Holy Cross celebrates the Divine Service every Sunday at 10am. What is Divine Service? Most churches just call it “worship.” Most people think that worship has one direction: man gives praise to God and God receives that praise.
Lutherans view worship differently. Worship has two directions. First, the Lord gives us His gifts: the forgiveness of our sins, salvation, life, and the faith to receive these blessings. He gives these blessings through the preaching of the Word (Romans 10:17) and the administration of the sacraments (Mark 16:16; Matthew 26:27-28).
Thus it is called “Divine Service” because through it God serves us. Then, having received the gifts God gives in the Word and Sacraments, we serve God by offering Him our prayers and praises (Hebrews 13:15). Being but humble servants, we do not praise the Lord with our own words. We speak (or chant) the Lord’s own words back to Him. This means that the entire Liturgy (order of service) is taken directly from Scripture. There is no better way to praise the Lord than with that which He says about Himself. The Liturgy then teaches us the chief articles of the Christian faith and praises the Lord at the same time.
Everyone is welcome to come hear the Word of the Lord with us on Sundays at 10am. The Lord has promised to work through His Word (Isaiah 55:10-11). He has promised to give and strengthen faith through the preaching of His Word (Romans 10:17). Please come and hear the Word of the Lord with us.
We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. We practice closed communion, which means we only commune with those with whom we are in doctrinal agreement and fellowship. We do this based on the Word of the Lord (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:27-29) and the witness of the early church. This practice is not meant to offend, nor do we infer that people of other denominations are not Christians. You can read more about why we practice closed communion here.
If you would like to join us in our confession of the apostolic faith, please speak with pastor.
