Morning Service - 9:30 amPrelude
Silent Prayer Hymn *Call to Worship *Hymn *The Lord's Greeting Reading of the Law of God Hymn Assurance of Pardon Congregational Prayer Collecting Offering *Hymn Sermon Prayer *Hymn *Benediction *Doxology *Pause for Reflection *Postlude |
Evening Service - 6:30 pmPrelude
Silent Prayer Hymn *Call to Worship *Hymn *The Lord's Greeting *The Apostles Creed (or approved other Creed) *Hymn Psalm Selection Congregational Prayer Collecting Offering *Hymn Sermon Prayer *Hymn *Benediction *Doxology *Pause for Reflection *Postlude |
* Indicates standing if able.
Our Worship Together
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As we come together to worship our great God, it is important that the hearts of each of us be carefully prepared. He tells us that He will not despise a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17), and that true worship must be in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
Meeting God in Worship
Our worship together as a congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ may be characterized as a meeting of God with His covenantal people. In worship, God as sovereign reveals Himself through His word and worshipers corporately respond in heartfelt obedience (Heb. 12:25-29). Because God is spirit, we who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Throughout our order-of-service, God’s Word is heard and worshipers respond:
For example: We hear His call to worship and respond in song; believers hear His assurance of pardon and respond in prayer; His Word is preached and worshipers respond in prayer and in song; and so on throughout our service.
The Regulative Principle
God, in the Second Commandment, requires that we in no wise make any image of God nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded us in His word. Therefore, the four principles which govern the content of our public worship services are:
God Directly Commands These
Meeting God in Worship
Our worship together as a congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ may be characterized as a meeting of God with His covenantal people. In worship, God as sovereign reveals Himself through His word and worshipers corporately respond in heartfelt obedience (Heb. 12:25-29). Because God is spirit, we who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Throughout our order-of-service, God’s Word is heard and worshipers respond:
For example: We hear His call to worship and respond in song; believers hear His assurance of pardon and respond in prayer; His Word is preached and worshipers respond in prayer and in song; and so on throughout our service.
The Regulative Principle
God, in the Second Commandment, requires that we in no wise make any image of God nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded us in His word. Therefore, the four principles which govern the content of our public worship services are:
God Directly Commands These
1. We must always include that which God has commanded and that for which there is biblical precedent. The rulers of the church ought studiously to take care that they do not depart from those things that are thus instituted for the public worship of the church. (Mark 7:6-8) (Belgic Confession Article 32)
- Thus, we always include prayers (Ps. 95:6-7, 1 Tim. 2:1-4),
- congregational singing (Psalm 95:1-2, 105:2),
- receipt of offerings (1 Cor. 16:1-2),
- reading of Scripture (Deut. 31:10-13, 1 Tim. 4:13),
- preaching of God’s Word (Rom. 10:14-17, 2 Tim. 4:1-2) and
- scheduled administration of the sacraments (1 Cor. 11:23-26, Matt. 28:19-20).
Not Directly Commanded, but Good
2. We also may include certain things not directly commanded, but for which there is good and necessary consequence as deduced from Scripture.
Commonly grouped in this category are
We Exclude What God Forbids
- silent prayer (Ps. 95:6-7),
- the Lord’s greeting or salutation (1 Cor. 1:3 and others),
- reading of the Law (Neh. 8),
- assurance of pardon (Isa. 55:17),
- offertory prayer (Ps. 50:14),
- benediction (Num. 6:22-27 and 2 Cor. 13:14), and
- reflection.
- Also included in this category is the use of certain prepared forms, such as are in the back of our Psalter Hymnals, to guide our administration of the sacraments and our proper installation of office-bearers.
We Exclude What God Forbids
3. We must always exclude what God has specifically forbidden. We also must always exclude anything that, though not specifically forbidden, has neither clear biblical precedent or good and necessary consequence deduced from Scripture.
Therefore, we reject all human inventions, and all laws which man would introduce into the worship of God, thereby to bind and compel the conscience in any manner whatever. (Matt. 15:3-9) (Belgic Confession Article 32) (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 98)
In our contemporary context, some examples of things we would exclude are:
The Music of the Church
In our contemporary context, some examples of things we would exclude are:
- any worship of the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1)
- altar calls
- exclusion of small children from corporate worship
- incorporation of drama or skits in worship (etc.)
The Music of the Church
4. The Music of the Church Should be Appropriate for Worship.[i]
- The music of the church should be liturgical -- In spirit, form, and content it must be a positive expression of Scripturally religious thought and feeling. It should serve the ministry of the Word. (Col. 3:16)(Eph. 5:19-20)
- The music of the church should be beautiful -- Its religious thought or spirit should be embodied appropriately in the poetry as poetry, in the music as music, and in the blending of these in song. It should:
- satisfy the aesthetic laws of balance,
- unity,
- variety,
- harmony,
- design,
- rhythm,
- restraint, and
- fitness which are the conditions of all art. (Amos 5:21-23)(Amos 6:5)(Ps. 147) (Ps. 149)(Ps. 150)(1 Cor. 14:15)
- The music of the church should represent the full range of the revelation of God.
Implications of this principle regarding Music:
- a. The minister of the Word, on the one hand, and the musicians on the other, should cooperate constantly, so that the service of music will contribute to the service of the Word.
- b. The poetry of the songs should be good poetry; it should not have to rely upon the music to carry it. The music of the songs should be artistically defensible as good music; it should not have to rely upon the words to carry it. (Matt. 6:7)
- c. Whenever Psalms or other portions of Scripture are involved, the poetry of the songs should be true to the inspired Word. Such poetry should at the same time be vital -- free from the defects of artificiality and sentimentality.
- d. Whenever songs other than versifications of portions of Scripture are involved, the poetry should be genuinely expressive of religious experience, but should also be in harmony with the whole counsel of God.
- e. The music of the church should be suitable to the liturgical text to which it has been adapted. It should be free from association with the currently secular or with anything that does violence to our Reformed conception of worship.
- f. The music of the church should not be borrowed from that of the dance nor from concert or other music which suggests places and occasions other than the church and the worship service.
- g. Such devices as extreme syncopation and extreme chromaticism (although on occasion these may be of value for special text settings) should generally be avoided.
- h. Great care must be exercised by the musicians in selecting music (eg: prelude, offertories, postludes) lest a secular association with the music interfere with the worshiper’s service.
- i. The music of the church should be expressive of our Reformed tradition and, so far as possible, should make use of the Genevan Psalm tunes and other music of Calvinistic inspiration.
The Christian Sabbath
There is, perhaps, no subject of Christian practice on which there is, among sincere Christians, more practical diversity and laxity of conscience than the duty of Sabbath observance.[ii] But God, in His word, has given a positive and moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, by which He has appointed one day in seven to be kept holy unto Him.[iii](Gen.2:1-3)(Ex.20:8-11)(Is.56:2,4,6-7)
- a. This day, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week.
- b. But, from the resurrection of Christ, this day was changed to the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor.16:1-2) which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s Day (Rev.1:10) and is to be continued, to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[iv] (Ex.20:8 with Matt.5:17-18)
The Christian Sabbath, the first day of the week, “is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe a holy rest all the day from their own work, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, (Ex.20:8) (Ex.16:23,25-26,29-30) (Neh.13:15-19, 21-22) (Is.58:13-14) but are also taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.”[v] (Matt.12:1-13)
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Scripture references cited in the foregoing are representative only, and are not intended to be a complete list.
In accord with the above goals and principles, we have structured our corporate worship to have the format and content believed to be best suited for the families of our congregation. But we readily acknowledge that our order-of-service is but one of a number of possibilities for permissible and biblical Reformed worship.
For those visiting with us, we invite you to join with us in the worship of our great God.
Endnotes:
[i]. Adapted, with certain modifications, from the Statement Of Principle For Music In The Church on page “v” of the Psalter Hymnal copyrighted 1959 by the Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, Inc.
[ii]. R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology, Presbyterian Publishing Company of St. Louis, second edition, 1878, reprinted 1996 by The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland, pp. 366ff
[iii]. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chap. XXI, Article 7
[iv]. ibid, Chap. XXI, Article 8
[v]. Ibid
Scripture references cited in the foregoing are representative only, and are not intended to be a complete list.
In accord with the above goals and principles, we have structured our corporate worship to have the format and content believed to be best suited for the families of our congregation. But we readily acknowledge that our order-of-service is but one of a number of possibilities for permissible and biblical Reformed worship.
For those visiting with us, we invite you to join with us in the worship of our great God.
Endnotes:
[i]. Adapted, with certain modifications, from the Statement Of Principle For Music In The Church on page “v” of the Psalter Hymnal copyrighted 1959 by the Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, Inc.
[ii]. R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology, Presbyterian Publishing Company of St. Louis, second edition, 1878, reprinted 1996 by The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland, pp. 366ff
[iii]. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chap. XXI, Article 7
[iv]. ibid, Chap. XXI, Article 8
[v]. Ibid