Our worship is called a service -- but who is doing the serving?  At Christ Lutheran Church, we come to worship because God serves us through His Word and sacraments.  As such, our worship style is reverent and inclusive: reverent in that everything in the order of service reflects Christ's work for us, and inclusive in that we encourage families to receive His Word and sacraments together.  We provide service folders each week to help guide you through the service and make our worship as easy to follow as possible.

Our worship is liturgical, which means we have a set order of worship every week.  The orders we use have traditional forms along with modern language and applications.  The traditional features of our worship bring us the best from God’s Church throughout the ages, while the contemporary features remind us that God’s promises of forgiveness, guidance, and peace still apply to our daily lives. Even children begin to recognize and remember familiar parts of the liturgy that allow them to participate and worship with the family of God.  

Music is also an important part of our worship.  Through our music we affirm God's work for us and express our thanks to God for his wonderful salvation.  We use a variety of songs and Psalms from throughout the ages because in doing so, we connect ourselves to the historical and living Church throughout the world.  Whether it's a song based on a chant from the fourth century, or a modern hymn like In Christ Alone, the music we use will always serve to remind us of what Jesus has done for us and for our salvation. 

The liturgy is our order of service.  Our worship contains many of the same elements as that of the early Christian church.  It includes the following:

• The Confession of Sins: We confess to God that we have failed to live up to the perfect standards in his law, and we plead for his mercy.
• The Announcement of Forgiveness: The pastor announces the forgiveness of sins won for us by the perfect life and innocent sufferings and death of Jesus, our Savior.
• A Song of Praise: These songs of praise remind us of the wonderful things God has done for us, not the least of which is the salvation he gives through Christ.
• Prayer of the Day: The Church brings her concerns and prayers to a loving Father in heaven, who has shown great mercy and promised to hear our cries for help.
• Scripture Readings: The pastor reads three selections from the Bible.  They usually include one selection from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament epistles (letters), and one from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).
• Sermon: The pastor offers instruction and encouragement in a sermon, usually based on one of the three readings.  Expect to hear God’s guidance for dealing with the problems of life, along with the promises of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven through Jesus.
• Response to the Word: We respond with offerings and prayers for the things God has promised us and for strength to do what he has asked.
• Holy Communion: Currently we celebrate Holy Communion on every first and third Sunday of the month.  Before communing, however, we ask our visitors to please speak with the pastor.  As a congregation we practice closed or close communion.  For a further explanation of this practice, please see below.
• Final Blessing: We hear one last assurance of God’s guidance and love.

One of the most frequently asked questions people have about worship at Christ Lutheran is our practice of closed or close Communion.  First of all, we do not practice closed Communion to be exclusionary or judgmental.  Nor is it out of a “holier than thou” attitude.  Quite the opposite!  Those who come to the Lord's table come because they know and confess that they are not holy.  We want all people to join us for this heavenly banquet, so please don’t think that we want to exclude you.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  That being said, the Scriptures do have some very definite things to say about fellowship and instruction before coming to the Lord’s table.  That’s why we ask that you talk to our pastor so we have a chance to explain what the Bible has to say before we celebrate Communion together.