We take worship seriously at Three Rivers. As one pastor has said, “The way a service is structured will inform the way we are structured.” A worship service that is structured according to the gospel will produce a people who live out the gospel.
The Bible is clear that we were created to worship. Because of that, everyone will worship something. It is unavoidable. Not buying it? Watch any sporting event and you will see thousands of people going through rituals, responding in unison, and organizing their lives around a shared belief and interest. Worship is inescapable because God has woven it into the fabric of our being. In fact, the Bible teaches that worship is so foundational and formational that we become like what we worship (Psalm 115:8; 135:18).
As human beings, we are commanded to worship the one true God and him alone (Matt 4:10). When we worship, we come to “innumerable angels in festal gathering” and to “ God, the judge of all… and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 12:22-23). Because we come into God's presence during worship, our worship should be characterized by reverence: “Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). Our liturgy (order of worship) has a variety of influences, including the early church and Calvin’s Genevan liturgy. Our intent is not tradition merely, but to do all things “for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:6, 12). We worship the way we do because we worship a perfectly holy God.
What is a liturgy?
The word “liturgy” is unfamiliar to many people. All that it refers to is the order of a corporate worship service. In that sense, all churches from every tradition have some kind of liturgy. Even churches that style themselves as contemporary and non-liturgical still follow a pattern of worship. It could be that a church opens with announcements, then sings a few songs, followed by sermon, one more song, and then a closing prayer. Even that kind of worship service is liturgical. No matter how hard some may try to deny it, churches are liturgical by nature.
Since all churches are liturgical, the better question to consider is what shapes our liturgy? At Three Rivers, our worship services are shaped by several principles derived from the Bible.
The first principle that shapes our worship services is called the regulative principle of worship. In essence, this principle says that only God’s word can regulate what goes on in a worship service. God has revealed to us how He wants to be worshipped (Deut 12:32; Matt 15:9; Acts 17:23-25). Human beings are not free to invent worship for themselves. While there is room for variety in a worship (various kinds of music), we have to let God be God and set the standard for the kind of worship that will honor him. As worshippers, our disposition should be one of, “Speak, for your servant hears” (1 Sam. 3:10).
The second principle that guides our worship is the participatory principle. This principle says that God calls his people to actively worship him. In other words, worship is not a spectator sport, where congregants come to be entertained or passively observe worship being done for them. Rather, worship is participatory in nature. We are to offer up our whole being to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:2). In the Reformed tradition, liturgies embrace the participatory principle through responsive readings, singing, recitation of creeds and catechisms, and a corporate confession of sin.
As John Frame has noted, “[worship] is not primarily for ourselves, but for the one we seek to honor. We worship for his pleasure foremost and find our pleasure in pleasing him. Worship must therefore always be God-centered and Christ-centered. It must be focused on the covenant Lord.”
The third principle that shapes our worship services is the gospel principle. Simply put, our worship services tell the story of the gospel by reenacting the drama of redemption. Each worship service reminds us of who God is, who we are, and what Christ has done for us. Therefore, our services follow the logic of the Gospel. Therefore, after being called into the presence of a holy God, we are reminded of our sin. This is why our services include a confession of sin. No one in Scripture comes before a holy God and is not undone by their sin (Isaiah 6:5; Hab. 3:16). This is followed by an assurance of pardon, reminding us of the forgiveness of sins purchased by Jesus Christ. After receiving assurance that Christ has taken away our sin problem, we are consecrated and formed as God’s people by the preaching of the word. Formation continues as we partake of the Lord’s Supper, as a further way God confirms his promises. Believers are shaped by both the Word and Sacrament. Lastly, God commissions his people to go into the world and live for his glory by the giving of a benediction – our last reminder that salvation is by grace alone.
Why are kids with us?
The simplest answer is there is nothing in Scripture that would have us do otherwise. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 19:14). Parents are charged with teaching the next generation to walk with God (Deut 6:4-7, 20-25), and since worship is at the heart of walking with God, our kids learn “reverence and awe” by watching us worship. While we gladly abide with any extra commotion this creates, there are kids worship bags and other materials for kids (sermon notes, paper, and crayons) near the main entrance to the building, a nursery for children up to three years old (possibly four if it is not too crowded), and a private room for nursing mothers.
Why do we celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week?
We love God and naturally want to participate in the body and blood of Christ, to commune with Him. There is participation in the “cup of blessing” and the loaf that makes us one as often as we gather together (1 Cor. 10:16-21). This was the practice of the apostolic church (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:20). As Paul describes in 1 Cor. 11, the Lord’s Supper is the household meal of the family of God. Along with this, we speak of the sacraments (Baptism, Lord’s Supper) as “means of grace”—that is, ways that God imparts grace to His people. This is how we understand Paul’s usage of the words “partake” and “participate.” There is a bond that we have in Jesus Christ in this meal. We do not want less of grace, but more of it.
Why do we use confessions and doctrinal statements in worship?
Truth is often easily accepted, taken for granted, then forgotten. In verse 3, Jude writes that while he had wanted to speak about “our common salvation” he found it necessary to urge his readers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” You might not think that in such an early hour, when the gospel was first being proclaimed, the faith would have had to be contended for, but that was the case. Truth is something that must be guarded and cherished. It’s fair to ask why we don’t use Scripture exclusively, rather than the occasional confessional restatement of Scripture. There are at least three reasons.
- First, we often rephrase the statements and meanings of Scripture in our conversations and thoughts. We quote the Bible, but we also say things intended to capture its meaning. This is exactly what theology does and what confessions do. If we are going to do this—and we all do it—we ought to do it carefully and well.
- Second, doctrinal statements guard us against our own biases and favorite teachings. The Westminster Confession of Faith (which is our doctrinal standard) was written by a group of men from various Protestant traditions. It is more balanced than any single believer or any small group of believers.
- Third, the Bible itself contains doctrinal statements. The Greatest Commandment is a doctrinal statement that both Jesus and other rabbis of his day recognized (Mk. 12:28; Luke 10:25). There are other statements as well, including 1 Cor. 15:3ff; 1 Tim 3:16 and Phil. 2:6-11. All this being true, we know the Westminster Confession is flawed (it says so itself in XXXI.iv) and never a replacement for the Bible.
Why do we stand during some parts of the worship service?
We stand during the “Call to Worship” and during the reading of the Word of God because it is biblical to stand during worship (Neh. 9:1-5; 2 Chron 7:6). In the Bible, it is common for God’s people to stand in response to God’s presence (Ex. 33:8); to stand in awe of God’s deeds (Hab. 3:2); to stand for the reading of the Word (Neh. 8:5); to stand to offer thanks and praise (1 Chron. 23:30); to stand to confess sins (Neh. 9:1-5); to stand to pray and intercede (Gen. 18: ); and to stand to pronounce and receive blessings (1 Kings 8:14).