Worship is not about us. It is about God: what God is doing, how God is transforming the world and our lives, and how we respond to God’s calling to “Be a Blessing.” In worship, we gather as the people of God to lift our voices in word and song to praise the God who loves and saves us.
We believe that God speaks to people differently, in words and ways that have meaning for their lives. We also believe people praise God differently, in songs and prayers that speak to God from where they are in their individual faith journeys. Recognizing our differences, and celebrating them as a community, has led us to offer three unique opportunities for worship. On Sunday mornings we offer Heritage at 8:30 AM, Chinese Worship at 10:50 AM, and The Gathering at 10:50 AM. Each follows the basic pattern of Lutheran worship: we gather as God’s people, we hear God’s word, we share in the Lord’s meal, and we are sent into the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ. All of the morning worship services follow the “seasons” of the church year, because in the ancient cycle of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, we see the saving action of the Lord in every season of our lives. Every service includes Holy Communion which is open to everyone, regardless of denominational heritage.
The language, music, and prayers are different at each worship service, but God is the same: a God who loves and cherishes the “joyful noise” of a people living their lives in Christ’s presence. Laypeople are actively involved in leading worship, because worship is the praise not just of the pastor, but of the people. We regularly offer young people opportunities to assist in leading worship, because we believe that what you do you learn more fully than what you hear.
We offer the Faith Fun Zone for the younger ones on Sunday morning, but please know that your children are always welcome in worship. In the cry of a baby, or the fussiness of a toddler, we hear a new voice that speaks to God as we all do–in happiness, in sorrow, and in discomfort. Many of us have (or once had) small children, so we’ve been there. We welcome the reminder, in a child’s voice, of the blessing that children are to all of us.
