At St. Paul’s we call our worship on Sunday morning “Divine Service” because God serves us with His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. In the Divine Service. Christ comes to us with grace and mercy in His Word, in Baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper. We return thanks to Him with our prayers and hymns. Come join us to receive God’s gifts and to praise the one, true God!
The historic liturgy orders our worship. The word “liturgy” just means “service” but it implies a consistent pattern of formal worship. At St. Paul’s there will be no surprises in the form and order of the service, rather there will be consistency. The liturgy we use is one of reverence and awe as we come to receive the gifts of Jesus. You will find our services peppered with Holy Scripture from start to finish with readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles and Gospels each Sunday. We believe that the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God which leads our whole service to be informed by the Holy Scriptures.
You will hear of Christ crucified in song. At St. Paul’s we sing boldly with rich hymnody that proclaims the truths of God’s Word and what Christ has done for us in his death on the cross. At St. Paul’s we utilize The Lutheran Service Book, a hymnal of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. We join our voices with the church throughout all time and even with the angels and archangels praising the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Hymns are accompanied by organ or piano and there are opportunities to sing or play instruments to add to the beauty of the service.
You will hear that Christ was crucified for your sins in the preaching at St. Paul’s. The sermons are faithful to the Word of God and applicable to everyday lives. You will hear preaching that is informed by a diligent study in the Word of God.
You will receive Christ crucified for you. We receive Holy Communion every Sunday at St. Paul’s. Led by Scripture we believe that in the Lord’s Supper we receive not only bread and wine but also the very body and blood of Jesus to eat and drink for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Receiving Holy Communion together is a sign of a congregation’s unity in faith and doctrine (1 Cor. 10:17, Acts 2:42; Rom. 16:17). We ask that our guests speak to Pastor or an Elder before receiving Holy Communion at St. Paul’s
We encourage children of all ages to participate in our services. We know that from within the womb, children hear the Word of God (Lk 1:41-44). We love children in Church! Children will often absorb the liturgy very quickly and become the boldest participants as they learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the other parts of the service. There will be opportunities for your children to sing and participate in other ways as they grow older. We have an easily accessible nursery if needed.
If using a hymnal and following an order of service is unfamiliar to you, we invite you to simply find a seat and observe. Feel free to participate as much or as little as you wish.
At St. Paul’s the journey to Christ is never over. We encourage you to join us as we allow God’s word to lead the way.
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