Worship
We are committed to True and Vibrant Worship. Worship is at the core of our humanity. We were created to “glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Our tendency, however, is to look elsewhere for our joy and happiness. Christian worship exists to turn us away from the trivial and artificial objects of worship, which have captivated our hearts, and return us to the person of true worship — the Living God.
What is Worship?
Corporate worship each Sunday is the time and place where we most fully experience the reconciliation of people to one another, the redemption of Jesus, the communion of the saints, and most importantly, the presence of the glory of God.
Worship is where God’s ultimate reality breaks into our world.
In light of that, worship must reflect the nature of God (i.e. Holy, Transcendent, Sovereign, Gracious, etc.) and the nature of God’s relationship with the Church. Therefore, it is:
- Theocentric. Worship is about, to, and for God.
- Dialogical. Because worship is a dialogue, someone must speak “the Words of God” to God’s people. Therefore, it is fitting that someone stands in a “priestly” role for the people before God. According to the Scriptures, this is the calling of ministers who stand and speak to the people “as from God” and, in turn, offer prayers for the people in Christ’s Name. The minister reads Scripture, preaches, declares the Call to Worship and the Assurance of Pardon, officiates the Sacraments and represents God before the people in other elements that reveal divine acts toward the people of God.
- Progressive. That means that what came before and what comes next are related to what we are doing at any given moment in the service. It also means that we progress toward greater and greater praise and union between God and his people. So the Lord’s Table culminates the service.
- Corporate. Individuals participate, but they gather as “a people” before God and do all as a Body. Even a single worshipper’s own prayers are ultimately corporate. Still, it is appropriate and pleasing for individuals to offer prayers and praise to God.
- Excellent. Worship must be done with excellence.
What Do We Value in Worship?
Today’s clamor regarding worship styles and content reflect a growing awareness of the centrality of worship in the Christian life. Nevertheless, the common lines drawn — traditional, contemporary, and blended — are limited and do not capture the fullness that should characterize this sacred activity. While no terms are perfect, we would say our worship strives to be characterized by two words: Truth and Vibrancy.
To value truth means our worship seeks to be:
A. God-centered and Gospel Driven
The central purpose of worship is connecting with the true God. God is the infinite, holy and majestic Creator. God is also the ever-flowing fountain of grace and mercy. True worship must recognize His matchless glory and his matchless grace by being powerful and reverent, yet not cold, stiff and impersonal. At the center of all true worship is the person and work of Christ. Worship regularly takes us back to the renewing message of grace in Christ found in the Gospel. A heart that is freed both from the guilt and the power of sin is a heart set free to worship the living God.
B. Historically connected
We recognize the long history of true and vibrant worship by God’s people through the ages. For this reason, we seek to draw upon the rich resources of those who have gone before us by making use of ancient hymns, creeds and liturgical forms.
To value vibrancy means our worship seeks to:
A. Be In Our Time and Our Place
We realize that while connected to the church historic, we are present day Christians. We must worship in the context of present-day Roanoke and its culture. As a result, we will make use of current idioms and styles arising from today.
B. Engage the Whole Person
For many worship is either about motivation for “trying harder”, an emotional uplift amidst an uncertain world or simply about learning new information. Lost is worship’s central purpose—for God’s people to draw near to Him. True worship must be a dialogue between the worshipper and God. God speaks and then we respond. The order of worship facilitates that dialogue and creates meaningful participation. Central to this dialogue is a person’s heart. The heart is the internal wiring of a person. When worship engages the heart our false objects of worship—money, careers, approval, achievements, power and relationships—are exposed and redirected to the infinite majesty of the Creating and Redeeming God.
