Fridays-8:30am in person. We firmly believe and teach that...
..the Bible is the inspired Word of God, His unchanging and inerrant message to men of all times; ..there is only one God. He is three distinct and separate persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; ..God created man holy and without sin. Man, of his own will, fell into sin and so brought sin on the whole human race; ..sin is in al
l men by nature and reveals itself in every transgression of God's holy will by thought, word, and deed; ..the wages of sin is death and damnation in hell, an eternal agonizing separation from the holy and righteous God; ..God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world; ..Jesus redeemed, that is, justified the whole human race with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death; ..this glorious fact is accepted by faith which is worked in the heart by the Holy Spirit through the Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper; ..by faith alone in the atoning work of Christ we are heirs of the glories of heaven. While yet on earth we want to show our love for Him who first loved us; ..at our death we shall inherit the full glories of everlasting life with Christ in heaven, where there shall be no pain or sorrow, and all tears shall be wiped from our eyes. What is your Sunday Worship Like? Every church has its own style of worship. We think you’ll enjoy the service here at Palos Lutheran, but, as in any church, you should expect it to take a couple of services to become accustomed to our way of praising God together. We attempt to make our worship as "user friendly" as possible. Each week an outline of the service is printed in our service folder with explanations of what we’re doing. The readings and prayers are also printed for you. Of course, you’re always welcome to bring along your own Bible and follow along with the readings there if you choose. Our worship is liturgical, which means that we have a set order of worship every week. Every Sunday we consistently focus on God’s Word and Sacrament because only through the words of Scripture and in the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion does God freely offer us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. These things are the only source of our spiritual lives and spiritual growth. Music is also an important part of our worship. Through our singing of hymns and other songs we express our thanks to God for his wonderful salvation. As Lutherans we are blessed with a rich heritage of excellent hymnody called Lutheran chorales. These powerful hymns remind us of the many wonderful things our Savior has done for us and for our salvation. They take some time to learn, but once you’ve learned them you’ll never forget them! In our worship we use traditional forms along with modern language and applications. The traditional features of our worship bring us the best from God’s Church throughout the ages, while the contemporary features remind us that God’s promises of forgiveness, guidance and peace still apply to our daily lives. We pray that through our worship your faith will be strengthened in those promises! OUR WORSHIP USUALLY INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:
•The Confession of Sins - We confess to God that we have failed to live up to the perfect standards in his law, and we plead for his mercy.
•The Announcement of Forgiveness - The pastor announces the forgiveness of sins won for us by the perfect life and innocent sufferings and death of Jesus, our Savior.
•A Song of Praise - These songs of praise remind us of the wonderful things God has done for us, not the least of which is the salvation he gives through Christ.
•Prayer of the Day - The Church brings her concerns and prayers to a loving Father in heaven, who has shown great mercy and promised to hear our cries for help.
•Scripture Readings – The pastor reads three selections from the Bible. They usually include one selection from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament epistles (letters), and one from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).
•Sermon - The pastor offers instruction and encouragement in a sermon, usually based on one of the three readings. Expect to hear God’s guidance for dealing with the problems of life, along with the promises of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven through Jesus.
•Response to the Word - We respond with offerings and prayers for the things God has promised us and for strength to do what he has asked.
•Holy Communion – Currently we celebrate Holy Communion on the first and third Sunday of each month. Before communing, however, we ask our visitors to please speak with the pastor.
•Final Blessing - We hear one last assurance of God’s guidance and love. We pray that this has helped answer some of your questions and alleviate your fears. Our mission as a congregation is quite simple. We want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all people on the basis of the Holy Scriptures. Everything we do is meant to accomplish that one goal. We pray that there is nothing that stands in your way from learning more about your Savior at Palos Evangelical Lutheran Church. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do for you. God’s richest blessings to you. We look forward to meeting you at Palos Lutheran!
“Liturgical” Church
That simply means we follow a consistent order of service intended to involve people in meaningful worship. We begin by listening to the Word of God, then move to our response. That’s the pattern we follow throughout the service: we listen to God’s Word and then we respond to God’s Word. Liturgical worship is intended to offer what can’t be found anywhere else: a sense of holiness. The pastor’s robe, the rituals, the art, the music serve to “set apart” what happens in church from ordinary life. “Holiness” literally means “set apart,” and in America at least, with our casual ways and laid back attitudes, nothing is set apart and, as we say, nothing is sacred. But church is a place where the sacred can be found. From the pastor’s formal approach to the congregation to the majestic language of the liturgy, we hope that the entire service will convince you that something different, something extraordinary is going on here. Many people tease Lutherans—and Lutherans tease themselves—about not worshipping in an emotional way. Liturgical worship is God-centered, not human-centered. That means it finds its greatest strength in the objective truth of Scripture, not in the emotional response of the worshippers. For that reason, Lutheran worship bathes the congregation in the Word of God. The liturgical responses are the very words of the Bible. The hymns are doctrinally and artistically rigorous explorations of a Biblical text. The creed and the prayers are grounded in Scripture. A Lutheran sermon is never a moralistic pep talk, nor a meditation on current events or pop psychology, but the proclamation of both Law (what God says about our sin) and Gospel (what God tells us about our Savior), drawn from the appointed text of Scripture. And Holy Communion is a reenactment of the Lord’s Supper as recorded in the New Testament. The Word permeates Lutheran worship. If our style of worship seems new to you, here’s a brief explanation of what’s happening in the liturgy. Confession of Sins - Here we acknowledge that we have not been or done what God demands of us. Then we are assured of forgiveness in Jesus. Prayer and Praise - We respond to the Lord’s forgiveness with our praise. The Word - “The Word” section of the liturgy usually has three different Bible readings. The first is from the Old Testament (most of the time) and always relates directly to the Gospel for the day. The second is from the epistles or letters of Jesus’ apostles. The third is from one of the four Gospels bringing us Jesus’ words and deeds. The sermon is always based on a portion of God’s Word and from it the pastor offers instruction and encouragement for the congregation. Expect to hear God’s guidance and grace for dealing with problems, and even better, listen for the promise of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven through Jesus, the cornerstone of every Christian’s life. Response to the Word - After the sermon the congregation responds to the message from God’s Word with offerings and prayers for the things He has promised to us and for strength to do what He has asked.
