Principle Two: Worship Tells And Acts Out The Christ Event

The order of worship is designed to reveal God's action in history. Through that order, the worshiping community meets the God who has acted, and who continues to speak and act among His people. The order of worship flows out of the principle that worship celebrates Christ. Consequently, a rule which can be followed when creating a sequence for worship is that worship tells and acts out the Christ-event. In this sense, worship is patterned after God who revealed himself and after God who became incarnate. Therefore, the twofold focus of worship becomes the Word (the Bible as the symbol of God speaking) and the Table (bread and wine as the symbol of God acting to save us). In this ancient order of worship the story of Christ is communicated in two parts: the Word of God and the Table of the Lord. In the course of time, two other parts were added: entrance for worship and dismissal to serve. Thus, the most basic and rudimentary shape of worship is fourfold. Each of these four parts o…