Worship Matters
“Why go to church? It seems so old-fashioned.”
Truth be told, it is. For thousands of years people have found that gathering together with others makes a difference in their life,
and that something as difficult and meaningful as faith requires community. Worship is that regular community gathering for the
“people of God,” which is the best definition of the church we know.
Worship gives shape to our week (starting with Sabbath rest) and to our year (played out through the seasons and festivals of the church year), and worship energizes our ability to live for God, with God. Liturgy (literally, “work of the people”) is a classic and enduring way to organize our communal praise and prayer, and it gives the basic structure to our weekly gathering.
The Lutheran Confessions (documents from the 16th-century Reformation that gave rise to our form of Christian expression)
describe the church as the “assembly of believers around Word and Sacrament.” God speaks to us in worship to strengthen faith,
feed our souls, and propel us in mission to the larger community and world.
Like most Lutheran churches, Gloria Dei’s worship is liturgical, kind of formal, but we trust that doesn’t mean stuffy or inaccessible
for visitors and new comers. This is a constant challenge, but one we are committed to working on
because worship matters as a primary way God comes to us and lives with us.
Truth be told, it is. For thousands of years people have found that gathering together with others makes a difference in their life,
and that something as difficult and meaningful as faith requires community. Worship is that regular community gathering for the
“people of God,” which is the best definition of the church we know.
Worship gives shape to our week (starting with Sabbath rest) and to our year (played out through the seasons and festivals of the church year), and worship energizes our ability to live for God, with God. Liturgy (literally, “work of the people”) is a classic and enduring way to organize our communal praise and prayer, and it gives the basic structure to our weekly gathering.
The Lutheran Confessions (documents from the 16th-century Reformation that gave rise to our form of Christian expression)
describe the church as the “assembly of believers around Word and Sacrament.” God speaks to us in worship to strengthen faith,
feed our souls, and propel us in mission to the larger community and world.
Like most Lutheran churches, Gloria Dei’s worship is liturgical, kind of formal, but we trust that doesn’t mean stuffy or inaccessible
for visitors and new comers. This is a constant challenge, but one we are committed to working on
because worship matters as a primary way God comes to us and lives with us.