Worship is not just a Sunday activity. It’s the core of who we are as followers of Christ. Rooted in Scripture and shaped by tradition, our worship is directed toward the Triune God, who is worthy of all praise.
Whether through song, Scripture, sacraments, or the rhythms of our daily lives, worship forms us as disciples and unites us as a community. Explore why we worship, how we worship, and what worship looks like in our church, guided by the Reformed tradition and shaped by the gospel story.
Why Worship?
As followers of Christ, worship is the primary thing we do. As the Westminster Confession of Faith says, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Our fundamental action is worship, and the fundamental object of our worship is the Triune God.
Worship of God is all throughout the Bible. Believers would worship God in the temple. They would worship God through sacrifice, confession, and festivals. They would worship God through singing songs and engaging with Scripture. Elements of worship may have varied from time and place, but everywhere God’s children went, they were called to worship-even in exile.
We worship God because He is deserving of worship, and it is good and right to worship Him. God welcomes and delights in our individual and corporate acts of worship.
Worship is also for our benefit. As we worship God, we are shaped by the liturgy and rhythms of worship. As we enact liturgies of the head, heart, and hands, we better understand who God is, His relationship with us, and His call to bless others. In our private lives, we conduct liturgies through the rhythms and habits of our lives. We, as the people of God, should strive to implement private liturgies that honor God rather than idolizing lesser gods.
We gather once a week to worship God in corporate worship, alongside other believers. We worship together for the sake of one another. My worship benefits the brothers and sisters around me, and vice versa. We grow together as a Spirit-filled community through corporate worship. We all come prepared with pure hearts for the sake of the entire congregation.
Corporate worship lays the theological groundwork, and prepares us for lives of discipleship.
In Short: We are called into Corporate Worship by God. As we glorify Him, we learn who we are in Christ and how we might bless the world through the Spirit.
How Do We Worship?
Theologians have suggested two approaches to this question.
The first approach is called the Regulative Principle, and it argues that we should only worship God in the ways which God has outlined, prescribed, and/or made clear in Scripture.
The second approach is called the Normative Principle, and it argues that we are free to worship God any way we want, as long as it isn’t explicitly prohibited in Scripture.
Most people in the Reformed tradition adhere to the Regulative Principle. However, how this plays out varies from church to church. Some are more loose and some are more rigid.
For example, some churches take a passage like Psalm 150 and say we shouldn’t use electric guitars in worship because they are not specifically referenced (or anywhere in Scripture). Some churches take a passage like Psalm 150 and say the heart behind it is that we should worship with instrumentation of all kinds, so electric guitars are okay to use.
Liturgies we see mentioned in Scripture include: singing songs, reading Scripture, preaching Scripture, and Sacraments. There may be other beneficial rhythms for corporate worship, but as the Apostle Paul advised, they should always be orderly and corporately rooted (1 Cor. 14, 1 Tim 2).
As our Reformed roots advise, we should start from a place of the Regulative Principle, placing good Biblical boundaries around our worship. But within those boundaries, we should feel freedom.
What Are Our Values of Worship?
- Glorify God by properly representing Him in words, preaching, singing, and attitudes.
- Perfect the saints with liturgy that is formative for their heads, hearts, hands, and souls.
- Word and Sacrament are ordinary but powerful means of grace to be practiced frequently.
- Attract the nonbeliever to be curious and join us in the worship of our King.
What Does Worship Look Like at CFC?
We are drawn to worship by God calling us to worship Him in His glory. As we join together, the service must depict the Gospel narrative and answer questions such as: Who is God, Who are We, and What do we Do? Therefore, it would benefit us to create a narrative structure embedded in our Order of Worship that speaks to these items.
Resources
Regulative Vs. Normative Principle Of Worship—Which Viewpoint Is Correct?
You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith
Worship and the Reality of God: An Evangelical Theology of Real Presence by John Jefferson Davis
