Worship Services
We believe that the purpose of worship is to praise God. He is praised by our presence in worship, by our songs, and by our listening to the preaching of his Holy Word.
The preaching in the morning service usually is an exposition of a passage of Scripture. The preaching in the afternoon service usually is topical, following the order of topics suggested in the Heidelberg Catechism. Currently, we use the New International Version of the Bible, a clear translation in contemporary English, in our worship.
Our singing is mainly the singing of the Psalms of Scripture that have been rhymed and paraphrased for this purpose. We believe we praise God best when we use words of authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. The hymns we sing focus on God's great work in Christ and try as much as possible to use passages from Scripture. The Psalter we use is known as the Genevan Psalter, which is very suitable for congregational singing. To have a look at our "Book of Praise," follow the links at www.canrc.org.
Below is a picture of the inside of our church building. You will notice how the pulpit is the focal point. The organ pipes are an indication of the importance of singing as part of worship.
The actual worship service follows what can be considered a dialogue format. The two partners in this dialogue are God and his people. The Minister is God's servant and speaks in his name. At certain points, the Minister is the spokesman for the congregation, such as in congregational prayer. At other times, the people speak for themselves, which takes place especially in congregational singing. The following is the typical format of a morning worship service:
The Minister and the elders and deacons enter the auditorium. One elder shakes the Minister's hand. The minister goes on the pulpit.
After announcements, the minister will ask the congregation to rise. He will then:
- Make a confession of dependence in the name of the congregation.
- Give a greeting to the congregation in the name of the Lord.
- Request the congregation to sing a song.
- After singing, the congregation is seated.
- The minister will read the Ten Words of the Covenant (10 Commandments), followed by the singing of a song (seated).
- After singing, the minister will lead in a prayer of confession of sins, prayer for forgiveness and renewal, and illumination by the Holy Spirit over the reading and preaching of the Word of God.
- After prayer, some portions of Scripture will be read, to be followed by a song (congregation remains seated).
- The singing will be followed by the sermon.
- After the sermon, the congregation will sing a song.
- Next will be the prayer of thanksgiving and intercession.
- The prayer will be followed by an offering, most often to assist those in need.
- When the collection is finished, the congregation rises to sing the final song.
- The service is concluded by the minister blessing the congregation in the name of the Lord.
In order to treat the whole Sunday in a holy manner, we also have an afternoon worship. This is not simply a repetition of the morning worship service. In general, it can be described as having more of a teaching character, as the teachings of the Church are explained in a systematic way following the Heidelberg Catechism. The following is a typical format of an afternoon worship service:
The Minister and the elders and deacons enter the auditorium. One elder shakes the Minister's hand. The minister goes on the pulpit.
After announcements, the minister will ask the congregation to rise. He will then:
- Make a confession of dependence in the name of the congregation.
- Give a greeting to the congregation in the name of the Lord.
- Request the congregation to sing a song.
- After singing, the congregation is seated. The minister will lead in a prayer of illumination by the Holy Spirit over the reading and preaching of the Word of God.
- After prayer, some portions of Scripture will be read, to be followed by a song (congregation remains seated).
- The singing will be followed by reading a portion from the Catechism of the Church, followed by a sermon.
- After the sermon, the congregation will sing a song.
- This will be followed by a communal confession of the Christian faith. The minister may choose to read the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed and then ask the congregation to sing an appropriate song, or he may ask the congregation to sing a version of the Apostles' Creed.
- Next will be the prayer of thanksgiving and intercession.
- The prayer will be followed by an offering, most often to assist those in need.
- When the collection is finished, the congregation rises to sing the final song.
- The service is concluded by the minister blessing the congregation in the name of the Lord.
The format is predictable so that there will be no distractions from the activity of worship. It is the simplicity and predictability which is meant to help keep the focus on the true marvel of worship as sinners enter the presence of the holy God to receive his life-giving Word. The fact that in worship sinners come into the presence of God explains its solemn character. The fact that they may enter his presence and hear the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ explains the truly joyful character. The joy of God's people can be heard above all in their singing.
Baptism is administered whenever necessary to newborn children of the members of the congregation and to adults who come to faith. The water symbolizes the washing away of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ and the renewal by his Spirit for all who believe in his name.
Four times a year we celebrate the Lord's Supper to remember and proclaim the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We follow the historic Reformed tradition in that those invited to the table must have the permission of the elders. Our particular practice is that this includes:
- Members of the congregation who have made public profession of faith and lead a godly life.
- Members of churches with which we have ecclesiastical fellowship and who present us with an attestation that they are members in good standing in their local church.
We believe that this practice honours the fact that it is a holy supper and the fact the Lord Jesus gathers his people in local churches under the supervision of elders.
While it will seem strange to a visitor at first, this pattern of worship soon becomes familiar. By means of this description, you will at least have some sense of what is taking place.