Called to Worship

We praise thee, O God;

we acknowledge thee to be the LORD.

All the earth doth worship thee,

the Father everlasting.

Called to Worship

Liturgy (local link)

The Church Year (local link)

Music (local link)

Liturgy

From all over the Portland area, we gather each Sunday to thank God and to sing His praises. Together we practice and pass on the traditions of a centuries old form of worship, traditions shared with millions of believers the world over.

This Anglican pattern of public worship includes prayers we say together as well as private prayers. We pray for each other, for ourselves, and for the world. We read from the Psalms and hear lessons from the Old and New Testaments. We sing hymns and portions of scripture. We listen to sermons that teach us. We confess our sins and receive forgiveness. When we celebrate Holy Communion we hear the Ten Commandments. All the way through we hear who God is, what Jesus did for us, and we respond.

We participate not just with our minds and voices but also with our posture, standing to praise God, sitting to hear His word, kneeling to pray. We offer incense to prepare for God’s entry as the ancients did. We ring bells to make a joyful noise that focuses our attention on the miracle at the altar.

The Church Year

We devote the first part of our year of worship and study to walking with Christ through the seasons and historical moments of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, His Passion, Easter, His Ascension and Pentecost. The balance of the year we focus on the teachings of the Lord and the teachings of His apostles.

This cycle of worship and study, while traditional, is not stale. It both challenges and comforts us as we try to understand and apply the gospel today. To help us, throughout the year there are days set apart for feasting and for fasting that turn our hearts and minds to the disciples who preceded us.

This calendar and today’s readings are available online at CommonPrayer.org

O be joyful in the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness,

And come before his presence with a song.

Music

We sing. Lots. Together we sing the prayers and praises of the Holy Communion service and every other week we sing Morning Prayer. Throughout both services we sing treasured hymns that instruct our hearts and that call us to love and to live like Christ. These too follow the church year with tunes and lyrics set apart for each season.

Jason and Chris lead us, he at the organ and she singing. Sometimes our worship includes an offering on accordion or harp, French horn or mandolin – often a special hymn that speaks to the lesson of the day.

At Christmas we celebrate with the traditional English service The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

To preview The Hymnal we use, visit Hymnary.org

Aliquam dapibus tincidunt metus. Praesent justo dolor, lobortis quis, lobortis dignissim, pulvinar ac, lorem.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Praesent vestibulum molestie lacus. Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta. Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla dui. Fusce feugiat malesuada odio. Morbi nunc odio, gravida at, cursus nec, luctus a, lorem. Maecenas tristique orci ac sem. Duis ultricies pharetra magna. Donec accumsan malesuada orci. Donec sit amet eros. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Mauris fermentum dictum magna. Sed laoreet aliquam leo. Ut tellus dolor, dapibus eget, elementum vel, cursus eleifend, elit. Aenean auctor wisi et urna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Duis ac turpis. Integer rutrum ante eu lacus.

Praesent justo dolor, lobortis quis.

Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta. Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla dui. Fusce feugiat malesuada odio. Morbi nunc odio, gravida at, cursus nec, luctus a, lorem. Maecenas tristique orci ac sem. Duis ultricies pharetra magna. Donec accumsan malesuada orci. Donec sit amet eros. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.