Sunday Divine Service: 10:30 a.m.

Private Confession & Absolution: Mon. 5:50-6:50 p.m. or by appointment

Monday Divine Service: 7:00 p.m.

Weekday Matins: Mon.-Fri. 7:45 a.m.

 

What to Expect in the Divine Service:

Welcome to Saint Barnabas Lutheran Church!  It is a great joy that you are planning on joining us in worship of our God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We understand that it is sometimes awkward attending a church for the first time and so we would love to be able to share with you a little bit about what to expect when you join us for worship.

Our Divine Service begins at 10:30 am each Sunday morning. Most people show up a little early and spend the time preparing for the Service in prayer to hear God’s Word and receive His body and blood in Holy Communion.  We worship using the historic liturgy that has been passed down in the Christian church over the centuries, most typically drawn from the Lutheran Service Book. We are currently following the course of the Church Year according to the historic, one-year lectionary (see LSB xx-xxi). Our worship is reverent and respectful, engaging and encouraging as we are gathered by our Lord to receive His gifts in Word and Sacrament and respond with our prayers, praise, and thanksgiving. We respond to God’s great riches in Christ by using a mix of the best of ancient and modern hymnody of the Church.  Our church services typically last between an hour to an hour and a half.

We celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion every Sunday of the month, as well as at our Monday evening Divine Services, and on Festival Days such as Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, Holy (Maundy) Thursday, and Easter. At Saint Barnabas, we observe the historic Christian practice of Closed Communion. That means that we believe our Lord invites to His table all those who believe that Christ’s true body and blood are present in, with and under the bread and wine in the Sacrament (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25), who trust in His promises, repent of sins, and forgive others as they have been forgiven. In so doing, we proclaim His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26) and declare our unity in the faith (1 Cor. 10:17). Because those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their harm (1 Cor. 11:17-29) and because Holy Communion is a public confession of faith, any who have not yet been baptized or instructed in the Christian faith, or who regularly worship with a denomination other than the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, are asked out of love and concern to please speak with the Pastor or an Elder before the Divine Service or refrain from partaking of this Sacrament until we have had the opportunity for further discussion.

Children and encouraged to attend the entire Divine Service with their families.  Children are also invited to the Communion rail when we celebrate the Sacrament for a special blessing and Absolution based upon their Baptisms.

While you will see people dressed both casually and formally, we ask that you please consider the great importance of being in the presence of God and receiving His gifts not only in your attitude, but also in your manner of attire.

(“What to Expect” page adapted from  http://www.zionlutherannampa.com/expect).