This is part of the worship series,
"God of All Ages”
Series Introduction
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
Introduction
Like many historical congregations, at the turn of the century we faced a daunting challenge: encourage our congregation to consider new expressions and more variety in worship. Finding liturgical resources was not a problem. Our music coordinators were aware of the myriad of sources for contemporary expressions of faith: praise music, newly published hymnbooks, psalters, choir anthems, and so on. Nor was it difficult to find musicians to build praise teams and lead the praise music: we had a number of "undiscovered" guitar players in our midst, as well as some vocalists who were not interested in belonging to the existing choir but who were able and eager to participate in this new ministry. Our goal was to create worship services that would attract and minister to a younger generation without alienating a faithful older generation.
The worship planning team had many conversations about how best to achieve this goal. We seized on the idea of planning worship with elements from different historical periods. It made sense. Those new to Christian worship did not know the church's broader story. Even senior members with a lifetime's experience of worship knew only part of the story. We wanted to stretch everyone's worship memory to include more than just contemporary experiences or experiences from childhood, however distant. We would lengthen our memories right back to the birth of the church. Looking back would help us move forward.
From two thousand years of worship history we created four services, each centered around a time of transition in the church's history. Each service incorporated a selection of various liturgical elements from that era. The congregation learned about these elements throughout the service, especially those that have continued to the present.
The series led to an increased awareness that the roots of our worship run deep. And this awareness has enabled us to broaden our worship by incorporating a greater variety of liturgical elements and musical styles.
Series Outline
| Time Period | Scripture | |
| Week 1 | FIRST CENTURY | Acts 15:1–21; Psalm 98 |
| Week 2 | FOURTH CENTURY | Philippians 2:5–11 |
| Week 3 | SIXTEENTH CENTURY | Galatians 3:1–14 Psalm 119:105–112 |
| Week 4 | TWENTIETH/TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY | 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; Psalm 113 |
