A Message from Pastor
Dietrich
Dear
friends,
Anytime
we do something different for the first time, it seems a bit awkward or
uncomfortable. That can be true
with church. That’s why we’d
like to take a moment and share some of our thoughts with you on our worship
style. We pray this will help you
as you consider coming to worship with us.
All
we do at our church is meant to emphasize the forgiving love of God.
This is true in our worship. We
follow a liturgical form, or a consistent form of worship intended to involve
everyone in a meaningful way.
Worship
is an Old English word that originally meant value or worth. At
Trinity, we consider our worship of God something that is worth our time.
It
is a time for laying our burden of sin at the cross of Christ.
It
is a time for being assured that God still loves us and forgives
us all our sins in Jesus Christ.
It
is a time to praise and thank God for his bountiful blessings.
And
it is a time for being with fellow Christians who confess all of
God’s Word as truth.
As
you join us for worship, please feel free to ask questions of those around you
and to participate, as you feel comfortable.
We do have a worship folder, which outlines the worship service and
offers helpful advice so that you can participate.
Our purpose is to give you an opportunity to reflect on how the love of
God has touched your life.
Our
worship is an extension of our beliefs. We
believe the Bible is God’s Word and is not based on human
opinion or philosophy. We believe
that the Bible is 100% God’s Word. Our
worship reflects this truth. You
will find that our worship is Bible-based; in that all we say, sing, or do is a
reflection of God’s love revealed in his holy Word.
What follows is
a brief explanation of how we worship and why:
The Invocation – We begin our worship by calling on the name of
our Savior God as we praise him.
Admitting guilt and finding forgiveness - We acknowledge that we
have not done what God asks. Yet, we are assured of forgiveness because of
what Jesus Christ has done for us.
Bible Readings - We hear selections from God's Old Testament
prophets, Jesus' apostles, and from Jesus himself in the Gospels. The pastor
also gives a brief explanation of each reading.
Sermon - Our pastor offers instruction and encouragement in a
Bible-based sermon. We hear how we can expect God's guidance and grace for
dealing with problems, as well as the promise of forgiveness and eternal life
through Jesus.
Response to the Word - We respond with offerings and prayers for
the things God has promised to us and for strength to do what he has asked.
Final prayer for peace and blessing - We hear one last assurance
of God's care.
Spread
throughout these different parts of our service are hymns and short songs to
praise God. All of this is meant to
focus our thoughts, words, and actions on the saving grace God has revealed in
his Word.
We
believe that God has given the Bible to humankind to show us the way of eternal
salvation through our Savior Jesus Christ; he is the sinless Son of God who was
crucified, died, and rose again to open the door to heaven for all how believe
in him. This summarizes why we
worship. And this gives us strength
as we live for God in the world. Our
mission statement summarizes this. As
we draw strength from the gospel, we strive to: Grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ and to go and share the good news of Jesus
Christ until he returns to take us home.
I
pray this has helped answer some questions you might have about our worship
style. Everything we do is intended
to give God the glory. The Lord’s
blessings to you, and I hope to see you in church soon.
Sincerely, Pastor
Joseph Dietrich
