Our Service Explained
How We Worship
Every Christian church follows a liturgy—an order of worship or schedule of services—on the Lord’s Day. Liturgy simply means the “service of the people.” Columbia Presbyterian Church follows a covenant renewal pattern of worship that is God-centered, gospel-shaped, and covenant-minded. A typical Order of Worship looks like this:
God Calls Us into His Presence
Every Lord’s Day, God calls His people from every tribe, tongue and nation to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. It is God Himself who calls His people to worship. We do not call ourselves: the King opens His gates and welcomes us into His courts. Those who trust Him joyfully obey this call and respond with singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
God Consecrates Us by His Word
Having been called by God, we are ready to come near to God in worship, so we sing His praises as He brings us closer and speaks to us from His Word about who He is, who we are, and what He promises and expects from us. The Bible is the means by which God graciously reveals Himself to His people—so we listen, read, and study with expectant hearts. In His Word, God particularly calls us to sing psalms: while all Scripture is appropriate for hymns and spiritual songs, there is a specific exhortation for us to use the Psalter as the church’s songbook. The goal of the sermon is to inform our minds, reform our hearts, convict us of sin, and transform our lives according to God’s word.
God Cleanses Us of Our Sins and Renews Us with Forgiveness
Having come into the presence of a holy God and been cut to the heart by His Word and our souls exposed, we respond as all the faithful saints of old did when encountering God. We fall on our face and confess our sins and need for mercy. The whole church confesses our general sins generally, and then we confess our private sins privately, seeking his forgiveness in prayer. The minister then reminds us that in and because of Christ, God forgives our sins and remembers them no more. After being reminded of God’s grace to us, we, in turn, bring our tithes and offerings in response to the grace given to us.
God Communes with Us at His Table
Having heard the Lord is good in the preaching of His Word and been cleansed of our sins, we now get to taste and see that He is good by partaking in the visible Word, the bread and wine, at His Table. We confess the faith we share with other Christians all over the world and throughout time by reciting or reciting one of the historic Christian creeds. Then, on behalf of Christ, We invite all baptized believers who are members in good standing of a congregation that proclaims the gospel, who are at peace with God and their neighbor, and who seek strength to live more faithfully for Christ to join us. Children who have not yet made a public profession of faith and been admitted by the Session to the Table are asked to refrain. If you are not a Christian, or if you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer and reflection, turning to the Lord and Savior of the world for salvation.
God Commissions Us to New Obedience in the World
And finally, having been fed from God’s Word and at His Table, God then sends His people out into the world with a final commission to do His will, for His glory and the life of the world.
That is our worship in a nutshell. If that’s not enough, or if you would like to learn more, we would love to talk with you. There is much more to why we worship the way we do. Feel free to contact our Church Planter, Brittain Brewer, for a coffee or a lunch to discuss it.