Worship

Most SPC worship services begin with a word of welcome, followed by an invitation to read a passage of scripture in unison. This reading is our Call to Worship, and it comes from God’s Word to underscore the fact that gathering together on Sunday mornings isn’t our idea, it’s God’s! He has graciously and generously invited us to leave behind our daily routines in order to adore Him and remember the wonder of the gospel in his presence, to his glory and our eternal good, through the power of his Spirit.

Lively, heartfelt congregational singing is likely to be the first thing you’ll notice about worship at Stony Point Church. We sing a full range of songs, from the traditional  to the contemporary — songs which praise God, proclaim His goodness, celebrate his mercy, express our faith in Him and declare our love for Him.

But why sing at all? We sing  because God commands us to sing to him; he commands us to sing praises to him, and psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as well (Psalm 30:4, Ephesians 5:18). Singing helps us to remember the words that we sing, words which often come right from God’s Word.  And music, being the language of emotion in every culture of every age, helps us to connect with those words on an emotional level, affecting us in profound and subtle ways and, it seems, affecting God too.

If you’re unfamiliar with a song that we’re singing, feel free to simply listen and then join in when you pick up the tune.

Prayers — individual and corporate conversations with God — are a feature of our worship from beginning to end. An opening prayer called an Invocation usually follows the call to worship; the worship leader often prays before the offering is taken and the preacher prays before he begins his message. Congregational prayers, in which a pastor, ministry leader or member of the congregation talks to God about our needs and burdens, missions prayers and prayers for new members, are also common.  We talk to God in prayer because He “holds everything together” (Colossians 1:17), we depend on Him and we’re glad to share our needs with Him.  In the course of worship, you can give your assent to what others are praying or speak to God quietly on your own.

The centerpiece of every worship service is a sermon — a message based on a Bible passage. These sermons are preached because God Himself has revealed Himself in history, as recorded in his Word, and so we preach what God has first spoken.  Given that, our sermons aren’t speculations about God, his nature, will, or ways; rather, they’re a witness to, and an explanation of, what God has revealed to us about Himself, humanity, our world, His Son and the good news of the gospel.

The people who preach at SPC are dependent, broken, and fault-ridden human beings who are glad to bear bold witness to the infinite, mighty, holy and merciful Lord of heaven and earth. If not for the fact that God Himself has commanded us to preach, our preaching would be presumptuous. But he has commanded us to preach, and so we listen to the reading of God’s Word and the message which follows with care. As you listen to a sermon, ask God to speak to you through the preaching of his Word. And if things are said that aren’t clear to you, feel free to speak with the preacher after the service or connect with him by email or phone.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus commanded his followers to remember his sacrifice on their behalf and his bottomless love for them with a simple meal of bread and wine —  the bread to symbolize his body, broken for us, and the wine to symbolize his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. Followers of Jesus eat the bread and drink the wine in glad thanksgiving for his past and present mercies and in joyful anticipation of his return out of heaven. We at Stony Point celebrate this Communion, or Lord’s Table, as one part of our worship service on the second Sunday of every month. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you can prepare yourself to come to his table by pondering anew what he has done for you, making amends with others and giving thanks to God for everything.

We believe that the God we worship owns everything and calls on us to use what He has given us to grow His Kingdom in countless ways. One of the ways we do that is by giving tithes and offerings during worship on Sunday mornings. As our guest, you are not expected or required to give. But if you want to give in gratitude for God’s goodness to you, please do as you are willing and able.

There are several ways to give in addition to putting a gift into the collection plate on Sunday morning, including secure credit and debit card donations, bank draft donations, text giving from a smart phone and stock donations. For more information about these giving options, visit Giving at SPC on this website.