Services are held on Sundays at 9:00 am
In a day and age where the worship wars cast all discussions of worship in terms of “contemporary” and “traditional,” St. John’s strives to be both and neither at the same time. Both of these terms have different connotations for different people, depending on their personal preferences. Advocates of “contemporary” worship often hear the word “traditional” as behind the times, boring, uninspiring. Advocates of the term “traditional” often think of the word “contemporary” as loud, shallow, and not very user friendly.
Neither of these terms, it would seem, really helps us in the area of church music. Good arguments can be advanced for and against both terms. As stated above, our goal at St. John’s is to be neither contemporary nor traditional. Our preferred term, borrowed from others who have similar ideals, is the term authentic.
Authentic worship and music is music with theological depth; music that conveys first the Word of God and not human sentiment or emotion. Hymns and liturgies, founded as they are on the Word of God, offer this depth. Music in worship ought not only to inspire. It ought to teach the Word and in order to do so, it must reflect the depth, height, and breadth of that Word. The distinguishing aspect of God’s Word in the Bible is the Gospel, God’s forgiveness of sinners by the suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Throughout history, the Gospel not only distinguished its Scriptures, but its worship as well. Rather than proclaiming human emotion and sentiment, Christian worship proclaimed God’s forgiveness in Christ, the Gospel.
At St. John’s, we employ a broad range of music and musical instruments to convey this Gospel. Our ultimate goal with this music is to augment Christian singing. The Church’s song goes on in all generations, and our aim at St. John’s is to be a singing church. Joyfully expressing our faith in God’s gifts through old hymns, new hymns, the liturgy, and a variety of different musical presentations, we are neither “contemporary” nor “traditional,” but hopefully we are utilizing the best aspects of both by being authentic.
At St. John’s, worship services are not about us. It is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Him, we have joy and all the other fruits of the Spirit. We hope you can join us!
When in our music God is glorified; And adoration leaves no room for pride. It is as though the whole creation cried, “Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!” (Lutheran Service Book, 796 st.1)
If you aren’t able to make it in person, tune into our livestreams. Our Sunday services are recorded live and uploaded to our Youtube channel where you can watch them at any time.
Sundays: 10:15 am
Wednesdays: 10:00 am
The Lord’s Supper is celebrated as an essential part of worship life at St. John’s. The Sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. In his holy meal, we confidently believe that our Lord gives us not only bread and wine, but also his true Body and Blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of our sins. If you hold a different confession of faith or for whatever reason are not prepared to receive the Sacrament, you are welcome to come forward and receive a blessing. If you have questions, burdens, or doubts concerning this gift from God, please speak to the Pastor.
