Redeemer’s worship is not driven by market forces - that is, worldly means to attract and entertain an audience. God is the focus of worship and He is far more important than an audience and its felt needs. For this reason, our worship is characterized by reverence in light of God’s holy instruction in Hebrews 12:26 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Our worship services center on the praise of God in hymns and psalms, prayers, the confession of our sins, the confession of our Christian faith, the giving of our tithes and offerings and the reading and hearing of God’s Word.
Praise of God with hymns
and psalms
“…Speaking to one
another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with
your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19)
In our Sunday worship we sing hymns
and psalms (the Psalms from the Bible set to meter and music).
Hymns teach the content of the church’s biblical faith and they allow
expressions of praise to our blessed God. Singing Psalms is the glorious
experience of returning in song God’s Word to Him. In this He takes delight.
Our concern is with what the congregation sings [that is, the content];
sound-bite choruses, although appropriate perhaps
for other church meetings, do not match the doctrinal robustness of hymns
and psalms in worship.
Prayers
“…with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit; be alert with all perseverance and requests for the saints” (Ephesians 6:18)
The Spirit of God leads us to pray. Prayers of invocation [seeking God’s presence and blessing in worship], prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of intercession [giving over to the Lord our burdens and the concerns of his kingdom] are part of our worship. Ordinarily the Lord’s Prayer is recited so that we may learn Jesus’ outline prayer and thus know how to pray, enlarging upon it each day. Often the people are invited to participate by vocally lifting up to the Lord requests as well as praise during the worship service.
300 Mill Street, Cambridge, MD 21613