Lutheran Worship – As a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Redeemer Lutheran is a liturgical church. “Liturgy” is defined as “public service”. It is the service of followers of Christ towards God; but it is also more importantly God’s service to His faithful, as He gives blessings and hope to His people. Liturgy, in whatever form and style it follows, is the faith-filled response of a gathered group of believers to God, who also gives believers gifts of grace and mercy through His word and sacraments. Our worship at Redeemer shares in these heavenly gifts, following a traditional form that offers prayers and songs and scripture readings in our services. Though our worship follows a structure, it is also varied and is often creatively adapted by different kinds of music and activities as we praise God, hear His word, and share in His blessings given to us.
As a traditional liturgical church, our public worship services are Christ-centered, as we follow the ancient Christian calendar, which divides the year into seasons related to the life of Christ. Beginning with the Advent season before Christmas, we follow the Gospel testimony of Jesus through to the Passion of our Lord and His resurrection at Easter. During the Summer and Fall months, we mark the season of Pentecost, where we recall the mighty acts of the Holy Spirit in forming the Church into the character of Jesus. During the time of Pentecost, we also emphasize the mission of the Church, as we grow in sharing the saving Gospel of our Lord with other people nearby and around the world, even as we faithfully await Christ’s promised return.
Worship Style – Our Sunday services are traditional Lutheran worship settings, often taken directly from the Lutheran Service Book (LSB). These include Divine Services with the service of Holy Communion, and various non-communion Services of the Word that include Prayer and Preaching and other adapted service settings. For most services, Redeemer utilizes a worship bulletin with daily “propers”: responsive readings, prayers and special music that all work in conjunction with the hymnal. Occasionally the Order of Worship will come from a special creative format, when we celebrate certain themes; LWML Sunday and Reformation Sunday, Mission Festivals and Easter Sunrise for just a few examples. Just as Martin Luther loved using hymns and liturgical music to accompany his worship, we at Redeemer enjoy both organ and piano played by our organists and other musicians. Periodically our adult choir, children’s choir, or guest soloists and musicians contribute to our worship experience.
Music In Worship - God has blessed Redeemer Lutheran Church with a sanctuary that invites singing: the open-beamed cathedral ceiling resonates with all of the emotions expressed in the congregation’s worship, from the organ’s most majestic notes to the choirs’ quietest a cappella moments.
Pastor Cole, as most pastors, has a heart for worship and a desire to share with his congregation the joy of glorifying God in all areas of life. But as a musician himself, he has a special passion for growing the church’s music ministry, and works with Redeemer’s organists, Glenn Blank and Karen Fulton, to create a special musical context for each service.
If you are searching for a church home where you can pour out your heart in worship, we invite you to Redeemer Lutheran Church. Unite your voice with ours in setting the rafters of Redeemer ringing with the resonance of praise to our loving, victorious Redeemer!
Hymnal – Redeemer uses the Lutheran Service Book (LSB), Pew Edition (03-1170), Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968 1-800-325-3040 www.cph.org The LSB was prepared by The Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It is provided, along with other songbooks and resources, for weekly worship in our church and school - but is also available for purchase through Concordia Publishing House to be used devotionally in the home.
Devotionals – Here at Redeemer, we provide other opportunities to grow in our praise and worship of God. Seasonally, devotional materials for the home are provided to our worshipers. We distribute the daily devotion booklet, Portals of Prayer which contains short daily devotions and simple orders for worship and prayer at home. We also make available devotional booklets during the Advent and Lenten season that thematically coordinate with our seasonal mid-week evening services at these special holy times of the Church year.
Holy Communion – We regularly include in our worship services the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Our church teaches that this is a sacrament – a holy act instituted by Jesus that gives us spiritual benefits by the means of physical elements. When we celebrate this holy meal in our worship, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present with us; He gives us the heavenly benefits of forgiveness and peace, as well as strength for our souls and body when we eat the bread and drink the wine at our communion service. This sacrament unites us in a special way to God in Christ, and it also unites us with one another in a unity of shared faith and practice.
Communion Practice – Our church practices Close Communion, which means that at the services where we come forward to receive the Lord’s True Body and Blood, we welcome everyone – children included, to come up and receive God’s blessing. Yet, we humbly and respectfully ask those worshiping here who are not yet confirmed in the Lutheran confession of faith, and those not currently within a sister congregation that holds altar fellowship with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, to not receive the sacred elements of bread & wine, unless they have made prior arrangements to do so – by first speaking with the pastor.
Baptism – Another important sacramental event that sometimes takes place during worship is the baptism of infants and adults. Baptism is an act of new-birth, whereby one is included in the resurrection life of Jesus, and becomes a member of the Christian Church and a new creature in Christ. We believe that Christian baptism by water united to God’s Word of promise, actually gives people the certainty of the forgiveness of sins, as it imparts faith and brings the very Spirit of God to the life and being of those baptized. This holy act done in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit marks us forever as a child of God. Baptism is not only the command and Great Commission of the Lord Jesus, but it delivers and seals His very life and presence to all who believe God’s Gospel of peace and truth that is taught in the Holy Bible.
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