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Each Sunday, the congregation gathers for worship at 10:30
A.M.
Worship at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church has a sense of
direction, movement and purpose. Just like a drama, it moves
toward a conclusion. And just like a good drama, there is
dialogue and response: God speaks and we respond.
The Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 6, verses 1‑9,
tells of the Prophet Isaiah who has a life changing encounter
with God at a service of worship. At its best, worship is
indeed life-changing: sometimes it occurs when a moment of
insight is reached, and sometimes it is the slow, steady "yeast
of God" working in our lives. Worship can change our lives.
Worship is that weekly experience reminding us who we are and
Whose we are.
I. First, We Prepare
 The Prelude . . . and our presence in God's house with
others who are on the "journey of faith" invites us into an
attitude of reception. The scripture says: "Be still, and know
that I am God." We light the candles as worship begins.
II. We are Invited into Praise of God
The Invitation to Worship God and the Hymn of Praise are the
best way to begin our experience of worship; we are at the
entrance of a unique and wonderful opportunity. The invitation
is offered: O Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel
before the Lord our Maker.
III. God's Relationship with Us is Open and Honest
The Prayer of Confession is all about openness and honesty as
we focus on what divides us from God and from each other.
But
our divisions are not the final word! While we recognized them
for what they are, the great reality is now proclaimed: The
Good News of God's Forgiveness. The wonder is that God loves
us - even more than we love ourselves. "If we confess our
sins, God is just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us
from every kind of wrong. "The very best response we can make
to such wholehearted forgiveness is to sing and we use a variety
of responses.
IV. The Scripture and The Sermon
The Psalms are an ancient hymnbook found in the Old
Testament. They are timeless; they speak an ancient truth and
lead us into new truth. In the Psalms we find hymns that
everyone sang together; we also discover very personal psalms,
treasured down through the ages, like Psalm 23, Psalm 51, or
Psalm 139.
The Witness of the Scripture includes readings from both the
Old and New Testament. Here we find the story of God's mighty
acts.
The Sermon reflects on the scripture passages
for today. Questions behind every sermon are: What does this
passage say to us? How does it point to our living today?
V. We Make Our Response
The Prayers of the Church and The Lord's Prayer, the
experience of giving which is The Offering of Our Tithes and
Gifts for Christ's Mission and the Prayer of Dedication - all
become our response to the words of life we have just heard.
VI. The Sacraments as A Response to God's Action in our
Lives
At Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, we celebrate the Sacrament
of the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of each month and some
special days like Ash Wednesday and the Thursday of Holy Week.
We celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism as the occasion arises.
VII. We Depart from the Worship Service to our Service in
the World
The service usually ends with a Hymn of triumph or
dedication.
The Charge sums up the day: "Go forth into the world in
peace; be of good cheer; hold fast to that which is good;
render no person evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted;
support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all persons; love
and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy
Spirit." This is the essence of the Gospel - the good news of
Jesus Christ. Think of this as guidance for your week.
The Benediction
The Benediction literally means "the good
word." It is a very good word because "The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of our Creator God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit" can be depended upon as we go into our week.
The Passing of the Peace
The Passing of the Peace is our way of
greeting each other and sharing the Peace of Christ which has no
boundaries and limits. We say, “the Peace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with you,” and the response is, “And also with you!”
And then we greet each other.
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The Sacraments are a response to God's action
in our lives. There are two sacraments in the Presbyterian
Church, the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper or Communion. The sacraments are our response to God's
initiative of love in our lives.
The Sacrament of Baptism
In the Sacrament of Baptism we celebrate
that initiation of God's Spirit inviting us into the Community
of Faith, the
 Household of God, which is the Church..Baptism
is an act of the whole church through which parents declare
their faith and proclaim their intentions; the congregation
also declares its faith and its support. When adults are
baptized, those same intentions are affirmed.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the
Church’s continuing celebration of God's love for us; it is our
celebration of the New Life in Christ and a strengthening for
life; it is a feeding and a nourishing experience done "in
remembrance" of Jesus Christ. The power and presence of Christ
are a reality in this gathering at the Lord's Table.
At Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, we celebrate the Sacrament
of the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of each month and some
special days like Ash Wednesday and the Thursday of Holy Week,
known at Maundy Thursday as well
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