What Is Liturgy?
Welcome to Grace Sacramento Presbyterian Church. If you’re joining us for the first time or unfamiliar with the format of our service (liturgy), this “explainer” may help clarify why we do what we do. If you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to ask.
Why Liturgy?
Our worship service takes on a similar form each week. The four headings: Gathering, Word, Table, and Sending are movements that have been the backbone of Christian worship from the earliest days of the church. Our worship in these four movements provide a rhythm and model for the individual Christian life and for the way we live together. The word liturgy means “the work of the people”. Our services are designed to encourage the participation of the whole congregation in worship.
Why A Call to Worship?
We believe that the worship of God is the central purpose of the church. The call to worship begins with God’s loving invitation to us. And only through this invitation, are we then prompted to respond in worship. We stand to honor God as we begin.
Why Confession?
A prayer of confession might seem a strange thing to do - like a relic of the ancient past. However, confession is simply an invitation to honesty with God, each other, and ourselves. We know in our moments of deepest honesty that not only is the world not as it should be, but neither are we. The prayer of confession is always followed by words of assurance of our forgiveness by the shed blood of Christ for our sins.
What are the "Prayers of the People"?
One essential component of corporate worship is corporate prayer - the prayers of the people. The ministry of prayer is part of the baptismal calling of every believer. We pray for the world because God so loves it. We pray for the church because it is Christ's body, living as a witness of the Gospel in the world. Each prayer in "the prayers" may be followed by silence, spoken prayers by the congregation, "Lord, hear our prayers" or "Lord, have mercy."
Why do we do communion every week?
At Grace Sacramento, we gather around the Table each Sunday. It goes by many names, but regardless of which term we use, Christians all insist that we gather around this table of grace to taste and see that God is good and to celebrate all that Christ has done for us. We believe the Lord's Supper is the sign of Christ's presence among His people (those who love Him and trust Him alone for their salvation) and of their unity in Him. We partake in communion weekly as it encourages and nourishes our faith.
The Church Calendar
In our worship, we remember significant events in the Christian calendar, like Advent, Lent, Palm Sunday, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, etc. Each season has a different color associated with it which reminds us what we are celebrating. The start of the church year: the First Sunday of Advent (colors in clockwise order beginning with Advent).
Purple: Advent (Dec 3-Dec 24, 2023)
Gold/White: Epiphany (Dec 25-Jan 6, 2024)
Green: Epiphanytide (Jan 6-Feb 13)
Purple: Lent (Feb 14-Mar 30)
Gold/White: Easter/Eastertide (Mar 31-May 18)
Red: Pentecost (May 19)
Gold/White: Trinity Sunday (May 26)
Green: Ordinary Time (Jun 2-Nov 17)
Gold/White: All Saints Day (Nov 3); Christ the King (Nov 24)
2023-24 church calendar
The church calendar available for download