What Is the Divine Service?
The Divine Service is the Church’s chief worship service. It is the Sunday Morning service celebrating the Sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood. It consists of readings from Scripture, prayers, hymns, preaching, and the Eucharist. For a brief description of the Divine Service, go to: What to Expect.
The Church’s Sacred Calendar
The Church has its own sacred calendar, consisting of Sundays and seasons and festivals, each with its own theme and character. Click on the links below to investigate each of the Seasons of the Church year.
The “Half-Year” of Our Lord
The Christmas Cycle
Advent / Christmas / Epiphany
The Easter Cycle
Lent / Holy Week / Easter
The “Half-Year” of the Church
Pentecost
The Current Season
and
Upcoming Services and Readings
The Current Season of the Church Year:
Easter
Upcoming Readings from the Three-Year Lectionary
Next Sunday
Third Sunday of Easter
Divine Service, Second Setting
Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36–41
1 Peter 1:17–25
Luke 24:13–35
Hymn of the Day
483, With High Delight Let Us Unite
Upcoming Services
Fourth Sunday of Easter (Apr. 26). Acts 2:42–47; 1 Peter 2:19–25; John 10:1–10.
Fifth Sunday of Easter (May. 3). Acts 6:1–9; 7:2a, 51–60; 1 Peter 2:2–10; John 14:1–14.
Sixth Sunday of Easter (May. 10). Acts 17:16–31; 1 Peter 3:13–22; John 14:15–21.
Ascension Day (Thursday, May 14). Acts 1:1–11; Ephesians 1:15–23; Luke 24:44–53.
Seventh Sunday of Easter (May. 17). Acts 1:12–26; 1 Peter 4:12–19; 5:6–11; John 17:1–11.
The Day of Pentecost (May 24). Numbers 11:24–30; Acts 2:1–21; John 7:37–39.
Daily Lectionary
Readings
The readings listed above are from the Three-Year Lectionary, which provides readings (called “pericopes”) for each Sunday of the Church’s calendar, and for all major festivals. These are the readings that are used in the Divine Service, and they are designed to ensure that all the major teachings of the Christian Church are addressed in the Church’s worship regularly. They can also be used for an individual Christian’s daily devotions. However, for personal devotions a Daily Lectionary may be better. These readings change daily (thus, the name!), and cover much more Biblical material than the readings from the Three Year Lectionary. They repeat every year, and are designed to greatly increase the individual Christian’s mastery of the whole Scriptures.
On Communing
Who should commune?
Receiving Holy Communion is a great blessing for every Christian who is able to receive it in a worthy manner. On the other hand, “Whoever . . . eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 11:27. Who may commune worthily? Christians may worthily commune who 1) believe that the true Body and Blood of Christ are present together with the bread and wine, and who 2) desire the forgiveness of their sins, life and salvation which are given to us in this sacrament.
Who should not commune?
Non-Christian visitors should not commune. Christians who are uncertain what is meant by “the true Body and Blood of Christ”, or who believe that Christ’s Body and Blood are not actually present in the bread and wine, but are present only symbolically, should not commune. Christians who are new to the faith, and very young Christians, may choose not to commune while they gain more familiarity with the Scripture’s teachings.
For a fuller explanation of our communion practice, go to On Communing.
Online Worship
Every Divine Service, every Sunday Morning Adult Class and every Wednesday Evening Prayer and Christian Education service is live streamed, and preserved on You Tube where it can be accessed on demand. This is a convenience for our members, and an outreach to those who are not members. For a discussion of the benefits and limitations of worshipping online, go to Online Worship–Its Purpose and Limitations.