# Reformed View of Public Worship



## Romans922 (Mar 7, 2007)

So what actually occurs physically/spiritually when we enter into worship (i.e. from Call to Worship to Benediction)? What does it mean to enter this worship?


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## dannyhyde (Mar 7, 2007)

_When you gather with us, you can expect to meet with the Triune God who is “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). The God of the universe has condescended (“stooped down”) to us in his Son, Jesus Christ, and become our redeemer to draw into his presence by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because we meet with this great God, our services are joyful, reverent, and purposeful. The reason for this joyful reverence is that what happens in worship is a reflection of theology; how we worship reflects what we believe about God. In fact, our worship is our theology in practice.
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_Since all covenants have two sides, one, which speaks, and another, which responds, the meeting of worship is a dialog between our great God who speaks to us in grace and our response to him in gratitude.
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_When you join us, you will notice that the primary focus is on what we call “the means of grace.” The means of grace are the public reading and preaching of the Word of God (1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 4:1–5) and the celebration of the Sacraments of baptism (Matt 28:18-20; Col 2:11–12) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:17–34). According to Scripture, these are the means (Latin, media), or, ways, the Holy Spirit uses to create true faith, confirm us in our faith, and build us up as a community of believers. These are the means by which God performs his work of grace to meet our true needs—forgiveness of our sins as well as reconciliation with our neighbors—not what we perceive as our “felt needs” nor what the world tells us we need._

From Daniel R. Hyde, What to Expect in Reformed Worship: A Visitor’s Guide (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2007), 5, 6, 13.


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## Romans922 (Mar 8, 2007)

Anybody else?


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## Contra_Mundum (Mar 8, 2007)

http://www.faith-pca-akron.com/sermons/mp3/Buchanan/7_jacob_jacobs_ladder_buchanan.mp3

You might listen merely from 21:40 to 24:10, and from 33:30 to 37:15 or 39:45


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## ChristopherPaul (Mar 8, 2007)

Contra_Mundum said:


> http://www.faith-pca-akron.com/sermons/mp3/Buchanan/7_jacob_jacobs_ladder_buchanan.mp3
> 
> You might listen merely from 21:40 to 24:10, and from 33:30 to 37:15 or 39:45




 

What makes up the rest of it? Words from the sponsors?


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## Contra_Mundum (Mar 8, 2007)

ChristopherPaul said:


> What makes up the rest of it? Words from the sponsors?



Exactly. 6-8 minutes is about the average American attention span anyway.


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