Church Camp is back! CAMP Sharing Christ

Our church camp offers a time away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives to refresh our mind, body and spirit. We make new friends and bond through games, immerse ourselves in God’s word and find rest as we minister to one another to seek God’s direction for our lives. There will be Interest Group Workshops that cater to the needs of the different age groups too. The camp is great for kids, youths, adults and seniors. Your friends are welcome too. Do join the camp for a refreshing time.

11-14 June

Double Tree Hotel, Johore Bahru

Ban Seng’s ministry passion is in engaging fellow Christians for faithful living at the workplace. He is the Managing Director of KAPPS Consulting, and a former Partner of a Big Four accounting & advisory firm. Ban Seng is an elder at The House of Prayer. He received his Master of Arts (Theological Studies) from Regent College Vancouver, and is the author of a book, Worship @ Work

Nigel has a passion for sowing God’s word in the hearts of children through worship. He is from Anesti Ministry, an organization that specialises in writing Christian music for kids. An experienced facilitator for children’s programmes, he has organised many children’s workshops and camps for local churches.

Information on cost per person, ordering of T-shirt and transport can be found on the registration form directly. For questions on registration and rooming, kindly contact Ms Alicia Lee at 98432499.

For interested participants who need financial assistance, subsidies are available. Please approach your cell group leaders, pastors or Mrs Joyce Yeo at 97355154.

This year’s theme set by Ps Nick is “Proclaiming Christ”. When we think of proclaiming Christ, we think of non-Christians, we think of outreach, evangelism, and witnessing. Many may not see the Sunday Divine Service as a means and platform for the proclamation of Jesus Christ.

The Augsburg Confession, Article VII says: “The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught, and the Sacraments are correctly administered.” In other words, God has established his church for the purpose of proclamation. This is clearly stated in Article V of the Augsburg Confession, which says, “So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.”

In this article, I want to briefly survey our Sunday Liturgy and highlight to you how all the various components of the liturgy are focused on Christ and His work for sinners like you and me.

A Closer Look at Our Liturgy

By Rev. Richard Chiu

Procession and Entrance Hymn

We begin the Divine Service with the Procession and the Entrance Hymn. The entourage wearing white, marching in with a lighted candle (some churches include a processional cross and a big Bible) proclaims the presence of Christ, underscored with the singing of an appropriate Entrance Hymn.

Invocation

The Invocation in our Liturgy involves the pastor reciting the name of the Triune God. Along with the words, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the sign of the cross is often made. This invocation proclaims the identity of the God who is present, and the making of the sign of the cross proclaims in bold letters, so to speak, what this God has done for humanity in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity.

Confession and Absolution

As humans gather in the presence of a holy God, they realize their sinful state and their need for pardon. The Absolution which the pastor speaks from Scripture is a proclamation of forgiveness that Christ has won for all humanity through his death on the cross.

Kyrie And Hymn of Praise

Having heard the proclamation of Christ forgiveness in the Absolution, the congregation now proceeds to pray to the Triune God for mercy and then praises the Holy Trinity highlighting their unique personhood and their role in the salvation of all mankind. A contemporary addition to the traditional Gloria Patri is the song. “This Is the Feast.” This song brings us to the book of Revelation where the theme of the eschatological feast of the Lamb is recalled.

Prayer of the Day

Also called the Collect, this prayer focuses on the theme of the church for the year as well as the scriptural text for that week. It is addressed to the Father and ends in the name of Jesus, who is invoked as the mediator through whom the believer is able to have access to the Father in prayer.

Scripture Reading

In John 5:39 Jesus says that the scriptures testify concerning him. In Luke 24, Jesus beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, interpreted to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, in all Scriptures the things concerning himself. So, with this lens, the Old Testament is read in the congregation to proclaim the coming of Jesus the Messiah. The Psalms are read responsively to express our patience in waiting as we experience daily trials and troubles. The Epistle lesson is read to guide our lives as we wait for the coming of Christ. And finally, all stand to acknowledge by faith the arrival of Christ in the reading of the Gospel.

Sermon

Lutheran sermons proclaim both law and gospel. The Law is declared to convict and to prepare hearers for the comforting promises of the gospel, the gospel which means the good news of Jesus’ work and promise for sinful humanity.

Creeds

If the Scripture testifies concerning Christ, then the creeds summarize what the Scripture says concerning Jesus. One can easily see and hear the Christological emphasis in the three ecumenical creeds used in the Liturgy at different seasons of the church calendar.

Prayer and Offering

Having been strengthened in faith through the proclamation of Christ’s words and promises, the church stands to proclaim that faith in Christ in prayer and in the offering of their financial gifts.

Holy Communion

Holy Communion is conducted differently in different churches, but all orthodox churches will surely incorporate two things: the Words of Institution and the Lord’s Prayer. The Words of Institution are the very words of Jesus spoken at the Passover Meal, spoken and instituted on the night in which Jesus was betrayed. And the Lord’s Prayer is the very prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Benediction, Closing Song, and Recessional

Like the Invocation at the beginning of the Divine Service, the Benediction sends God’s people out into the world in the name of the Triune God, marked with the sign of the cross to encourage them to learn from their Saviour to carry their cross in the stations that God has placed them in. The closing song, for one final time, reminds the gathered, of their identity in Christ and the recessional visually reminds the congregation that Christ leads them into the world to live as His disciples.

Conclusion

So we see that in the Divine Service, through the liturgy, Christ is proclaimed. And so one simple way to evangelize and share Christ with family and friends is to simply invite them to church; and the Word of God that goes out will not come back void. (Is 55:11)

1 Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 34.

2 Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 33.