Bethel Lutheran Church follows an order of worship in its service that has its roots in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. The order we follow today has developed over thousands of years into a four-fold pattern.
We Gather As One – At the beginning of each service we assemble as one people before God, preparing our hearts and minds for worship and readying ourselves to hear the Word of God through the reading of Holy Scripture.
We Hear God’s Word – During this second part of the service, we heart one or more readings from the Bible, usually a reading from Hebrew scripture, a Psalm, a reading from Christian scripture and a reading from the Holy Gospel. A children’s sermon and a sermon is preached by the pastor. We respond in song.
We Share The Meal – The four-fold pattern of the liturgy is repeated at the Meal as we remember the words Christ said at the supper – he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Holy Communion is distributed to all who wish to receive; a blessing is offered to those who do not wish to receive Communion.
We Are Sent Out to Serve – At the closing of the service, the people are sent out in mission and in service to the world and to one another.