For many people the word Liturgy often carries strong connotations or baggage. 

But Liturgy simply means "the work of the people."  It isn't a word to be scared by, and it doesn't mean that you will encounter a stoic and lifeless gathering.  Our liturgy is our work.  It is the shape of our worship.

As a people we are shaped by many different cultural forces.  Here at Union Chapel, we believe that our worship should shape us at a foundational level.  So it makes sense that the shape of our worship is important. So our Sunday morning has the purposeful shape of the Gospel story.  That story is told in four different movements:

CREATION - FALL - REDEMPTION - RESTORATION

Throughout the service you may will see these words on the screen.  They will help you associate what we are doing with a specific movement of the gospel story.

Here is a quick overview of the themes and the elements of our service that coincide with each theme. 

CREATION

We believe that the Gospel starts here.  God is creator and has created us in his image.  What God created was good and perfect.  We worship him because he is Holy, awesome and glorious, as displayed in creation.  We also believe that all human life has value because we have been created in his image.

The theme of CREATION is played out in our Songs of Adoration and the Call to Worship.  

FALL

God's perfect creation has been disrupted by the powers of Sin and Hell.  Sin's destructive power is evident in our own choices and in the world around us.  We are incapable of saving ourselves from this destructive power.

The theme of FALL is played out in our Prayers of Confession and Lament

REDEMPTION

God, in his love and mercy sent Jesus to redeem us.  He died to save broken people and a broken world.  We believe that nothing is beyond his redemptive power.

The theme of REDEMPTION is played out in the Assurance of Forgiveness, Prayers of the People, Offering, Greeting, and Sermon.

RESTORATION

Jesus restores us, heals us and sends us as reconciling agents in the world.  

The theme of RESTORATION is played out in Communion and the Benediction

Our hope is that our liturgy will create a space where our vision of "bringing our reality to the reality of Jesus" can be accomplished.  We believe that when we bring our whole self to Jesus, there, in the light of his gospel, all of the emotions and circumstances of our life are revealed in the truest place.