BIRCHWOOD CHURCH
A Reformed church rooted in the good news of Jesus Christ
and living to the glory of God in Charlottetown, PEI
What to Understand About Worship
Worship of God should be characterized with a sense of the greatness of God. The writer of the book of Hebrews writes, "Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29)."
In worship, We come to hear God speak to us by the Bible and our response to His revelation includes both singing and prayer. There is a flow from recognizing God's greatness, to our sinfulness; from God's mercy in Christ, to our expression of thanksgiving, from God's guidance in His Word, to our response of faith.
Every Sunday we set aside our daily affairs to assemble together to celebrate the finished work of Jesus Christ who conquered sin through His death and resurrection in history and we look forward to the eternal rest that be given in heaven. We gather for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30am and 6:00pm
What Happens During Worship
Call to Worship—A passage from Scripture is read at the beginning of worship. These words are our way of hearing God's call to His people and inviting them to join together in worship.
Prayer of Invocation—This is a prayer at the beginning of our worship where we ask the Lord to bless the service and to accept our worship in and through Jesus Christ.
Song of Praise—Singing is an overflow of the heart and an important part of worship. It is something that everyone can do regardless of their sense of ability. Singing involves a vertical dimension (directed to God) as well as a horizontal dimension (encouraging one another in the truth of God). Our songs are characterized with the joy of God's greatness, as well as lament for sin and suffering in this world, and petition in asking God for wisdom and strength to live this life.
Offering—We believe that everything that we have is a gift of God. The offering is an opportunity to give back a portion of what the Lord has given to us. For those who are visiting, your presence is a gift to us, but for those who are part of our community, this is a time of worship as we give sacrificially to support the needs of the church and those in need.
Scripture Reading—This is when a selected portion of the Bible is read. There are usually two readings.
Sermon—This is the part where a particular part of Scripture is explained and applied so that we see our need of Jesus and the provision of God's grace in Him.
Benediction—This is an announcement of the Lord's blessing that is to be received by faith at the end of the service.
Doxology—This is a short expression of our praise to the Lord. Preceding the doxology, there is a moment of silence for prayer.
Questions About Worship
How do people dress? You will find that many people dress business casual.
How long are the services? The worship services usually last an hour, but sometimes can go about 75 minutes.
The Singing of Psalms
One distinct aspect of our public worship is that we include the Book of Psalms in our singing. We recognize that this is an uncommon practice, but we believe it is wise for God's people to be meditating on God's Word and bringing God's Word back to Him in our praise. Paul writes, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3.16)." The psalms were the prayer book of the people of God in times past and were sung by Jesus Himself (Matt. 26.30).
The Psalms speak to every Christian experience, whether it is of joy, grief, trust, confusion, confidence or repentance. They are, as once remarked, “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD) wrote of the psalms: “It prophesies of the future; it recalls history; it legislates for life; it suggests rules for action; in a word, it is a common storehouse of good doctrines, providing exactly what is expedient for everyone... It is the voice of the Church... What mayest thou not learn thence? The heroism of courage; the integrity of justice; the gravity of temperance; the perfection of prudence; the manner of repentance; the measure of patience; in a word every good thing thou canst mention. Therein is a complete theology; the prediction of the advent of Christ in the flesh, the threatening of judgment, the hope of resurrection, the fear of chastisement, promises of glory, revelations of mysteries: all, as in some great public storehouse, are treasured up in the Book of Psalms.”
The Psalms are instrumental in our spiritual formation. As Tim Keller once explained, "The psalms also help us see God—God not as we wish or hope him to be but as he actually reveals himself. The descriptions of God in the Psalter are rich beyond human invention. He is more holy, more wise, more fearsome, more tender and loving than we would ever imagine him to be. The psalms fire our imaginations into new realms yet guide them toward the God who actually exists. This brings a reality to our prayer lives that nothing else can. Left to ourselves, we will pray to some god who speaks what we like hearing, or to the part of God we manage to understand. But what is critical is that we speak to the God who speaks to us, and to everything that he speaks to us. . . . What is essential in prayer is not that we learn to express ourselves, but that we learn to answer God."