What Is Worship?

Come, Let Us
Worship
and Bow Down

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture.” — Psalm 95:6–7
  • What Is Worship?
  • Our Worship
  • Our Liturgy
Six Principles

What is Worship?

Worship is the centerpiece of the corporate Christian life. The following are several principles that guide the worship at Providence Presbyterian Church

01

Worship Is an Event

Psalm 100
Worship is a gathering of believers with God. Something unique is happening — God is present in a special way, graciously welcoming His children into the joy of His presence.
02

Worship Is Dialogical

Psalm 99
Worship is an exchange between God and His people. God calls us. We respond. We praise and confess, and He speaks to us through His Word.
03

Worship Extols the Majesty of God

Psalm 145
The elements of our worship are chosen to reflect the dignity and majesty of the One we praise. The Word — read, preached, and visible in the sacraments — is central.
04

Worship Reflects God’s Relationship

Ephesians 1:3–14
We are sinners yet remarkably adopted into God’s family. Our worship reminds us of what God has done and of His covenant relationship with His people.
05

Worship Is Christ-Centered

Colossians 1:15–23
The context for our worship is the God who has reconciled the church to Himself in Christ. The good news that Jesus died for sinners must be made clear throughout.
06

Worship Is a Corporate Experience

Hebrews 10:23–25
On the Lord’s Day we worship God together. Corporate confession, congregational singing, and the Word preached bind us as one people before the living God.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

Psalm 95:6–7
Our Worship

Ascending Mount Zion

We take our cues in worship from three Biblical truths: the Creator's majesty and holiness; our sinfulness; and His matchless grace in Christ, which calls us to come and meet with Him.

Reverence & Awe
God Is Holy —
We Come in Awe
Hebrews 12:28–29

God is holy; thus we come in reverence and awe. Yet redeemed sinners in Christ are justified and undergoing His gracious renewal, so we come also with confidence and joy before His throne of grace.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”
The Covenant Assembly
We Ascend
Mount Zion
Hebrews 12:22–24

In our assembly we take on our defining characteristic as citizens of heaven — ascending Mt. Zion to enter heaven itself to meet with Jesus in the holy of holies. The word "church" means assembly.

“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.”
Word & Sacrament
The Preached
Covenant Word
2 Corinthians 3:3–6

Central to our worship is the preached Word — nothing less than a proclaiming of the covenant. The Word is then sealed every week with the covenant meal of the Lord's Supper.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Sent into the World
Strangers &
Ambassadors
2 Corinthians 2:14

After meeting with Jesus in worship we are sent back for the rest of the week into the world — to bring the heavenly aroma of the knowledge of Christ as strangers and aliens in pilgrimage.

“Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.”
“As a church passionate about the Word of God and living in the rich grace of Christ as communicated to us in the Gospel, we heartily invite you to come and taste of the Lord's cuisine with us this Sunday.”
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Our Liturgy

The Lord's Service

"You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God." — Hebrews 12:22. Our order of worship follows the ancient pattern of God meeting with His people: He calls, cleanses, consecrates, communes, and commissions.

I
God
Calls
Us
  • Call to Worship
  • Salutation
  • Song of Approach
  • Prayer of Approach
Psalm 99
II
God
Cleanses
Us
  • Reading of the Law
  • Corporate Confession
  • Declaration of Pardon
  • Song of Assurance
Isaiah 6:1–8
III
God
Consecrates
Us
  • OT & NT Readings
  • Prayer of Illumination
  • Sermon
  • Confession of Faith
2 Corinthians 3:3–6
IV
God
Communes
With Us
  • Sursum Corda
  • Gloria Patri
  • Lord's Supper
  • Doxology
Acts 2:42 · Acts 20:7
V
God
Commissions
Us
  • Song of Simeon
  • Benediction
  • Sent into the World
2 Corinthians 2:14

Our liturgy is not the invention of man — it is the ancient pattern of God meeting with His people, drawn from the whole counsel of Scripture and the historic practice of Reformed worship.

Each week the same story is told: God summons us, exposes our need, speaks His Word, feeds us at His table, and sends us back into the world as His ambassadors.

Children are welcome and encouraged to worship with their families. We love the occasional coos and cries of the little ones of God's family.

Worship is the centerpiece of the corporate Christian life. The following are several principles that guide the worship at Providence Presbyterian Church.

Worship is an Event 

Worship is a gathering of believers with God! Something is happening in the sacred assembly that is unique. God is present in a special way, graciously welcoming His children into the joy of His presence (Psalm 100).

Worship is Dialogical

Worship is an exchange (dialogue) between God and His people. You will find this expressed clearly in our order of worship. God calls us to worship. We respond to His call. We praise God and confess our sins and He listens. God speaks to us through His Word and we listen (Psalm 99).

Worship Extols the Majesty of God

The elements in our worship are chosen to reflect the dignity and majesty of the One we praise (Psalm 145). This is why the Word of God read, preached, and visible in the sacraments is prominent in our worship service. We believe that the Word, especially as is preached, is central to worship.

Worship Reflects God’s Relationship with His People

We are sinners who deserve God’s wrath, but we have been remarkably converted to faith, adopted into God’s family, and will spend eternity with Him (Ephesians 1:3-14). Our worship reminds us of what God has done for His people and of His relationship with us.

Worship is Christ-Centered

The context for our worship is the majesty and supremacy of God, who has reconciled the church to Himself in Christ. Our desire is for the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners like us to be made clear throughout our worship (Colossians 1:15-23).

Worship is a Corporate Experience

While the Bible commends both public and private worship, on the Lord’s Day we worship God together (Psalm 34:1-3, Hebrews 10:23-25). You see the corporate elements of worship in our prayer of confession, congregational singing, and listening together to the Word preached. We are a worshipping church.

 Oh come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Psalm 95:6-7a