Some of you may or may not have been noticing that Missio Dei Church has been adding some new elements during our time of gathered corporate worship. We are continually praying and hoping that people will understand the connections between all different parts of the service on a Sunday morning. Everything on Sunday morning has a place and purpose. We hope that through this article you will come to understand why we do what we do on a Sunday morning.

PRELUDE MUSIC: LYRICAL OR INSTRUMENTAL

The band will get up and either play something completely instrumental or try to play through an upcoming song or one that can help prepare your hearts to meet with the Lord. It is our hope through this time that people will be seated to prepare their hearts and minds after a potentially crazy morning getting the family out the door and to church on time. This preparation is aided through the use of Scripture scrolling across a screen that invites people into the presence of the Lord.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: FAMILY BUSINESS

Believe it or not, this time is not strictly to get people to find a seat or fill time. This is what we call “Family Time”. Just like any other family, we need to sit down and let you know the key things that are happening within the life of the church. We are selective in what we announce to the church.

A lot of our information may be found on our website or on The City/Plaza. We post more things in our weekly bulletin that comes out via email as well as the bulletin that you receive on a Sunday morning.

QUIETING OUR HEARTS:

This is an extension what our prelude hopes to accomplish. As people trickle in from dropping off their kids, running to the local coffee shop, or come in from getting stuck in traffic, we provide a time to settle the congregation’s heart and mind. Throughout this time people may simply sit in silence, call upon the Lord quietly in prayer, confess, repent, or read Scripture. Pastor Paul will then close this time in prayer together as a church.

CALL TO WORSHIP: MORE THAN A CALL AND RESPONSE

Explanation: “One function of the invitation is to express welcome and hospitality. We worship in the joyful context of our renewed relationship with God in Christ. These words may be spoken with a gesture of open embrace and a genuine smile to convey the warmth of God’s love.

Another function of the invitation is to call the community to the unique activity of worship. The primary activity of the worship service is for worshipers to participate in the gift exchange of worship itself, by hearing God’s Word, by offering prayers and praise, and by receiving spiritual nourishment offered at the Lord’s table. The call to worship establishes the unique purpose of the worship service and reinforces the “vertical dimension” of worship—an encounter between God and the gathered congregation.” [1]

In Practice: Pastor Paul or myself will use Scripture to call one another into worship. This is done through a call and response but as the explanation states, this helps us at the Church and the Bride, call upon God. This is the first communication that we have together between the Church collectively and the Lord.

SONG OF RESPONSE:

Now that we have called one another and invited one another into His presence and worship, we now respond from this revelation. A phrase that Missio Dei Church uses to describe worship is “Revelation and Response”. The response that we feel is appropriate for this would be sung prayers or praises.

We sing the great hymns of old, the newest songs that can be classified as contemporary, as well as modern hymns that the church collectively has been singing. These are generally songs of praise and adoration that declare who God is, what He has done, and His faithfulness to His people.

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[1] Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. "Call To Worship." The Worship Sourcebook. Grand Rapids: Faith Alive Christian Resources, Mi. 48-49. Print 

We have also found Sojourn Church to be a great resource for helping us develop ideas for our liturgies. To see more information about Sojourn liturgies, click here.