THE WELCOME

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.   Luke 2:10

The Bible is clear that all people fall short of the glory of God, and that Jesus Christ is "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The message of good news is for all, not just for some people.

THE LIFE is a church that is new! We are not here to turn anyone away from the message of salvation. We invite all people to come as you are, regardless of color, job, marital status, favorite color, or even favorite sports team! As church, we focus not on ourselves, but rather we focus on the God who loves us!

We invite you to worship with us, praise and thank God with us, serve with us, and journey with us.

THE LITURGY

Liturgy is the word used to describe the form of our worship service.  Here at THE LIFE, we take liturgy seriously.  (Which is not to say we don’t have fun with it.)  And the reason we are serious about the liturgy is because in following this pattern of worship, we are wading into an ancient and ongoing stream, joining with the early Church and all those who have come before us.  Though this form of worship is ancient, we strive to keep it lively and relevant.

As early as the year 150, Justin (not our Pastor) provided a written description of the liturgy they used.  After the prayers, they would greet one another with a sign of peace; then the presider took bread and wine, gave thanks, offered prayer and thanksgiving, and the people said, “Amen.” They then would all partake in the meal, giving thanks to God.

We use that same formula each time we gather, including more recent additions like songs and preaching.  But, at its core, our worship together is centered on the sacrament of Holy Communion.

THE MUSIC

My heart is steadfast O God, I will sing and make music with all my soul. Psalm 108

Music is crucial to our praise and worship of God. At THE LIFE, music resounds with what we can't say with just words. The substance, message, and content of the songs we sing are important.

People often describe music as "the way in which our soul speaks." If that is the case, what our soul says really matters. The music we sing and play reflects the message of Good News and Hope through Jesus Christ. The lyrics and content focus on God, not so much on ourselves and how we feel. To some this may not make much of a difference. To us, it makes all the difference!

• At THE LIFE, the music is relevant and engaging. We value the deep traditions of Church music, and incorporate those into our worship together. However, there have been many innovations in music since the hymn writers pioneered Church music in the Middle Ages. The music we play sounds modern, and we strive to have music that would be part of our everyday lives.

• At THE LIFE, the music is accessible. Do you play guitar? Drums? Piano? Flute? Clarinet? Viola? Or any instrument? Come and meet the music team. 

THE LIFE wants all people to make a joyful noise. You need not be a trained musician to use your gifts to worship God. Of course we want to sound good, and actually we do; quality is very important. What makes the music sound good is the integrity of those playing from their hearts, playing and singing what they truly believe. The music is not a performance; it is a group of people gathered together praising God.

THE MESSAGE AND WORSHIP

Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is the proclamation of the end of religion, not of a new religion, or even of the best of all religions. If the cross is the sign of anything, it's the sign that God has gone out of the religion business and solved all of the world's problems without requiring a single human being to do a single religious thing. The cross is actually a sign of the fact that religion can't do a thing about the world's problems - that it never did work and it never will.   Robert Capon

Religion is what we believe we need to DO to get right with God. Christianity is the end of religion! God has made us right with Himself through Jesus Christ. We center ourselves on that message, the Gospel message.

"Gospel" means good news. What is the good news? The announcement that God loves us with an everlasting love. We celebrate this no matter what happens in life, no matter where we are, no matter what . . . .

God says to us, I am with you and I love you. Jesus Christ lives to redeem us from all our wrongdoings, and He calls us together to celebrate that message. We as THE LIFE Church share our joys and sorrows, pray for one another and the world, and serve each other and the community.

We strive to center our message on Christ's love for us, which is always good news!

THE SACRAMENTS

As Lutherans, we celebrate two Sacraments, and they are the very heart of our community.  A Sacrament is something God does for us, as Jesus uses earthly elements (water, bread, and wine) combined with His Word for a divine purpose.  In our worship, Sacraments are something we do, which are commanded by God, and which promise the reception of God’s grace.  Baptism and Holy Communion are the two Sacraments Jesus initiated.

BAPTISM

With water and Word

We Baptize because it’s what Jesus has commanded us to do! In Baptism, God has chosen us, and we believe that through the waters of Baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which grants us faith in Jesus Christ. This gift is eternal and provides forgiveness of sins and a new birth as a child of God.

In the scriptures it is clear that entire households were baptized—including children—so, we welcome and encourage parents to have their children baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As they grow in years, it is our privilege as parents to help our children learn what it means to have been “marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit.”

Be not afraid!  You are not alone in this. The church also takes great joy in helping you raise your child in the faith.  (See our children’s ministries and confirmation program).

Whether you are an adult seeking Baptism, or have a child you wish to have baptized, the first step is to contact Pastor Justin Vetrano. We are confident you will find this to be a very welcoming and accessible journey, filled with great joy!

I Am Interested in Baptism! (click here)

HOLY COMMUNION

With bread and wine

At THE LIFE, we celebrate communion as often as we can, because we believe that the very true presence of Christ is in the meal. When Jesus held up the bread and wine at the Last Supper, He said, “This is my body . . . This is my blood.” We take His word for it! We celebrate communion and believe Christ is truly present in the meal because that’s what He said.

When we receive communion, we believe that we receive Christ and all He offers to us: forgiveness, life, and salvation. This strengthens our faith and builds up the body of Christ. Receiving communion is God reaching down to us and providing us with all that we need to live in this world and the next. If you believe this too, please come to the table and receive. If you are unsure, or choose not to commune, please come forward for a blessing.

Holy Communion is offered at all of our services and is for all baptized Christians who share our belief that Christ himself is truly present. (Note: The Chalice contains wine. The small cups contain red wine or white grape juice.)

THE BIBLE

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have LIFE in his name.  John 20:31

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, given so the world may see what Jesus Christ has done for us. The Bible is a love story, which tells of God's love for humanity.

Yes, humanity doesn't always love God and doesn't follow the ways in which God calls us to live. Therefore the scriptures speak to us about God's will for us, and reveal that we are people who are entirely unable to live up to the will of God. This is why as one entire story, the scriptures reveal to us our imperfect ways and how we rebel against God and one another, and ultimately how God has brought us back to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for us. As John writes, the scriptures are written that we would come to believe that Jesus is Lord, who does for us what we never could do; Jesus makes us right with God!

To know our Savior, means to know from what it is we need to be saved. Therefore the scriptures reveal to us our selfishness, our greed, our sorrow, our rebellion against God: this is known as sin. 

Jesus is the answer to our sin. No matter how hard we try not to sin, we will sin; we can never be perfect. We can never earn God’s love. In spite of this truth, God sent Jesus Christ to show God’s love for us. And this gift is given freely, with no strings attached.  Jesus Christ calls us to believe that He does this for us. This is what the Bible teaches.

 

THE PRAYERS

Where two or three are gathered in my name I am there in their midst.  Matthew 18:20

Prayers of the People. These prayers are a series of petitions led by the people, with a response by the entire assembly at the end of each one. The petitions include prayers for the Church, the world, the nation, those who are sick and those who mourn. The presider concludes these prayers with a collect, once again “collecting” our prayers.

At THE LIFE, we believe that God hears our prayers, our desires, our requests, and wants us to have an active relationship with Him. We pray! All of our conversations, all our fun, all our worship is all prayer to God because God is with us.