Faith Lutheran Church, Hopkinsville, Kentucky 405 Sheila Drive, Hopkinsville, Kentucky 42240 Rev. Michael Croom (270) 885-3969  -  faithlutheran.hky@att.net

Some of Our Worship Customs

We hope this information will help you feel at home when you visit our church. The Lord's Supper Non-Eucharistic services Liturgy and hymns The sign of the cross Our paraments Eucharistic vestments

Home Next page Hymn: "Oh Lord, We Praise Thee"   I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 KJV)

The Lord's Supper

The chief service of the church is the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Thus, this celebration is held at least two times a month and also on all festivals of the Godhead.

We celebrate the Lord's Supper in the confession and glad confidence that, as our Lord says, He gives into our mouths not only bread and wine, but His very body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust His words, repent of all sin, set aside any refusal to forgive, and love as He forgives and loves us, that they may show forth His death until He comes.

We encourage all communicant members to receive the blessings of the Holy Sacrament in each service they attend in which it is offered. Our Lord says, "This do in remembrance of Me."

Please register your attendance at the Lord's Table by signing the communion registration book in the narthex either before or after the service. Your children who are not confirmed are invited to come to the communion rail with you to receive a blessing.

If kneeling is difficult for you, please feel free to stand at the altar as you receive communion. If you are unable to come easily to the communion rail, please let one of the ushers know before the service. Pastor will bring the sacrament to you at your seat.

Both the common cup (chalice) and individual cups are offered to communicants at the Lord's Table. You may choose either one. If you wish to receive the blood of Christ under the wine from the chalice, please take the chalice from the pastor, receive the wine, and then return the chalice to the pastor.

We believe and teach that those who eat and drink our Lord's body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm and that Holy Communion is a personal confession of the faith confessed at the altar of our church. Thus, we ask that you speak with Pastor if you wish to receive the sacrament but are in doubt, are not yet instructed, or hold a confession differing from our congregation and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod . Visitors from parishes in fellowship with us are welcome to receive.

Non-Eucharistic Services

Non-Eucharistic services (services without the Lord's Supper) center in prayer and the preaching of the Word. God Himself is at work in the lives of his people through the word. God's word is God at work! Our Lord said, "If you continue in My Word, you are truly my disciples." Meeting together to hear God's word and to pray with brothers and sisters in Christ nurtures our faith and our fellowship with God and with one another.

Our Liturgy and Hymns

If you have not previously attended a Lutheran service, this information about using the hymnal during worship may be helpful to you. If you have attended Lutheran services in another congregation, you may find that our usage varies from some of the customs that are familiar to you.

Our hymnal (Lutheran Worship, © 1982 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis) contains the liturgy we use, the songs we sing during worship, and much more! It is a rich resource that honors our Lord, strengthens and enhances our worship, and remembers our Lutheran heritage.

Our liturgy, to a great extent, is quoted directly from the Bible. As we repeat the liturgy and speak to God, ourselves, and one another through it, we honor our Lord, encourage each other, and build our faith. If you are not familiar with liturgical worship, we invite you to experience its blessing. Please ask someone near you for help if the order of worship is unclear to you.

The hymnal is divided into several sections. Unless otherwise noted, we follow Divine Service II in the front of the hymnal (beginning on page 168). Page numbers for the hymns we will sing are printed in the bulletin and posted on the song board. The songs are found in the second half of the hymnal.

The Introit (a composite of Scripture passages which we read aloud together) is printed in the bulletin and also may be found in the front half of the hymnal. Scripture readings of the day (from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospels) are taken from the New International Version of the Bible and are printed on the back of the bulletin for your convenience.

The Sign of The Cross

The sign of the cross is a reminder of our baptismal union with the Triune God and a traditional expression of faith. It is made by touching the forehead, then the right shoulder, and then the left shoulder. During our worship, our pastor makes the sign of the cross several times. A number of our members also follow good Lutheran usage by making the sign of the cross at appropriate times such as at the invocation, at the absolution, within the Creed, when receiving the sacrament at the Lord's Table, at dismissal from the Lord's Table, and at the benediction.

Our Paraments

The liturgical hangings with their color and design remind us of the changing themes in the church year.

Advent - Blue (Hope)

We long for our Lord's return and our eternal life.

Christmas and Epiphany - White (Light and joy)

God gives His Peace with the birth of His Son.

Lent - Violet (Solemn penitence)

Christ by His death on the cross destroys Satan. The cross becomes the tree of life. God calls us to turn from our sin to the Lord.

Good Friday - Black (Death)

We are reminded of the blackness of our sins and the death of Christ who paid the price for them.

Sundays of Easter - White (Light and joy)

"The Lamb who was slain has begun His reign." Alleluia!

Pentecost - Red (Fire of the Holy Spirit)

The Holy Spirit anoints the church to witness the victory of Christ our King.

Sundays of the Church - Green (Growth)

The Holy Spirit joins us to Christ as branches to a vine and brings forth the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Eucharistic Vestments

Like many other congregations, we use the traditional vestments. (Put in plainer English, this means that our Pastor wears the traditional garments of our church, as does the acolyte who helps during the worship service.)

In celebrating the Eucharist, the alb (white) symbolizes the robe of righteousness which is ours by faith in Christ. The stole represents our Lord's obedience and is worn in the color of the day.

Other vestments may include the surplice (white) over the black cassock for the services of the Word.

Writing about Lutheran worship, (former) LCMS President A.L. Barry explained, "As Lutherans, we have a Christocentric worship style in contrast to other denominations which have worship practices and emphases which tend to be anthropocentric [man centered]. Our Christocentric liturgy places the emphasis on the fact that Christ is present among us, serving us with His mercy and grace through His Word and Sacraments. The focus is on Him, not on us."

The President's Newsletter, January 1994, p. 2

Faith Lutheran Church
405 Sheila Drive
Hopkinsville, KY 42240