor’s stole have an instructive purpose. Primarily, they serve to point us to the life of Christ and the great acts of redemptive history.
- White represents purity and reminds us of the sinless righteousness of Christ in which all believers are robed. This color is typically worn for Christmas Eve/Day, Easter Sunday, Easter season, and weddings. White is also commonly worn at funerals where it symbolizes the hope of the resurrection.
- Purple represents royalty and reminds us of the kingship and sovereignty of Christ. Purple is also associated with repentance from sin. This color is displayed during the seasons of Advent and Lent, which are times of preparation and penitence.
- Red represents the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is typically worn for Pentecost Sunday and ordinations to remind us of the sealing and anointing of those upon whom God pours out His Spirit. Red can also symbolize the blood of the martyrs and is worn on Reformation Sunday.
- Green represents spiritual growth and world missions. It is worn during all “ordinary times,” which are those times that are not included in the remarks above.
Both the gown and the stole remind us that the pastor is not behind the pulpit speaking on his own authority but with the authority of Christ and in His behalf.
