Our Path for Worship
Opening Hymn or Song
We prepare our hearts for worship by joining our voices to praise God with a hymn or song that matches the thoughts for the day.

In the Name of...
We begin our worship in the name of the Triune (3-in-1) God.  We meet the true God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our worship.

 
Confession of Sins & Forgiveness
As we stand before our holy God in worship, we confess our sinfulness, in our nature and in our thoughts, words and actions.  The pastor announces forgiveness on the basis of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  (cf. John 20:22,23)

 
Prayer & Praise
The announcement of Jesus’ forgiveness establishes peace in the heart.  This leads to our praise filled response as we sing the song the angels sang at Jesus’ birth, announcing “peace on earth” through the Savior.  At various times this song is replaced with a hymn or song with similar thoughts of praise and thanksgiving.

 
The Prayer of the Day
This prayer varies from week to week.  It asks for a singular blessing that matches with the theme or emphasis for the worship service.

 
The Word of God
We gather, as believers, around the mighty Word of God.  In most worship services we have three readings: a reading from the Old Testament, from a New Testament Epistle and one of the Gospels.  We also sing a Psalm after the First Lesson. The Verse of the Day forms a thematic bridge between the Second Lesson and the Gospel Lesson.

 
Hymn of the Day
The hymn or song sung emphasizes the theme of the Day or the thoughts expressed in the Gospel Lesson.

 
Sermon
The pastor shares law & gospel from one of the day’s selected texts.  The sermon’s goal is always to point the hearer to Christ and his righteousness for our salvation and our motivation for thanks-living.

 
The Creed
Our confession of faith in the Triune God flows from hearing God’s Word. It is expressed in the three creeds of the Christian Church: the Apostle’s, the Nicene and the Athanasian Creed.  We confess our faith either before the sermon or after it.

 
The Offering
Our family of believers responds in faith  in the forgiveness and love of our gracious God through gifts of money and service.  These gifts support God’s work among us at St. Paul’s.

 
The Prayer of the Church & The Lord's Prayer
This prayer can focus on the day’s message, the needs of the week in our local congregation, the church at large, our community or in our nation.  It is concluded with the prayer that our Savior taught us to pray. 

 
The Lord's Supper
On the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion.  We begin with words spoken between pastor and congregation that have been used since 200 A.D.  These words express the intimate union of believers who are united in faith.  They are also spoken in joyful anticipation of receiving the Lord’s Supper.

The worship song Holy, Holy, Holy is sung as we sing with the saints and angels in heaven (Rev 4:8, Is 6:3), praising our God for the forgiveness offered to us in this sacred Meal. 
 
After the Words of Institution (1 Cor. 11:23ff) are spoken by the pastor, a word of peace is offered to God’s people who rest in Christ’s peace found on the cross.
 
The congregation responds with O Christ Lamb of God.  This song reminds us of the fulfillment of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; an image taken directly from the Old Testament celebration of the Passover (Exodus 12, John 1:29, Is 53:7, Rev 5:6ff). The Lord’s true body and true blood are distributed following the song.

St. Paul’s Lutheran follows the Biblical practice of close communion.  Members of WELS & ELS congregations are welcome to join us for communion.  We ask our guests to speak with the pastor prior to communing (1 Cor. 10:16,17).

 
Closing Prayer & Blessing
After receiving the Lord’s Supper, we give him thanks for the forgiveness he has given to us.  The pastor then extends to the congregation the LORD’s favor through his blessing.  This blessing has been spoken over God’s people since the days of Moses (Numbers 6:23-27).