Worshiping together is a special time! This children’s guide to worship will help you understand what happens during a church service and why. We’re glad you’re here to learn about praising God with others.
What Happens in a Church Service?
Most church services follow a pattern, like a story with different parts. These parts help us connect with God. Think of it as a journey where we gather together, listen to God, respond to Him, and then go out into the world to share His love. This journey often includes Gathering, Word, Response, and Sending.
Gathering: The service starts by Gathering. We sing songs together to show our love and praise to God. It’s like saying “hello” to God and getting our hearts ready to worship Him. We come together expecting to feel close to God – the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
Word: Next, we listen to God’s Word. This usually means reading from the Bible and hearing a sermon. The Bible tells us about God, about ourselves, and how we should live. It’s like getting a letter from God, telling us how much He loves us and how to live our lives following Jesus.
Response: After hearing God’s Word, we respond to Him in different ways:
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Saying the Nicene Creed: This is like a promise we make together, saying what we believe about God. It’s an ancient statement of faith used for many years.
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Praying: We kneel and talk to God, asking for help and thanking Him for everything. We pray for our church, our world, and people who need help. It’s like having a conversation with God, sharing our thoughts and feelings.
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Confessing Sins: We admit when we’ve done wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness. God always loves us and wants to forgive us. It’s like saying “I’m sorry” to God and knowing He still loves us.
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Giving Offerings: We give some of our money to the church to help others and show that God provides for us. If you are visiting, please do not feel obligated to give. It’s like sharing what we have with God, knowing that everything we have comes from Him.
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Taking Communion (The Lord’s Supper): We eat bread and drink wine (or grape juice) to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It’s a special meal that reminds us of His love.
Sending: At the end of the service, we’re sent out into the world to share God’s love. We pray together and hear announcements about church events and ways to help others. It’s like getting a mission from God, telling us to go and share His love with everyone we meet.
Common Questions About Worship
Why do we sit, stand, and kneel? We move our bodies in different ways to show respect and participate in worship. We kneel to pray, stand to sing, and sit to listen. It’s a way to use our whole bodies to worship God. These postures can help us focus our minds and hearts on God.
What is Communion? Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, is a special meal where we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection. It helps us remember how much He loves us and that He is always with us. It unites us with Christ and with other Christians. Taking communion is also a way to look forward to when Jesus returns and we live with Him forever.
Who can take Communion? All baptized Christians who want to follow Jesus are welcome to take communion.
What happens during Communion? Usually, an usher guides people row by row to come forward and kneel at the rail. You can place your hands out to receive the bread. Then, you can drink from the cup of wine (or grape juice) or dip the bread in the wine. If you don’t want to take communion, you can still come forward and cross your arms to receive a prayer.
Learning More
Worship is a way to show God how much we love Him. By understanding the different parts of a church service, we can worship God with our hearts, minds, and actions. If you have any more questions, ask your parents, a Sunday school teacher, or the pastor. They’ll be happy to help you learn more about worship.
