Liturgy | lit·ur·gy
the work of the people.
a pattern of worship practices designed to form in a particular direction.
Because Jesus is our king, we have a different way of living. We commit to learning the culture, values, and teachings of Jesus and unlearning the ways of our previous world. In order to do this we must be intentional about who we are becoming and we need a way to train ourselves.
In almost every area of life, we recognize the importance of repetition. If you want to be proficient at playing piano, you repeat the same songs. If you want to improve your golf swing, you repeat the motion. If you want to form a new habit, you repeat that action. Likewise, to be a disciple of Christ requires repetition of the Jesus story.
When we repeat the Story of Christ, in prayer and scripture, it slowly seeps into our imagination transforming who we are. Following the liturgy is not a quick fix, it is the slow work of allowing the Spirit to renew our minds and make us into the image of Christ.
Sometimes the liturgy feels foreign, sometimes it is awkward, and sometimes it is routine; nevertheless, we can trust that the Spirit is at work in us through prayer & scripture.
“The task of liturgy is to order the life of the holy community following the text of Holy Scripture.”
– Eugene Peterson
Formed in the Liturgy
As followers of Christ, we’ve been given specific direction for our change by the Incarnate One, Jesus. His life and ministry provide a clear pattern for the Kingdom of God and what its citizens look like. Thus, how we are being formed is essential to our discipleship, and how we pray, says a lot about who we are being shaped into.
Like a trellis enabling plants to climb, the prayer liturgy provides a structure by which our souls may grow. We need a formation strategy that guides our thoughts and shapes our prayers, freeing us from the tyranny of our own prayer rut. For we know greedy people pray greedy prayers. Anxious people pray anxious prayers. Sad people pray sad prayers. Optimistic people pray optimistic prayers. We need a structure to guide us away from our own proclivities and into the way of Jesus.
Through our faithfulness to prayer, the Spirit will do the hard work of transforming our character to resemble that of Christ. This formation is not instantaneous, rather over the years we will learn what it means to pray, “not my will, but your will be done.”
The elements of our prayer liturgy are below, matched to the character we learn.
Talk
Silence
Psalm
Scripture
Discussion
Prayer
Honest Conversation
Posture of Worship
Silent Reflection
Repentance & Confession
Honest Prayer
Apostolic Theology
Scripture Engagement
Obedience to the Text
Intercessory Prayer
Contending Prayer
An Apocalyptic Faith
The Great Commission
Aligning our story with His story.
Environments for Formation.
We believe in the power of Stories & Community, and those two things collide in the Sunday gathering and in microchurches. Our gatherings follow the story-arch of scripture as a pattern for worship: Creation, Fall, Incarnation, Crucifixion & Resurrection, Pentecost, and Kingdom Life. In reliving the story of Jesus week after week we cannot help but be transformed into the likeness of our King.