Here at Grace Covenant Evangelical Church, we worship the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in the Reformed Presbyterian tradition. Our Lord’s Day service has a specific character or “flavor”—impacting the head, the heart, and the hand—which is distinct from other expressions of worship, even as it shares practices with the greater Catholic church community. (Catholic here means “universal,” thus the “universal church.)

The information on this page provides the philosophy behind our liturgy or order of worship. It is not meant to be exhaustive on matters pertaining to the saints’ gathering on the Lord’s Day, but presents the different parts which make up the Lord’s Day worship service.

At GCEC, the worship service has four major parts: Call to Worship, Confession and Cleansing, Celebration of the Word, and Commissioning; with both a prelude and a postlude bracketing the service.  

The [Prelude] signals the start of the worship service. The hymn, The Lord is in His Holy Temple (Root, 19th century, based on Habakkuk 2:20), is used as a melodious reminder that the Lord is present and that we are to meet him in joyful anticipation and reverence.

While the context of Habakkuk talks about the presence of God in Israel’s temple during the Old Testament period, the New Testament saint understands that the Lord now dwells with his people, the Church—a temple made not with human hands—and he delights in the worship of his people.

CALL TO WORSHIP

The Call to Worship is God calling his people—through the reading of his word—to enter his presence and engage in the central purpose of the church, which is the worship of YHWH. Responsive to his call, God’s people extoll and encourage each other to actively participate in the worship, (“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” Psalm 100:4.)

Reading of the Psalms

In the Call to Worship, we primarily use the Psalms to aid the congregation to focus on the good things of the Lord. The Lord speaks to us through these holy songs, and encourages the gathered church that God is worthy of worship—for who he is and what he has done.

Hymn Singing

Hymn singing has always been an integral part of worship, as it is a very expressive way of responding to God’s revealed truth (Rev. 5:1-14; 19:1-8), and at GCEC we put a premium on congregational singing, wherein every member of the body lifts their voice in praise to God Almighty.

The corporate singing should be dignified, with the material in complete accord with the Scriptures. Members are encouraged to worship not only with their lips, but also with understanding.

In this writer’s opinion, there is no greater joy than hearing praise lifted up with the one musical instrument the Lord himself created—the human voice.

We refrain from using the popular but highly misleading term, “praise and worship,” as it implies that worship is limited to merely singing.

CONFESSION AND CLEANSING

While we who are in Christ and redeemed by his blood have had our sins forgiven and have been imputed with the righteousness of Christ, it is still a stark reality that we continue to fall short of God’s glory in our struggle with sin. Thus, entering into God’s presence comes with it a sense of our own inadequacy; like Isaiah we cry, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, YHWH of hosts” (Isa. 6:5, emphasis added).

The Call to Confession begins with God’s perfect standard, as revealed in his word—we are told what is expected of God’s people, and how far we all have fallen from his divine standards. (Note that the confession does not talk of the possibility of our sinning but the reality of our sinning.) The Lord, in his graciousness, reminds his people to confess their sins and rest in the promise of God for complete forgiveness in Christ: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The Prayer of Confession is a guided way of confessing our sins before the Triune God in humble reliance on his mercy and lovingkindness. We pray to the Father, acknowledging our shortcomings to him. We look to the Son, who has lived a life of righteousness in our behalf and who gave his life in our place, receiving for himself God’s just wrath for sin. We rely on the Holy Spirit as he applies the merits of Christ’s redemptive work on us, even as he molds us into the image of our Savior. (It is commendable to precede the corporate confession with a few minutes of private confession before the Lord.)

Lastly, the Assurance of Pardon is a joyful reminder that, as God’s covenant people, we receive the continuing free gift of grace and forgiveness in Christ Jesus our advocate. Because there is now no condemnation for the Christian, nothing can separate him from the love of God. The assurance comes not from fallible mindsets or emotions but from the pure word of God.

[Recitation of the Apostles’ Creed]

A current staple at GCEC is the corporate reading of the Apostles’ Creed.

God’s word alone is infallible, and the church exercises the reading of the confessions and creeds not to replace Scripture, but to keep in mind Biblical truth. Theology does not evolve from a vacuum and the creeds and confessions offer a picture of “the deposit entrusted to us through the faithfulness of our spiritual forefathers.” The study of the creeds and confessions makes us (1) see that we are heirs to a deep, wide, robust, catholic tradition” and, (2) appreciate the continuity of God’s plan for his people because “we are heirs to a deep, wide, robust, and truly catholic tradition.”

Also, the creeds and confessions “hedge” or safeguard our faith from the dangers of heresy brought about by carelessness in the handling of God’s Word. The presence of creeds is in contrast to making wild claims of faith, and assert teachings which are not orthodox.

[The Offering]

A staple in many churches regardless of ecclesiastical tradition, the offering is an act of worship through which the believer thankfully and joyfully gives back to God a portion of what the Lord has allowed us to earn (2 Corinthians 8:3, 10-14). We support the church and her activities through our giving but in the final analysis, we are giving to God (Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 6:2-4).

While it is not surprising that giving money to the church is a sensitive issue for some, GCEC affirms that supporting the church and her ministries is the responsibility of all members. As a rule, visitors and non-members are not obligated to give to the offering, though they are free to do so as the Spirit of God may work in their hearts.

CELEBRATION OF THE WORD

The Scriptures are the highest and only inerrant authority in matters of life and faith, and must have a central place in worship. As the Psalmist says, “Oh, how I love your Law…!”

Reading of Scripture

The reading of God’s word is “to call people to action” (Challies, 2011), and provides the context for the sermon. God speaks to his people through the Scriptures, thus to stand and read the Bible publicly is “to stand in the place of God in proclaiming his word.” The attentive listening to God’s word being read is itself a form of worship.

“And all the people gathered as one man into the square… And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel…And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, …And he read from it…” (from the Book of Nehemiah, ch. 8, emphasis added).

The Sermon

“Preaching is at the heart of the Reformation.” If the Scriptures have a central place in worship, then Christ-centered preaching is the focal act of the service. It is not separate from the service but all other components point to it and are supported by it. Preaching is the “source of hope, comfort, and life for the believer,” as it directs us to the author and finisher of our faith—the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Reformation recovered the centrality of God’s word, which at the time had been overshadowed by unbiblical traditions, emotive displays of piety, and general malaise on the part of the recognized church.

During the sermon, the Word of God is unpacked, and its message made clear for everyone to hear and obey. In the sermon, our shortcomings are exposed, our hope is proclaimed, and our joy is established. As in the reading of Scripture, worship of God does not pause or stop during the sermon but continues as the members attentively listen to the exposition of the Word.

“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8).

“…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).

“The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good. Neither do we think that therefore the outward preaching is to be thought as fruitless because the instruction in true religion depends on the inward illumination of the Spirit, or because it is written “And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor…, for they shall all know me” (Jer. 31:34), And “Neither he who plants nor he that waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (I Cor. 3:7). For although “No one can come to Christ unless he be drawn by the Father” (John 6:44), And unless the Holy Spirit inwardly illumines him, yet we know that it is surely the will of God that his Word should be preached outwardly also. God could indeed, by his Holy Spirit, or by the ministry of an angel, without the ministry of St. Peter, have taught Cornelius in the Acts; but, nevertheless, he refers him to Peter, of whom the angel speaking says, ‘”‘He shall tell you what you ought to do'” (Second Helvetic Council, Chapter 1)

https://www.ccel.org/creeds/helvetic.htm

[The Sacraments]

At GCEC we recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The sacraments are signs of the real presence, authority, and power of Christ in the church, and are visible reminders of the invisible work of grace in the life of the believers. The sacraments remind us (1) of our constant need for God’s grace, and (2) of Jesus Christ, who communes with his people and confirms his covenant with them.

Baptism

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age”.

Matthew 28:18-20, ESV (emphasis added).

Our Book of Church Order gives us the meaning of the sacrament:

The Lord Jesus Christ instituted baptism as a covenant sign and seal for His church. He uses it not only for the solemn admission of the person who is baptized into the visible church, but also to depict and to confirm His ingrafting of that person into Himself and His including that person in the covenant of grace.

The Lord uses baptism to portray to us that we and our children are conceived and born in sin and need to be cleansed.

He uses it to witness and seal to us the remission of sins and the bestowal of all the gifts of salvation through union with Christ. Baptism with water signifies and seals cleansing from sin by the blood and the Spirit of Christ, together with our death unto sin and our resurrection unto newness of life by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ. The time of the outward application of the sign does not necessarily coincide with the inward work of the Holy Spirit, which the sign represents and seals to us. Because these gifts of salvation are the gracious provision of the triune God, Who is pleased to claim us as His very own, we are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In our baptism, the Lord puts His name on us, claims us as His own, and summons us to assume the obligations of the covenant. He calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, to renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to walk humbly with our God in devotion to His commandments.

Grace Covenant Evangelical Church Book of Church Order, Appendix A: The Administration of Baptism.

Note: GCEC acknowledges all baptisms done with water and administered by other Christian churches in the name of the triune God. Christians who have already been baptized in the manner indicated need not be re-baptized, unless in certain circumstances.

Communion

The Westminster Larger Catechism defines the Lord’s Table (Lord’s Supper/Holy Communion) as

“…a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine according to the appointment of Jesus Christ, his death is showed forth; and they that worthily communicate feed upon his body and blood, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace; have their union and communion with him confirmed; testify and renew their thankfulness, and engagement to God, and their mutual love and fellowship each with other, as members of the same mystical body.

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 168.

The Lord’s Table is currently observed on first Sundays of the month and the church uses unleavened bread and a choice of red wine or grape juice to represent Christ’s body and blood, respectively. (The option of grape juice is for those who are convinced by their own conscience to avoid alcohol or those physically unable or prevented from drinking alcoholic drink, such as pregnant women.)

COMMISSIONING

The commissioning or charge to the church is a word of encouragement for us to live “in a manner worthy of the Name we identify with (Eph. 4:1).

The Closing Hymn (See “Hymn Singing,” above)

The Benediction

The word benediction literally means “good word/s,” and, in the context of Reformed worship, is the pronouncement (not a prayer) of the certainty of God’s blessing upon his people. The blessing is:

“…the Lord’s final word to us…that those who belong to him are not under his judgment, but under his grace. They are not objects of his wrath, but the objects of his love…[It] is his holy announcement that we are sealed with his name and our whole life is covered by his grace”.

Michael G. Brown, Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored (2012)

While there are those who consider the benediction to be merely the sign that the service is about to end, we take a more serious approach and see the important role the benediction has in our worship of God

The doxology (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow) is sung at the close of the service as an expression of praise to God for meeting all our needs, both spiritual and physical. It symbolically segues into expecting a week of worshipful service to the Lord, as the church bears witness to Christ, and lives as salt and light in the midst of the community.

The [Postlude] is played at the end of the service to give time for members to thankfully reflect and meditate on the Word preached and the grace of God offered.

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