Worship is the heart of the life of the church. One of the
Biblical metaphors for the church is the ‘Bride of Christ’ and each
worship service is like the anniversary celebration. Through worship on
Sundays and other special occasions, we remember the resurrection of
Christ, we hear God’s word through the Scriptures and the preaching of
the Word, we pray together as a church family, we sing together and
connect with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
When God saved the Children of Israel from servitude in Egypt, they
were not ferried across the Red Sea one by one. God parted the waters
and walked them through together, as one people. When we worship
together we remember that we are not alone, but we walk through the
troubled waters of this world together in the presence of Christ.
Worship also grounds us in reality. We are more than flesh and bone.
We are also spirit, and have our final destiny in Heaven with God.
Worship is one of the ways we recognize who we really are and where we
are really going.
And as we go through our days, working, raising our families,
supporting worthy causes, praying, and living our lives for God
individually, we still need that periodic common gathering to speak with
one voice in praise and thanksgiving. We need to come into the
presence of God as a church family. It is one of the reasons God
commands us to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy.
Communion Sunday is the day we share in the Wedding Celebration of
Christ and his Bride (the Church) in Heaven through the sharing of the
bread and cup here on Earth. Other Sundays are the days we come to be
transformed by the Word together, as the family of God.
One of our Deacons says that, “What unites us [in worship] is
stronger than what divides us [in the world].” In the humble act of
worshiping God, we gain strength to face the world.
Sunday worship is at 9:30 AM in the meetinghouse.
Following our Sunday worship services is the Fellowship Hour, hosted
by a different board or committee each week, with coffee and
refreshments. Come and share this time after the worship service as we
gather in fellowship as a church family.
We have special holiday worship services at different times of the year including:
The Ash Wednesday Service is a service of repentance
and spiritual preparation for Lent. It is held at 7:30 PM on Ash
Wednesday. Check the calendar for the exact time this year.
On Palm Sunday the children of our Sunday School parade through the church with Palms to celebrate Christ as the King.
The Maundy Thursday Service (Holy Thursday) is a
beautiful time of traditional worship telling through Scripture readings
and hymns the story of the night before Good Friday as we celebrate the
Lord’s Last Supper and a Service of Tenebrae. In a darkened church,
candles are extinguished one by one as each event in Jesus life that
night are remembered, until one single candle remains lit as we exit the
church in silence. A moving service, not to be missed!
The Seven Last Words on Good Friday Service is an
ecumenical service at noon on Good Friday led by the clergy of
Marshfield who deliver brief messages on each of the seven last words
(or sentences) Jesus spoke from the cross, interspersed with prayer and
hymns.
The Easter Sunrise Service is led at the beach in
Green Harbor by our Middle and Senior High Youth Groups. All are
welcome to share in this inspirational service. Songs and prayers are
offered as the sun rises over the ocean, reminding us of Jesus’ rising
from the dead to give us eternal life. Because Easter falls on a
different day each year, the time of sunrise changes, so please check
our calendar for the exact time each year.
Easter Sunday worship is at 9:30 on Easter Sunday morning. Christ is risen!
The Mother’s Day Service is led by our Junior High students in honor of our mothers.
Sunday School Sunday is usually in June, and is the
day we celebrate and recognize our Sunday School students and teachers.
Jesus said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16)
On Father’s Day, youth of the church participate to honor our fathers.
There is Worship Under The Tent in July on the Sunday of the weekend of our Annual Fair on the Green.
The Thanksgiving Service is held the evening before
Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the original Congregational holiday, and
springs from the heritage of our church, since we are the second church
to issue forth from the original church at Plymouth, with people who
came over on the Mayflower founding our church.
During each Sunday of Advent we light the candles of the Advent Wreath as we prepare for the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day.
The Hour of Peace, an informal service of music,
prayer, and readings both from Scripture and from other sources, usually
held about a week before Christmas on a Saturday evening. Check the
calendar for the exact time this year.
The Christmas Eve Family Service is held for
families with small children, typically after supper and before bedtime.
Check the calendar for the exact time this year.
The Christmas Eve Midnight Service is held at 11 PM to Midnight on Christmas Eve by our High School age youth.
Prayer is the center of a Christian’s life with God. It is a
form of communication which is not meant to bend God to our will, but
rather, to bend ourselves to God’s will. In prayer, we can talk to God
and be assured that God always hears and answers.
Our church has a prayer chain for immediate prayer needs and conducts
a special prayer service once a month. Prayer requests may be
submitted to the church office for inclusion in our weekly bulletin and
Sunday’s pastoral prayer. If you have a concern weighing on your heart
that you would like to pray about, please call our church office to
speak and pray with our Pastor, one of our Deacons, or have your concern
lifted up by our prayer chain.
It was proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah, “Even those, I will bring to
My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their
burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for
My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah
56:7)
The Psalmist reminds us to, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
And the Apostle Paul urges us to, “Be joyful always; pray
continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Prayer to enables us to focus on the will of God and allows the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts.
Sacraments
We recognize two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism
In Baptism we are symbolically buried and raised with Christ. Many
Christians, both ancient and modern, immersed the believer who was being
baptized, so the image of burial and resurrection was more obvious.
Other Christians pour or sprinkle the water, but the meaning is the
same. We sprinkle the water. Through baptism a person becomes a member
of the family of God. We baptize both children and adults. We baptize
children because the early church welcomed entire households into the
fold, and baptized both the children and adults. Christ’s promise is to
the believer and their children. We also baptize adults who have not
been baptized as children. It’s never too late to be baptized!
We believe that Baptism flows from life within the church, and
typically perform Baptisms during the Sunday worship service, with the
whole congregation present. The Baptism of a child is often a turning
point in the faith of the parents, and we welcome and encourage those
who, through the Baptism of their children, become more engaged in
worship and life in our church. Please contact the Pastor or the church
office at 781-834-7664 to arrange for a Baptism.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacred meal instituted by Jesus
Christ the night before he died on Good Friday. The bread represents
Christ’s body which was broken for us, and the cup represents his blood
which was poured out for us. Christ becomes present to us in a special
way in the offering of the bread and the cup, which we do in remembrance
of him.
The old words of the invitation to communion are, “You who do truly
and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your
neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of
God and walking in his holy ways, draw near with faith and take this
holy Sacrament to your comfort.” All Christians are welcome to share
communion with us.
We celebrate The Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of every month,
and on special occasions. Our Pastor and Deacons also celebrate the
Lord’s Supper with the sick or home bound upon request. Please contact
the Pastor or the church office at 781-834-7664 if you would like a
hospital or home visit.
Special Services
The Special Services we offer include Confirmation, Funerals and Memorial Services, and Marriage.
Confirmation Service
Confirmation is a rite in which we recognize the spiritual maturity
of our young people as they take ownership of their baptisms and
publicly declare that the faith their parents promised on their behalf
at Baptism is now their faith by choice.
Our confirmation program begins in September, and is led by a
dedicated team of adults who guide the confirmands through a program
that challenges their assumptions about God and religion, and deepens
their understanding of their faith. Lessons, service projects and
retreats bring the young people together and help them focus on their
relationship with God through Christ. Deep questions and frank
discussions of how Christian belief applies to living in our difficult
times are conducted in a safe space. The young people draw closer to
God and to each other through this shared journey. The program
culminates in May/June with the Confirmation Service. This service
includes the laying on of hands and the confirmands being accepted as
full members of the church.
Funerals and Memorial Services
The promise of the cross and resurrection of Christ is the
forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. When a loved one has
passed on to the next life, it will be a joyous time for that person.
For us, left behind in this life, it can be a time of mixed emotions,
knowing on the one hand that our loved one has gone on to a better
place, but also feeling the loss and grief that accompanies this
parting.
A Funeral or Memorial Service helps us to mark the passing, and put
our grief into the context of natural cycle of life in this world.
Recognition of a death is a healthy part of the grieving process, and
not just for the family, as friends may also have a need to “pay their
respects.”
The services are often a celebration of the life of the one who has
died, and a remembrance of the promises of God, who will take us into
his everlasting arms when we draw our last earthly breaths.
Some people find comfort in their faith when a loved one dies, while
other people may question their faith. A Christian funeral or memorial
service can help us all to mark the loss of our loved one in our lives
in giving us a time to be together with those whom we love to remember
and celebrate the one we’ve lost. A funeral can be an important part of
healthy grieving whereby we begin the process of integrating the great
change in our lives caused by the departure of one deeply loved. Our
Pastor and our Caring Deacons are available if you need someone to talk
to or pray with in your time of sorrow.
For Funeral or Memorial Service arrangements, please contact our Pastor or our church office at 781-834-7664.
Marriage
Christian Marriage is a life commitment in which a man and woman
promise before God, before the community, and before each other, to
love, honor and respect each other as they embark on their journey
together through life, not as separate individuals simply living
together with the “blessing” of the law, but as one flesh, consecrated
and joined together by God’s divine blessing.
Christian Marriage is not just a ceremony, or a legal status
conferred by city hall with the issue of a marriage license, it is a new
life together in Christ, who strengthens the couple’s bond when they
open their hearts to him. Marriage is part of God’s plan for families.
Jesus blessed marriage by performing his first miracle at the wedding
at Cana, where he turned water into wine. When he spoke of marriage he
spoke of it as a joining made by God.
We rejoice in those couples who choose to marry within the church and make God part of their marriage.
For information on weddings, please contact the Pastor or the church office at 781-834-7664.
