Our service, by nature, involves congregational participation. Here are a few helpful points in understanding our service.
THE LITURGY
Our order of scripture and prayers based off a form that has been passed down throughout church history and even has connections to the Pentateuch. We commonly refer to it as “the Liturgy.” Now our service has two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Table. In the Liturgy of the Word, we read from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistles, and the Gospels which are culminated in the Homily (or sermon). After we have heard Christ’s word to us we move into the climax of the service, the Liturgy of the Table. This is where the elements are blessed and we, as the church, are prepared to receive Christ in the bread and wine.
The readings for each week are taken from the three year Lectionary. The current year is Year B (beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, 12/3/2023). The Primary source of our Liturgy is the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, which composition is from the Holy Scriptures. In addition we use…
THE PEOPLE’S MISSAL
This is the spiral bound book in the pews. It is our script for the service. The service begins on page 1. We normally skip the Decalogue and go straight to the Summary of the Law. The Missal along with the Hymnal are the two main books to have at hand. This Missal also contains the Psalter in the middle of the book. Click here for the online copy of the Peoples Missal.
THE HYMNAL
The Hymnal is our repository for the weekly hymns as well as the service music (The Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei). We usually have four hymns a week:
- Opening Hymn
- Offertory Hymn (after the sermon)
- Post Communion Hymn
- Closing Hymn (after the Blessing and Dismissal).
The hymn numbers can be found on the hymn board in front of the church (in the above order) and in the bulletin.