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Worship at Covenant

D.A. Carson writes, “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to the Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.”  He goes on to say that worship is our response to God’s saving work in Christ, and is thus thoroughly Christ-centered.  It is empowered by the Holy Spirit as the gospel restores our relationship to God and to one another.  Worship manifests itself in every aspect of our lives through both adoration and action.  It is pursued both individually and corporately as believers seek to align their worship practices with what God has revealed in Scripture while anticipating Christ’s glorious return.[1] 

At Covenant, we view worship as a dialogue.  God has chosen to reveal himself to us in a saving way through his word, and we respond in the faith and obedience he prescribes in that same word.  Worship is an opportunity for us to not only joyfully give God his due, but to grow in our restored relationship with him through the work of Christ.  We do so not only with the brothers and sisters of our local congregation but in a committed way with all the members of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and with all who confess Christ throughout the world.  For an official statement of our denomination’s doctrinal position on religious worship and the Sabbath day from the Westminster Confession of Faith, please click here and select Chapter 21.  

Worship services at Covenant are conducted within a traditionally Reformed framework that emphasizes congregational participation.  As informed by our historic roots in the Protestant Reformation, we employ an order of worship that ensures that the key elements of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and proclamation are present each week.  The service typically lasts between seventy and ninety minutes, with the Lord’s Supper being celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.  Baptisms, missionary commissionings, officer commissionings, and other special elements are periodically included.  There is no formal dress code, but members and guests are encouraged to dress in a way that shows reverence to God and assists fellow worshippers in focusing their attention on Him.  For a detailed explanation of the elements of our Sunday service, as well as suggestions for how to prepare for corporate worship, please click here.   

Music has always been a key element of the worship of God.  From the song book of ancient Israel (the Psalter) to early Christian hymns, medieval chants, the recovery of congregational singing at the time of the Protestant Reformation, and recent hymns for a modern Reformation, believers have united their hearts, voices, and instruments in praise of God.  We seek to prayerful employ music that is biblically based, Christ-centered, well-composed, and genuinely helpful in directing God’s people to Him.  For more information about music at Covenant and how you may be involved in our music ministry, please click here.   

WORSHIP IN ALL OF LIFE

The worship of God extends well beyond the corporate gatherings of His people.  Our entire lives are to be offered as living sacrifices of spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1).  We should therefore worship God individually, with our families and friends, and in small group gatherings whenever the Lord provides opportunity.  Worship on such occasions may be very simple, including just a brief prayer or expression of praise, or it may be more extensive, including Scripture readings, confession of sin, singing, and prayer.  In all circumstances we should seek to glorify God and give Him praise (1 Cor. 10:31).  For resources to assist you in personal, family, and small group worship please click here.   

[1] D.A. Carson, ed., Worship by the Book (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 26.  For a detailed explanation of Carson’s points as highlighted in this paragraph, see his chapter entitled “Worship under the Word” in the above referenced volume, pages 11-63.