SUNDAYS: WORD AND TABLE

Worship is a major focus at Redeemer Parkersburg.

We worship in a state of joyous tension.

God the Father is full of majesty and splendor, his holiness deserves our reverence and devotion, so our worship should be dignified and respectful.

At the same time, our God is approachable and knowable through his son Jesus Christ, so our worship is to be welcoming and accessible.

The Spirit of God has been moving in his people for thousands of years, so our worship should honor the tradition of the church. At the same time, God's creative Spirit is still at work today, so we incorporate the gifts of our people and the language of our culture.

As Christians we come to God knowing that we are sinners, so we come with contrition, but at the same time, we come forgiven, so we come with great joy. 

Above all, we long to worship in spirit and in truth in a way that honors God in all his splendor with passion, depth, and love.

Ancient - Future Worship

We worship in the Anglican tradition, which means that our worship is performed in Word and Sacrament and shaped by an ancient liturgy that has been used in the church for hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of years.

"Liturgy" means "the work of the people" and is the word used to describe the words, structure, and flow of our service. Like a songbook allows for everyone to sing the same words at the same time, the liturgy is compiled from the words of the Scripture and prayers used for thousands of years within the church to allow us to engage in Biblical and rooted corporate worship. There is not one man at the front worshipping or performing while the people watch, rather the man at the front facilitates the worship and the people are an active and vital part. Worship is the work of the people.

We greatly value the tradition of the church and we long to experience the continued move of the Spirits in our hearts, so we also value the gifts and graces of people today.  We want to incorporate art, music, language, and style from our contemporary culture as well. This blend that we call "ancient-future" creates a worship that is rooted and relevant, built on a solid foundation and fresh in its expression. We can worship with ties to all those who have gone before and add our own voices to the great conversation.

Word

The "Word" is the Word of God in the Scripture that is the basis for our worship, preaching, and teaching. The Bible reveals God- who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing.  Within the truth of God's Word is found salvation, transformation, hope, and joy. So, we read it, say it, pray it, and sing it.  The Word is the heart of our worship.

Table (Sacrament)

"Sacrament" means "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." In other words, it is something tangible that you can see, touch, taste and feel that points to something equally as real, but intangible.  For example, the Sacrament of Communion is a part of our service every week and lets us participate in the reality of the sacrificial death of Christ and the family that is created through our faith in him.  In the broken bread we see his broken body, in the wine we see his blood spilled for us, as we share the meal together, we do so in the community of faith. The other sacrament is Baptism, which lets us experience the reality of how the death and resurrection of Christ wash us clean and bring us into the Christian community.

Our Lives

The Bible tells us that our worship is not just music or prayers or a Sunday gathering, worship is living life differently by the Spirit of God in a way that honors Christ and serves the world (Romans 12:1-2). We gather on Sundays but worship seven days a week as we live each day in thanksgiving for the Gospel of grace and showing the love of Christ to others. 

Our worship is ancient and future, deep and accessible, serious and joyful. We pray that you will come and experience the joy of worshipping Christ with us.

For more in-depth study, read Walking the Liturgical Path, a detailed explanation of our liturgical worship.

MEETING AT 10:oo AM SUNDAY
2210 FAIRVIEW AVE., PARKERSBURG, WV