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WHAT DOES WORSHIP LOOK LIKE?

WE GATHER IN GOD'S NAME

THE GATHERING

     As we gather together to worship God, the music helps us to leave the world outside and be fully present, ready to receive the gifts that God has prepared for this time. Take a moment to look at your Bulletin (a folded “brochure” that the ushers will give you). Look around the sanctuary to see what is special about today’s service and enjoy the feeling of warmth.  (NOTE:  There are children’s activities in the back of the sanctuary for you to take with you to your seat so the little ones have something to look at too!)

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

     This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! To open our worship, the pastor will welcome everyone and announce special events and activities that are coming up in the life of the church.

CALL TO WORSHIP

     The liturgist is a person who assists the pastors by leading parts of the worship service. The liturgist will start by calling us to worship by reading a sentence or two; the congregation then responds in unison with the words shown in your printed bulletin.

OPENING HYMN

     We stand and sing a joyful song of praise to our God. The words to the hymns are printed in the hymnal, found in every pew.  

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

     We have a God who knows our every weakness yet loves us more than we can comprehend. Our confession helps us to see the weaknesses from God’s perspective and acknowledge our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

     After our confession, we receive the assurance of the good news: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

PASSING OF THE PEACE

     Our peace with God comes from knowing Christ died for our sins; our peace from God is a gift that defies explanation. A third aspect of peace is our calling to share the peace of Christ with our siblings in Christ. So when we pass the peace, someone will say to you: “The peace of Christ be with you,” and you can simply respond, “And also with you.”
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WE HEAR GOD'S WORD

CHILDREN'S TIME

    We value children in worship and recognize that sometimes we need to tell the story of God in age-appropriate ways.  After the passing of the peace, all children are welcome to gather on the steps of the chancel to hear a special message written special for them. 

SCRIPTURE READING

     We read from the Bible to remember God’s mighty acts in history, to discover what God is doing in our world, and to look forward to the future God has promised. There are different kinds of writing in the Bible — stories, songs, laws, letters, wisdom, dreams. All of it is God’s Word for us today. That is why when the reader says, “This is the Word of the Lord,” we respond, “Thanks be to God.”

SERMON

     In the sermon, we hear the message that God prepares for each of us in the words of the sermon. The Holy Spirit helps us listen for what God is calling us to do — so that we may love and serve God and our neighbors as we are called to do. 

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WE RESPOND TO GOD'S WORD

THE ANTHEM

     Music is often the exclamation point in worship.  Sometimes we respond to hearing God’s word through music either sung by the choir or played by our handbell choir.  We offer to God our music in praise.

THE OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS AND TITHES

     Every good thing is a gift from God — the food we eat, things we have, people we love, time we spend, our whole lives. We give our lives back to God as a way of saying thank you — sharing the gifts God gives us with those who are in need and working to establish peace and justice throughout the world.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

We offer to God the gifts of our treasure and our lives.  We do so in humility to the One who has given us so much.  Our prayer is for God’s blessing on what we offer and that we may discern how best to use these gifts to serve the Christ’s church in the world.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD'S PRAYER 

     Jesus prays for us and wants us to pray for others – for our church and for the world that God loves so much. During this time, you may share your joys and concerns out loud (or you have the option of writing them down on a card prior to the service).  The pastor will ask if there are prayers among the congregation, write down those shared, and then offer all the prayers together to God.  

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     The final prayer during this time is the Lord’s Prayer, the special prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. The words for the prayer will be shown on the monitors and printed in your order of worship.

WE TAKE GOD'S WORD INTO THE WORLD

CLOSING MUSIC

     As we get ready to go and serve God in the world, we sing a song to praise and celebrate God’s goodness, and to affirm that we are called to live in Jesus’ name.

BENEDICTION

We go out to follow Jesus in the world — secure in his grace, assured of God’s love, and in communion with the Holy Spirit.

RESPONSE TO THE BENEDICTION

     We respond to the benediction as we leave, inspired and challenged by our time together and ready to take the light of Christ into the other 167 hours in our week!

Sacraments

The Presbyterian Church (USA) recognizes and celebrates two sacraments.

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The Sacrament of Holy Communion is presented on the first Sunday of each month and certain special days throughout the year.

Holy Communion

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

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     At Hanover Presbyterian Church, all who profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are welcomed and encouraged to share in the sacrament. 

 

COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE

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     At the Lord’s Table, Jesus invites all who seek the grace and love of God to come and enjoy the feast. In that spirit of invitation, offer the elements to your neighbor with the words, “The Body of Christ,” (to be taken individually signifying our individual relationship to Christ) and “The Cup of the New Covenant” (to be held and taken together signifying our unity in Christ). A faith-filled “Amen” is an appropriate response to both. 

 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

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     When everyone has shared the bread and cup, we thank God for feeding us in this holy meal. We pray that this meal with Jesus will help us to grow in faith and make us strong to love and serve God and neighbors.

Baptism

   Baptism is the way we become members of the church, the body of Christ or family of God. It is a sign of everything God has promised us — new life in Jesus, forgiveness of sin, and the coming of a new creation. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit rested on him like a bird from heaven, and God said: “You are my beloved child.” God says the same thing to us when we are baptized. When we remember our baptism, we give thanks for these gifts and this calling, and we promise again to follow Jesus in everything we do.

In baptism we are claimed as Christ's own, and every time we witness a baptism, we are reminded that we are beloved children of God

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