| Your order of worship looks very liturgical and stiff; methodical and mundane; lifeless and rote. Are we not to avoid the traditions of men and worship in spirit and truth? |
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Yes, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for negating the law of God with their own, man-made traditions. (Matt 15:1-6; see also Col 2:8) However, there are traditions of God that we as His children should cherish and hold dear (2 Thess 2:15; 3:6):
Orderliness. We are commanded by Scripture to do all things properly and in good order. (1 Cor 14:40) The question then becomes: Whose order - God’s or man’s? We believe the Scriptures give guidance to a Godly service of worship. An important distinction is that the Sabbath is the day God’s people gather together to worship together as opposed to their individual prayer closets other times. It is the Lord’s Day.
Togetherness. God’s people come together to worship God corporately, not individually. When components of worship include prayers, songs, and confessing our faith a certain amount of choreography must be employed for everyone to participate together. It is the ultimate participatory worship event. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest to the first time visitor can join with the corporate group and participate in worship. Another important distinctive is the purpose of the worship service.
Covenant Renewal. God’s people come together acknowledging that we have nothing to offer God but our meager service and humble praise all the while in desperate need of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. The worship service facilitates God's people becoming the living sacrifice we are called to be, the sweet aroma of sacrifices of praise, our willing submission to the sharp knife of God’s word to cut away the sin in our lives, and the renewing by God of His covenant with His people.
See an Example of the Order of Worship HCC uses.
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