WHAT TO EXPECT
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN VISITING US
WORSHIP
Because Jesus rose on a Sunday, Christians have gathered on Sunday ever since the first century to celebrate. Each week, we continue the celebration of this glorious truth of our faith—every Sunday is “a little Easter”! The principal weekly worship service is Holy Eucharist, also called the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, or simply the Mass. At St. Matthias, as at many churches, worship is also sung through hymns and chanted through responses. You’ll worship God in a living tradition as you praise him as centuries of Christians before us have done!
WORSHIP STYLE
We worship in a style that is both ancient and modern. We believe that in becoming man, Christ redeemed and sanctified all of our senses, and so our worship is multi-sensory with lots of singing, music, colorful clothes (called vestments), and sometimes even incense. All worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go in this country or even through the world!
LITURGY AND RITUAL
One of our distinctives that Episcopalians new and old love is our liturgical order of service. By liturgical, we mean our prayer and praise follow texts that don’t greatly change from week to week during a season of the year. That sameness from week to week creates a rhythm that becomes familiar and comforting to the worshipers.
As C.S. Lewis wrote in Letters to Malcolm (Letter 1), liturgical worship is like a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, making it more satisfying to dance, again and again, even as the music changes. We’d love to help you learn!
We worship in a style that is both ancient and modern. We believe that in becoming man, Christ redeemed and sanctified all of our senses, and so our worship is multi-sensory with lots of singing, music, colorful clothes (called vestments), and sometimes even incense. All worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go in this country or even through the world!