Worship

Reformed worship

Every Sunday morning, Christians throughout the world come to church to worship God and listen to his word together. This is Sunday worship (German:Gottesdienst = ‘service to God’), which is celebrated by every congregation. Worship is not only a meeting place for the faithful, but also the place where God meets the congregation (Karl Barth). The Reformed Sunday service follows a ‘liturgy’ – a particular sequence according to which the congregation praises, sings and prays to God, listens to his word and celebrates the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. There is a liturgy for every form of worship, from the simplest prayer, the Lord’s Supper and the baptismal service to occasional services (confirmation, weddings and funerals) and children’s services. Although the liturgies underwent continuous development, they remain faithful to the basic structure that has been in place since the early church.