Most weeks you can count on something like this:
* Music (we have a variety of choirs, a great organist, special music of various types, and a tradition of singing hymns together), greetings, prayers and a passing of the peace of our Christ to help bring us together.
* A message for children, followed by scripture readings, a choir anthem and the sermon to help us engage our faith story in context with our own lives. On occasion we will celebrate a baptismal service for a child or for an adult in the context of the expression of God’s good news for us all.
* A time to pray together (often sharing some of our own joys and concerns) and an offering of ourselves in the symbols of our gifts to God. On the first Sunday’s of most months this time of offering and prayer will also be focused into the celebration of communion in the ritual of the Lord’s Supper. In our tradition, everyone is welcome to share in the bread and cup, including children and visitors, at this sacramental and memorial practice of the faith.
* Usually we conclude with music, words of our shared covenant, and a benediction blessing. Often many of our fellowship stay in a time of meditation through the postlude music. The completion of the Sunday morning worship service is seen by many of us as the beginning of our new week of service to God in the Spirit of our love and care for our neighbors across the planet and for our own closer circles of family and friends.
