How We Worship - What to Expect
If you are visiting us for worship, here's what you should expect:
Before the Service
Services are held at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. We celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion on the first and third Sundays of each month.
Children - Children of all ages are always welcome at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. All baptized children are also welcome to receive Communion if their parents are willing.
Greeters - When you enter the church foyer you will be welcomed by a Greeter and given a service bulletin (which you are welcome to take home with you). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask the Greeter, who will be happy to help you.
Offering - No offering will be collected during the service. Instead, voluntary offerings of money may be placed in the plate in the foyer. These offerings will be used to help support the ministry both of our local parish and of the wider ELCA.
Communion - Anyone who is baptized is welcome to receive Communion at Good Shepherd. We affirm the true presence of Christ in this meal. Participation is by the invitation of Christ himself. We receive the elements of Communion by intinction: The bread will be given to you, which you will receive but not eat immediately. You will then be offered the cup - wine is in the gold cup and grape juice in the silver cup. Dip your bread into the cup of your choice, then eat it.
During the Service
The bulletin is easy to follow and contains everything you need during the service apart from music. The entire service, including the lyrics of the hymns, is also projected on the wall in front of the church. Our services and hymns may be found in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship books found in the pews. Page and hymn numbers are listed in the bulletin.
Our Eucharistic services (also known as Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper) follow the same pattern used by most Christians for nearly 2000 years, so in a very real way when we worship we do so together with millions of Christians throughout the world and throughout history. The service has two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Sacrament. On Sundays when there is no Communion we follow the Liturgy of the Word only, ending with a blessing.
The Liturgy of the Word
The first part of the service follows the same basic order used by Jewish and Christian worshipers for thousands of years:
- Gathering - We sing hymns of praise to God and ask him to be with us. We are also given the opportunity to acknowledge our faults and receive assurance of forgiveness. Then a special prayer is said which collects our thoughts for the particular day of the church year.
- Readings - God now comes to us through his Word. Passages are read from the Old Testament and from a New Testament letter, plus we recite a Psalm. We then stand to hear a reading from one of the four Gospels, all of which convey the history and words of our Lord Jesus.
- Reflection - A sermon or other form of meditation on the Scripture readings is now given, then we all respond with a hymn reflecting the theme of the day and by affirming our faith in the Triune God as expressed in one of the creeds of the church.
- Prayers - We as the people of God now pray for the church, the world, and for those with specific needs.
The Liturgy of the Sacrament
The second part of the service is a celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion. It is a sacred meal, hosted by God, to which all the baptized are invited, in which we are given the spiritual food to nourish and sustain us in our Christian lives. The order for this part of the service follows the pattern of a joyous feast:
- Exchanging the Peace - We are invited to share God's peace with one another as we prepare for the meal. Please join in by greeting those around you with words such as "the peace of the Lord" or "peace be with you".
- Preparing the Table - The elements of the Lord's Supper - bread and wine - are brought to the altar, setting the table for the feast.
- Giving Thanks to God - In the great Eucharistic Prayer we praise God for his acts of grace, and remember Christ's words at the Last Supper that this bread and wine are his body and blood, given and shed for us. We also ask God to remember his promise to be present and bring salvation to his people. At the end of the Eucharistic Prayer we say together the Lord's Prayer as our table blessing.
- Receiving Communion - We eat and drink in remembrance that Christ died for us. All are welcome to come forward to receive the elements, or you may come to receive a blessing.
- Departing with God's Blessing - After the meal we are given God's blessing as the sign of the Cross is made over all of God's people. We sing a final hymn and are sent into the world to serve Christ in our daily lives.
After the Service
Always feel free to chat with anyone after the service.
You will have a chance to speak to the Pastor at the door on your way out of church.
You are also invited to come down to the fellowship hall for snacks and conversation after the service.