Brief Thoughts on Specific Elements
The Singing of Praise. One of the great privileges we have is to sing the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. But what to sing and how to sing are often matters of disagreement among believers. Our approach is fairly simple: we believe that a rich legacy is to be found among the Psalms (worship songs given by God himself) and the great hymns of the historic Christian Church. We seek to take full advantage of this legacy in our singing. What makes a hymn great is a conspicuous focus on the character of God and the redemptive work of Christ. This means that we are less likely to use material arising out of periods of church history not noted for their rich, profound, and thoughtful lyrics. While we employ some songs and hymns from such periods, the emphasis does not lie there. As the priesthood of all believers characterizes the New Covenant, in which all of God’s people offer up an acceptable sacrifice of praise, we believe that singing in public worship should be dominantly the singing of the entire congregation.
Prayer. We believe in the value of both corporate and extemporaneous prayers. With corporate prayers, we join our voices together with wording that is well considered and rich in biblical content. With extemporaneous prayer (in which one person leads), there is opportunity for greater freedom, responding to the immediate prayer needs of God’s people.
The Ministry of the Word. Central to our worship is reading and preaching of the Word of God. Scripture is read at a number of places in the service; it permeates all that we do. Before the sermon, a portion of Scripture is read as basis for the sermon. The sermon seeks to be a faithful explanation and application of Scripture in light of all of God’s Word. Mostly, our pastor adopts an expository approach, preaching through entire books of the Bible. In this way, we are exposed to the whole counsel of God.
The Lord’s Supper. In a sense, the Lord’s Supper is the culminating point of our service; it is where everything "comes together." While this sacrament is a commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ, it is also much more. It is where Christ spiritually nourishes us as we commune in and with him by faith and through the working of the Holy Spirit. It is also a time of solemn celebration, as we are confronted by and meditate upon the profound realities of the Gospel.
The Collection. In response to the Lord’s mercy to us, and as a means of supporting and participating in the work of the Kingdom, we gladly give a portion of the financial resources with which God has blessed us. While we do not want you as a visitor to feel under any pressure to give, we do think it’s important for you to know why we believe in making great sacrifices, financial and otherwise, for the sake of Christ. It is because he and his Kingdom are worthy. It is with glad and grateful hearts that we give and that we offer all of our worship to the Lord.
Even after reading this and worshiping with us -- perhaps even especially after! -- you may have questions about our service of worship. Our pastor would be delighted to help you come to a better understanding of our approach to worship - why we do this, why we don’t do that. While Christ Covenant Church is but a small segment of the Kingdom of Christ, and while we have much to learn about worship, we do believe that our worship has much to commend it. We hope that you will find it a fit vehicle to offer your sincere praise and heartfelt gratitude to him who alone is worthy.
