Our Blended Worship Service

as a reflection of the Body of Christ

Be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18)

For twenty centuries, Christians have joined together to glorify God, blending ancient rites and prayers with the most faithful contemporary expressions to create meaningful worship. In worship at St. Margaret’s, whether quiet and intimate or filled with music and worshippers, we come together as a community to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God’s Word, to offer prayer and service to God in thanksgiving and praise, and to celebrate the sacraments.

Through the lectionary readings, liturgy, songs and hymns, writers and composers from different times and places share their experiences of God and challenge us to open our minds and hearts to grow in our faith. This is the beauty of vibrant worship by the whole people of God, a blending of voices, styles and expressions - all God-centered, Christ-exalting and Word-focused.

Our worship may include an ancient Celtic prayer, a hymn of praise written only a decade ago, the two thousand year-old prayer Jesus taught his disciples or a hymn translated from a seventh century text. All the elements of worship serve the Word, centering on God’s story.

We each bring our particular gifts and our own experiences of God to worship. One may bring a beautiful smile, another a lovely voice or a warm handshake; one may be a greeter, another an acolyte, a chalice bearer, a preacher, a reader or a musician. In worship, there are no performers; there are only worshippers, each praying, praising and singing to God. Together, in all our diversity, we are the unified body of  Christ, brought together by God’s grace and love.

“There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

May we always seek to please the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with our worship, each bringing our own humble gifts, esteeming as well the gifts brought by others, so that our Lord might be honored not only by our outward expressions, but also by the attitudes of our hearts.