At Covenant of Grace, we believe that worship is central to the Christian life.
In one sense, all of life is worship. As we live in faithful obedience - working, resting, loving others, enjoying God’s good gifts - we seek to do everything “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).
But for the Christian, Sunday worship is unique.
THE LORD’S DAY
Sunday is not just the start of a new week, it’s The Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10). From the earliest days of the church (Acts 20:7; Mark 16:2), Christians have set aside this day for gathering together to worship the risen Christ.
In corporate worship, God promises to meet with His people, not through hype or spectacle, but through the ordinary means of grace: The Word. The Sacraments. Prayer.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Our worship service may not look flashy. You’ll hear the Bible read and preached. You’ll sing Psalms and hymns with real people in real voices. You’ll pray with others, confess your sins, and be reminded of the grace of Christ.
These simple, Scripture-shaped rhythms may not feel revolutionary, but they are powerful. God uses them to feed, convict, strengthen, and encourage His people. Whether you’re overflowing with joy or barely hanging on, He meets us in worship.
Come for a month. Participate. See what God might do.
THE ORDINARY MEANS OF GRACE
God, in His grace and wisdom, has provided regular ways to strengthen our faith. These are called the ordinary means of grace. Understanding what they are sometimes comes most clearly by understanding what they aren't:
- Preaching is not just a talk about the Bible. It is God’s Word proclaimed - accompanied by the Spirit to achieve His purposes (Isaiah 55:10–11).
- Prayer is not just ritual or routine. It establishes real communion with the living God, empowering us for faith and faithfulness (James 5:16–18).
- The Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) are not just memorials. By faith, they are means of participation in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). They nourish our souls and confirm God’s promises to us.
As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it in Q&A 65:
“Since then faith alone makes us share in Christ and all his benefits, where does this faith come from? From the Holy Spirit, who works it in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel and strengthens it by the use of the sacraments.”
When we neglect these gifts, our faith weakens. But when we receive them in faith, they sustain and deepen our trust in Christ.
In His grace and in His wisdom, God has provided ways by which we can regularly have our faith in His promises fortified. Historically, we have referred to these ways of strengthening our faith as the ordinary means of grace. Prayer, the preaching of the Word, and the sacraments are not elaborate or fancy methods of giving us what we need to confirm our trust in Christ. To an outside observer, they do not seem special at all. After all, they make use of rather common things such as human speech, bread, wine, and water. But by faith and the work of the Spirit, these common elements are used to do an uncommon work — the confirmation of our trust in Jesus and the strengthening of our wills to flee from sin and rest in Christ alone.
- "Means of Grace" - Ligonier Ministries