We Worship
Worship is the thing at Northminster. It is our foundation, as our living and serving and fellowshipping and working and resting and studying are all informed and guided by our experience of Christ the Sunday prior. It is our sum, as everything we do and experience is preparation to meet Christ with our sisters and brothers the Sunday coming. Every Sunday is a ‘Little Easter’—a celebration of Christ’s resurrection power, a loud thanksgiving for his many mercies to us, and a moment of transformation as we are changed by his grace. Dress comfortably, and come meet Christ in this place! Our service begins at 11:00 am in the sanctuary.
While many elements such as music and prayers and children’s message make up our worship service, it is marked primarily by preaching and the Sacraments. The Word of God is preached every Sunday; Northminster’s sermons are Biblically based and culturally relevant. The Lord’s Supper is served on every first Sunday of the month, as well as some special worship services. The Lord’s Supper is open to all who are baptized in Father, Son, and Spirit, and we believe it is the grace of God to those who partake. Obviously, there is a strong link between the Lord’s Supper and baptism. At Northminster, we baptize those who have confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, and we baptize children of believing parents. Baptism is the washing away of sins and the seal of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are both tangible symbols of a deeper truth: Although bread and cup and water can do nothing by themselves, God uses them to claim us as his own and send us out to further his kingdom. Good news, indeed!
During the year, we observe some special occasions for worship: A Service of Lessons and Carols begins the Advent season. On Christmas Eve, we have a candlelighting service that prepares us for the jubilation of Christmas Day. An Ash Wednesday service begins the Lenten season; we are marked with ashes and oil as we renew our conviction that we are mortal and yet we are still God’s. Lent ends with Holy Week, where we have a cycle of services that follow Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, respectively. These special worship services put us in a different kind of chronology, a calendar where things begin and end with Christ, a sequence of events that says we are not of this world, but we belong instead to God.
While many elements such as music and prayers and children’s message make up our worship service, it is marked primarily by preaching and the Sacraments. The Word of God is preached every Sunday; Northminster’s sermons are Biblically based and culturally relevant. The Lord’s Supper is served on every first Sunday of the month, as well as some special worship services. The Lord’s Supper is open to all who are baptized in Father, Son, and Spirit, and we believe it is the grace of God to those who partake. Obviously, there is a strong link between the Lord’s Supper and baptism. At Northminster, we baptize those who have confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, and we baptize children of believing parents. Baptism is the washing away of sins and the seal of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are both tangible symbols of a deeper truth: Although bread and cup and water can do nothing by themselves, God uses them to claim us as his own and send us out to further his kingdom. Good news, indeed!
During the year, we observe some special occasions for worship: A Service of Lessons and Carols begins the Advent season. On Christmas Eve, we have a candlelighting service that prepares us for the jubilation of Christmas Day. An Ash Wednesday service begins the Lenten season; we are marked with ashes and oil as we renew our conviction that we are mortal and yet we are still God’s. Lent ends with Holy Week, where we have a cycle of services that follow Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, respectively. These special worship services put us in a different kind of chronology, a calendar where things begin and end with Christ, a sequence of events that says we are not of this world, but we belong instead to God.
