Worship

Sunday Worship

Each Sunday we come together to worship God.  Worship is the very core of who and why we are, and worship drives and empowers our mission.  Most importantly, in worship Christ comes to us in Word and Sacrament, speaking to us so we may grow in faith, hope, and love as God's people.      
Scripture and Proclamation 
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith, and life together.  The Bible is the cradle that bears Christ to us, and we study and learn from scripture's pages about God, and about how to follow Jesus.  Each and every time we gather for worship, through the proclamation of God's Word, we are moved, challenged and inspired toward action. God is in this place and God is up to something!  What will our response be? The answers will impact us and change our lives.  

Traditions...8:30am  Traditions is our liturgical worship, employing traditional, time honored 
elements, forms, hymns, and music.     

Celebrate...10:45 am. Our Celebrate worship uses a "less formal" structure, with praise songs and hymns lead by our worship team.  Another offering during the academic year is Celebrate Kids, our children's church experience for kids preschool through 2nd grade.  Children begin by gathering in worship with everyone else, then following the children's message they follow Celebrate Kids director to South Hall where they experience Bible stories and sing songs.  The children return to the regular worship service in time for communion.

A nursery is available for infants and toddlers throughout Sunday morning.

There is coffee and treats after each service, and an opportunity to connect with each other in the Fellowship Hall.

 
Summer Weekday Worship...

Mondays, 7 pm from July 5 through end of the August.

This summer series of worships are for those for whom summer takes a different rhythm and pace- for those who go away for the weekend, yet still desire a sabbath.  

Music
     " Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endureth forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100. 

                                                  
Music is an integral part of worship. Music helps us tell the story and celebrate who God is and what God has done and is doing in our lives and in the life of the world.  At the Traditions Service we use more traditional hymns and liturgical music lead by the organ or piano (or both!).  At the Celebrate Service, the worship team leads us in singing God's praises using a variety of instruments in an energetic and Spirit-filled service.

Prayer 
     One of our responses to God's grace is prayer. Prayer is the way that we are connected to God . Jesus taught His Disciples to pray (Matthew 6). And so we pray in worship - prayers of thankfulness, prayers for forgiveness, prayers for healing. There is time dedicated in both the Traditions and Celebrate services for speaking the names of those for whom we share concern and for offering up prayers for particular needs. If you have a prayer request you may fill out the "Response Sheet" found in your bulletin or contact Pastor Jeff. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

                                               
Communion

Communion is celebrated at both the Traditions and Celebrate worship services each Sunday. If you believe that Jesus is Lord and have chosen to follow Him, we invite you to His table.
"Jesus broke bread with His disciples and told them to eat, saying "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me". He then took the cup and said "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
                                                                                               Luke 22:19,20

     Holy Baptism is many things.  It is that action, done in a particular moment in time, in which God "gives us a new birth into a living hope... By water and the Word God delivers us from sin and death and raises us to new life in Jesus Christ.  We are united with all the baptized in the one body of Christ, anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and joined in God's mission for the life of the world  (from Holy Baptism: Evangelical Lutheran Worship) 
     So Holy Baptism is at it's heart something that God does to and for us.  God calls, God promises, God forgives, God claims, God breathes new life, God equips, empowers, and sends out.  

   But there are others acting, making promises, too.  The one being baptized (or someone speaking on their behalf) promise to grow (or help the newly baptized grow) as a disciple of Christ Jesus.  And the congregation, speaking and acting on behalf of the whole Christian Church on earth- the whole body of Christ- promises to help nurture, shape and support the life and faith of the newly baptized. 
     Because Baptism is primarily God's action, Lutheran Christians welcome even infants to the font to receive God's lavish gifts.  We also recognize that not everyone comes to faith as an infant or a child, so adult baptisms are not at all unusual here at Christ the King.  Because Baptism is primarily God's action, and God is faithful, trustworthy and true, Baptism is done only once in a lifetime, for once is enough.  God's promise endures a lifetime and beyond.  
     Baptism is always a public event, for it marks the beginning of membership in the body of Christ, the church, the gathered community of faith.  The community has a stake in every baptism.  Private baptisms are appropriate only in emergencies, when it is not possible to gather the community of faith.

Giving

We celebrate God and give thanks to Him for all He has done. All that we have has been given to us by God. Our money is not our own; we are simply stewards of what God has given to us. Each Sunday we take time to give a portion of our financial resources to God as a way to respond to His grace. "...give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6: 38). 

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