It can be very nerve-wracking to step into a new church. You might worry, “What if I do something wrong?” “What if I dress the wrong way?” “What if I'm completely lost?”
We get it. Worship in a Lutheran church can be very intimidating. There is a lot of singing; our pastors and service assistants wear different clothing; when the pastor speaks, the congregation just seems to know what to say in response.
When you come to visit, don't worry about “getting it right.” We rejoice in having you with us and will help in any way we can! A few frequently asked questions:
- What should I wear? The focus of the service is not on us, but on Christ Jesus being present and giving His gifts to us. Therefore, we have members who wear dresses or shirts and ties, but we also have members who dress more casually.
- What do I do? When you enter the church, you will be greeted and an usher will give you the bulletin for the service. The bulletin will contain important information such as the liturgy we will be using, the hymns we are singing, and the readings that will be read in the service.
- Liturgy: "the order of the service." Generally, we follow the printed services as found in the Lutheran Service Book (the hymnal of our church). Use the bulletin of the day to find which liturgy we will be using, and turn to that page number in the hymnal. Congretional responses are in bold print.
- Hymns: Again, use the bulletin to see which hymns are being sung in the service. At the appropriate times in the liturgy, you will be directed to turn in the hymnal to the hymn we will be singing.
- Readings: During the readings of the day, you are free to listen, or to follow along in the Bible located in the pew rack.
- Why can't I take communion, especially since I am baptized and have been a Christian my entire life?
When we practice closed communion, we are not saying that you are an unbeliever who is going to hell. In 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, St Paul reminds us that partaking in Holy Communion is an act of unity. However, when we observe the church on earth today, we find that there is a great division in regards to what churches believe. Some, for example, teach that the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper are only bread and wine. Other churches teach (as we do) that the bread and wine truly are Christ’s body and blood. Because of that division, we are not in unity and cannot honestly say that we are in united in the teachings of Christ. Therefore, we have separation at the Lord’s Table. We fervently look forward to the day when our Lord returns in glory to bring all His children to heaven, and there will be no more division. Until that time, we earnestly seek unity in Christ, even as St. Paul teaches in Ephesians 4: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of service, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God... 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine….”
Even though not all Christians are able to commune with us, we do welcome you to come forward for a blessing at Communion. Please cross your arms (right hand on left shoulder; left hand on right shoulder) as an indication that you will not be receiving the sacrament and seek a blessing. If you are more comfortable remaining in your seat and singing the hymns that are sung during the distribution of the Lord’s Supper, you may certainly do that instead. Our Lord Jesus reminds us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Come and rest as you are immersed in God’s Word!