What to Expect at a Reformed Church

By church (and if we could just square this away as niftily as can be) I mean church. AKA the assembly. The gathering. Sunday worship. Church is church, baby.

Reformed

You’ve heard of it. Maybe you find it intriguing. Perhaps you find it lofty, intimidating, or even prideful. Or you’ve never heard of it at all. But, if you were (only in our little thought experiment, of course) to attend a Reformed worship service, what would it be like?

Serious

Church is serious. What could be more serious than God? Service will be attended by serious Christians, in other words, people who very much want to be there. It will be led by people who are mindful of God’s majestic presence. It’s a serious thing to approach the living God. It’s not a game, it’s church. Would you want it any other way?

Simple

Reformed worship will be simple and straightforward. It sticks to the stuff the Bible says to do on Sunday. This tends to produce a sophisticated yet very simple worship experience. Call it simple gospel worship. You will hear God’s word, you will pray God’s word, you will sing God’s word, and you will partake of the Lord’s Supper. The whole Christ will be presented from the whole Bible to the whole room. Jesus will be easily found everywhere.

Sublime

The loftiness of God will be evident in a Reformed service, but this loftiness will be seasoned with joy. It is the gladness of those who know their Heavenly Father’s embrace. They are certain of it. You will see views of God’s overflowing goodness to you that will take your breath away. “What is Reformed worship?” you ask. It is heaven ahead of time.