Worship
Theologian Donald Bloesch once wrote, "Our worship is essentially a spectacle that appeals to the senses rather than an act of obeisance (bowing) to the mighty God who is both holiness and love. Contemporary worship is far more egocentric than theocentric. The aim is less to give glory to God than to satisfy the longings of the human heart. Even when we sing God's praises, the focus is on fulfilling and satisfying the human desire for wholeness and serenity. This motivation is not wrong in itself but becomes questionable when it takes priority."
As the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "Man's primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" (WSC 1). Human beings were created to worship! Because this is our highest activity, everything in life either leads to or flows from worship. As those who were created by God in His likeness and image, we desire to worship Him in a manner that reflects who He is and what He has done for His people. Redeemer Church is intentional in designing worship services that are Word-communicating, God-glorifying, and Christ-honoring.
For this reason, our worship services focus on expository preaching that is relevant to the worshippers' lives (Rom. 10:16, 2 Tim 4:2). Being aware that our services may include non Christians, we seek to make both the preaching and directions for worship (in the bulletin) accessible to them.
We want God to be the evident center of all we do in our worship services. In all of our worship, we will seek to provide for an experience of both the glory and the enjoyment of God (Isaiah 6). Because of who we are, our services will be characterized as "traditional - liturgical" worship.
By "traditional" we mean that we will strive for excellence, beauty, and a degree of formality in our services (I Cor. 14:40). Within that formality, we will use a variety of hymns, musical genre, and instruments as part of our worship. For instance, praise choruses may be sung at the beginning of worship to prepare the hearts of worshippers, but a contemporary hymn may be more appropriate than a praise chorus in the body of the liturgy. In most cases traditional hymns will be sung from the Trinity hymnal (Col. 3:16 17). By "liturgical" we mean that we will strive to involve our people in worship through Scripture reading, prayer, song, and ministry reports in order for God's people to participate instead of simply 'attending' worship. Some of the components of worship that allow us to do this are: Affirmations of Faith, Responsive Readings, Corporate Prayers (from various time periods throughout redemptive history), and partaking of the Sacraments in a frequent manner.
Baptism is a sign a seal of all the benefits of the finished work of the Lord Jesus which are applied to His people by the work of the Holy Spirit. In keeping with patterns established in the Old Testament, this sign is to be applied both to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and to their children. Baptism is a Sacrament and not a dedication. In a Sacrament, God speaks His promises to man; in a dedication, man speaks promises to God. Parents, as well as members of the body of Christ, make vows before God to raise their covenant children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Baptism does not automatically confer regeneration on an individual, but marks them as those who are within the covenant community of faith with all its benefits and responsibilities.
The Lord's Supper is also a Sacrament where grace is given to those who, trusting in the finished work of Christ alone, eat and drink in a worthy manner. Members of Redeemer Church believe the Word and Sacrament go together and therefore when the Word is proclaimed the Sacrament is observed. God promises to nourish His people as they feed on His Word and then He gives "grace upon grace" as He nourishes them at His Table. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is observed weekly at Redeemer and both fermented wine and grape juice is offered. On the first Sunday of each month, the people of God come to the front where the elders of the church serve them individually. Each of the following Sundays, the people remain seated while the elders serve as the body partakes together.
The late Dr. James Montgomery Boice once wrote, "Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne, and glory give to God alone." This is our desire as the people of God when we gather for worship, and our prayer is that you will join us as we seek to do what we have been created to do. Come, let us worship God!
As the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "Man's primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" (WSC 1). Human beings were created to worship! Because this is our highest activity, everything in life either leads to or flows from worship. As those who were created by God in His likeness and image, we desire to worship Him in a manner that reflects who He is and what He has done for His people. Redeemer Church is intentional in designing worship services that are Word-communicating, God-glorifying, and Christ-honoring.
For this reason, our worship services focus on expository preaching that is relevant to the worshippers' lives (Rom. 10:16, 2 Tim 4:2). Being aware that our services may include non Christians, we seek to make both the preaching and directions for worship (in the bulletin) accessible to them.
We want God to be the evident center of all we do in our worship services. In all of our worship, we will seek to provide for an experience of both the glory and the enjoyment of God (Isaiah 6). Because of who we are, our services will be characterized as "traditional - liturgical" worship.
By "traditional" we mean that we will strive for excellence, beauty, and a degree of formality in our services (I Cor. 14:40). Within that formality, we will use a variety of hymns, musical genre, and instruments as part of our worship. For instance, praise choruses may be sung at the beginning of worship to prepare the hearts of worshippers, but a contemporary hymn may be more appropriate than a praise chorus in the body of the liturgy. In most cases traditional hymns will be sung from the Trinity hymnal (Col. 3:16 17). By "liturgical" we mean that we will strive to involve our people in worship through Scripture reading, prayer, song, and ministry reports in order for God's people to participate instead of simply 'attending' worship. Some of the components of worship that allow us to do this are: Affirmations of Faith, Responsive Readings, Corporate Prayers (from various time periods throughout redemptive history), and partaking of the Sacraments in a frequent manner.
Baptism is a sign a seal of all the benefits of the finished work of the Lord Jesus which are applied to His people by the work of the Holy Spirit. In keeping with patterns established in the Old Testament, this sign is to be applied both to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and to their children. Baptism is a Sacrament and not a dedication. In a Sacrament, God speaks His promises to man; in a dedication, man speaks promises to God. Parents, as well as members of the body of Christ, make vows before God to raise their covenant children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Baptism does not automatically confer regeneration on an individual, but marks them as those who are within the covenant community of faith with all its benefits and responsibilities.
The Lord's Supper is also a Sacrament where grace is given to those who, trusting in the finished work of Christ alone, eat and drink in a worthy manner. Members of Redeemer Church believe the Word and Sacrament go together and therefore when the Word is proclaimed the Sacrament is observed. God promises to nourish His people as they feed on His Word and then He gives "grace upon grace" as He nourishes them at His Table. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is observed weekly at Redeemer and both fermented wine and grape juice is offered. On the first Sunday of each month, the people of God come to the front where the elders of the church serve them individually. Each of the following Sundays, the people remain seated while the elders serve as the body partakes together.
The late Dr. James Montgomery Boice once wrote, "Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne, and glory give to God alone." This is our desire as the people of God when we gather for worship, and our prayer is that you will join us as we seek to do what we have been created to do. Come, let us worship God!