Every few weeks I like to share an example of one of our worship services from Grace Fellowship Church. I do this simply to provide an example of how one church structures our time of worship, hoping it will prove a helpful resource to others.
This service’s cast of characters included Paul as the preacher, Brian as the lead worshipper, and myself as the service leader. Our band consisted of two guitars, bass, and piano accompanying a male and female vocalist. The various elements of the service are in bold with the name of the person who led the element in parentheses. Items in quotes represent roughly what the person said to the congregation. Items not in quotes are explanatory. The entire service lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Call to Worship (Tim)
“Our call to worship this morning is drawn from Psalm 66.”
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.
“If all the earth is worshipping God, if all creation is singing his praises, then we ought to join in! Let’s stand and behold our God together.”
Singing (Brian)
- “Behold Our God”
- “Psalm 111”
Supplementary Reading (Paul)
“Listen to the Word of God.”
Paul read Luke 10:25-37.
“This reading was from Luke chapter 10.”
Confession of Sin (Tim)
“Jesus once stood before a great crowd of people to explain to them how to live a blessed life. His words inspired this confession of our sin. I will read the parts marked ‘Leader’ while you read the parts marked ‘Church.’”
- Leader: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
Church: “Who exhibit humility before God and man.” - “Blessed are those who mourn.”
“Who are sorrowful and repentant for their sin.” - “Blessed are the meek.”
“Who treat others with dignity, patience, and gentleness.” - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
“Who pursue peace with God and man.” - “Blessed are the merciful.”
“Who have compassion on all who are sick, suffering, and sorrowful.” - “Blessed are the pure in heart.”
“Who live in sincerity and transparency.” - “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
“Who pursue unity by reconciling with others.” - “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”
“Who suffer for living pure and holy lives.”
“If God’s blessing is upon those who live this way, his curse must be upon those who fail to live this way. And if we are honest with ourselves, we know we have fallen short in so many ways this week. Yet, praise God, He sent His beloved Son to be a curse for us. If you are in Christ, all your failures and all your sins are forgiven. He has suffered the curse of God for you … and you are truly blessed.”
Singing (Brian)
- “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”
- “O Great God”
Pastoral Prayer (Tim)
I prayed for a number of concerns related to our church family.
Scripture Reading (Tim)
“Please take your Bible and turn to JAMES 2. We will be reading verses 1 to 13. That will be on page 1011 if you are using one of our church Bibles.” The reading began with “This is what Holy Scripture says…” Upon completion I said “This is the word of the Lord” to which the congregation replied “Thanks be to God.”
Singing (Brian)
- “Come Thou Fount”
Sermon (Paul)
Paul preached a sermon titled “Walk Your Talk in Your Fellowship,” part of our ongoing series through the book of James.
Singing (Brian)
- “In Christ Alone”
Commission (Paul)
Peter tied the message of the sermon into a “commission” that challenged the church to live out its truths throughout the week. This included mentioning some of the events coming up in the life of the church.
Benediction (Paul)
“Receive this blessing of the Lord from His Word: ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’ Amen.”
