About Peace Lutheran Church

All About Our Worship Practices

Sunday morning worship services are probably the most visible part of our church. Most new members find that the first contact that they have with our church is through the Sunday morning service. Much effort is put into the planning of these services because we know that this worship service might be the only aspect of the Church that people will get. So it better be good. This is only one reason why a lot of emphasis is put of Sunday morning services.

Another is the fact that though the church has many other functions going on during the week, it's on Sunday morning that all members are (should be) present together. It's like a family reunion every week. This togetherness cannot help but produce celebration. And so Sunday morning service is always a celebration. But, again this is not the only reason we celebrate, because we all are together. We celebrate every Sunday because it's that day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead. Every Sunday is therefore a celebration of the resurrection of Christ, our Saviour. And that is the number one reason why we make a big deal out of this particular time of the week.

Order of Worship: Every Sunday morning service follows an order of worship. We do this because Scripture calls us to do everything connected with our worship decently and in order. The following is generally the order we follow:

Opening Song: The opening hymn or song reflects the greatness and majesty of God and the fact that we have come into His presence to give Him our praise and to call upon Him for instruction and help in time of need.

Call to Worship or Invocation: We ask God to be with us and we call all present to focus their attention on the worship of Him.

Confession of Sins & Absolution: Before we can truly worship we ask God to forgive us our sins. This makes sure nothing will get in the way of our worship. We also here again that our sins have been forgiven in Jesus Christ

Song of Praise: After we hear the good news that the guilt of our sin has been removed, we then break forth in a jubilant song of praise.

The Readings & Sermon: The next section of the worship service is often called Instruction or The Word. We listen as God speaks to us through the pages of His Bible. Then we will hear through the sermon how His Word of long ago applies to our every day lives. What He has done for us and how we are to respond in our daily lives.

Offering:The Offering begins the response part of our service. We respond to God’s instruction with the giving of our offerings.

Confession of Faith:We make bold confession of the God whom we believe in as a response to His Good News and Instruction. We usually speak the Apostle’s Creed or the Nicene Creed or parts of Luther’s Small Catechism.

The Prayers:Next we turn to God in prayer, thanking Him for His goodness and asking for His continual guidance. We bring our concerns before Him and sum up all our needs in the words of the Lord's Prayer.

The Blessing:God has a final Word for us, and that is a word of peace. He blesses us as we leave the worship atmosphere, and He reminds us that He will always be with us.

The Closing Song: Filled with the promises of God and the assurance of forgiveness, and the instruction for our daily lives, our faith is strengthened. The closing hymn shows that in its pompous and exuberant style. A fitting end to a wonderful celebration of God and His love.

Music:In the worship life at Peace we use a variety of resources from past to present. We love the old hymns of our Lutheran heritage but at the same time are committed to singing the songs of the Church today. We are not afraid to learn new songs and promote and encourage the use of songs that have been written by members of our Chu rch. We also are not afraid to sing songs that have developed in other cultures. This reminds of our global responsibilities. Songs for worship are picked based on their theological content and relevance to the theme for the service as well as their ‘singability.’ We also encourage musicians of all ages to use their talents and skills in the worship life of the church. We strive to make worship relevant and engaging for all ages.