Our Weekly Liturgy
At Ekklesia Iwakuni, we believe that worship is not a concert or a lecture, but a Covenant Renewal Ceremony. Just as God met with His people at Mount Sinai, He meets with us every Lord's Day. Our service follows a historic, five-part pattern: Call, Confession, Consecration, Communion, and Commission.
-
Worship begins with God. He is the one who initiates the meeting, calling us out of the world and into His presence. We respond by standing and lifting our voices in praise, acknowledging that we come at His invitation.
What to expect: A greeting, a scripture reading (The Call), a responsive reading (usually a block of verses from the Psalms; the minister will read a line of scripture, and the congregation will read a line together, alternating verses), and an opening hymn.
-
Having entered the presence of a holy God, we are rightly mindful of our own unworthiness. We kneel or bow as a congregation to confess our sins—both corporately and silently—seeking His mercy. We then hear the Assurance of Pardon, a formal declaration from Scripture that for those in Christ, their sins are truly forgiven.
What to expect: A corporate prayer of confession, private kneeling and confession, followed by a reading of God’s promise of forgiveness, culminating in singing a hymn.
-
Now cleansed, we are prepared to be "set apart" (consecrated) by God’s Word. In this section, we offer our gifts and our lives to Him. We hear the Scriptures read and explained through the preaching of the Word. This is where God "re-forms" us into His image.
What to expect: Multiple Scripture readings (Old Testament and New Testament), a corporate recital of the Apostles Creed, singing of the Gloria Patri, the Pastoral Prayer where the minister prays for the church body, a civil authority, a local military leader, a local church and pastor and an imprecatory prayer. This section culminates with an expository sermon, followed by a corporate recital of the Lord’s Prayer, and another hymn.
-
The climax of the covenant renewal is the Lord’s Supper. This is the family meal of the Kingdom. We believe that Jesus is truly, spiritually present at His table, nourishing our souls with His body and blood. Because we are a family-integrated church, children who have been baptized and are under the care of their parents are welcomed to the table.
What to expect: The words of institution, the distribution of the bread and the fruit of the vine (both wine and grape juice are available), and a song of thanksgiving.
-
The service ends with God sending us back out into the world. He does not leave us empty-handed; He gives us His Benediction (Good Word). We leave with His name on our foreheads and His blessing on our lives, tasked with taking dominion and making disciples in Iwakuni and beyond.
What to expect: The congregation raises their hands and sings the Doxology ( a cappella), followed by the benediction (blessing), and the dismissal.
Why We Use the ESV
In our liturgy and preaching, we exclusively use the English Standard Version (ESV). Our commitment to this translation is rooted in our desire for precision, continuity, and the long-term discipleship of our families.
Formal Equivalence: The ESV follows a "word-for-word" translation philosophy. This means it seeks to capture the precise wording and personal style of each biblical author as closely as possible. For a church that values deep study, this level of accuracy is essential for tracing themes, understanding complex theological arguments, and seeing how the New Testament authors quoted the Old Testament.
Literary Beauty and Readability: While it is a scholarly translation, the ESV maintains a majestic and rhythmic quality that makes it exceptionally suited for public reading and corporate liturgy. It carries the "weight" of the historic English Bible tradition (tracing back to the Tyndale and King James versions) while remaining clear for modern readers.
A Tool for Memorization: Because we believe the Word of God should be hidden in our hearts, we utilize one standard translation across our entire life as a church. From the pulpit to the family dinner table, using the same text ensures that our children are memorizing the same phrasing they hear in worship, providing a stable foundation for their lifelong "paideia" in the Lord.
Why We Use the Sing! Hymnal
We have chosen the Sing! Psalms and Hymns hymnal (edited by Keith and Kristyn Getty) as the primary musical resource for our liturgy. We believe that the music of the church should be theologically rich, congregational in nature, and historically rooted, while still speaking clearly to our present generation.
Theological Depth: We prioritize songs that are "thick" with Scripture. The Sing! hymnal focuses on lyrics that proclaim the attributes of God, the work of Christ, and the robust hope of the Gospel, ensuring that what we sing is as doctrinally sound as what we preach.
A "Singing" Congregation: We believe the primary "instrument" in worship is the voice of the congregation. These arrangements are designed to be sung by families together, favoring melodies that are accessible and robust rather than performance-driven.
Continuity with the Church Age: This hymnal beautifully bridges the gap between the ancient and the modern. It features the great hymns of the Reformation and the early church alongside modern hymns that follow in that same tradition. This reflects our commitment to a "historically rooted" faith that is living and active today.
Psalmody: In keeping with the historic Reformed tradition, we believe the Psalms should hold a central place in the musical life of the church. This hymnal provides excellent settings for singing the Psalms, allowing us to hide God's own prayer book in our hearts.
By using the Sing! hymnal, we join our voices with the saints of the past and the global church of the present, lifting up a sacrifice of praise that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." — Colossians 3:16
A Note on Participation
You will notice that our liturgy is highly participatory—it is not something you watch, but something you do. The word "liturgy" literally means "the work of the people," and we believe that every member of the covenant body is an active participant in the heavenly courts.
Engaging the Whole Person: We believe that worship involves more than just the mind; it involves the body. This is why we utilize different postures: we stand to honor the reading of the Gospel and the singing of praise; we kneel or bow in humble confession of our sins; and we lift our voices in robust responses and "Amens."
The Corporate Voice: Much of our service is responsive. We join our voices together in the reading of the Creeds, the Confession of Sin, and the responsive Scripture readings. This unity of voice reflects our unity in Christ and ensures that the congregation is not a passive audience, but a royal priesthood offering a sacrifice of praise.
Singing with Vigor: We sing hymns and Psalms that require our full attention and strength. We encourage every man, woman, and child to sing out—not for the sake of a perfect performance, but as a joyful noise to our King.
A Family Affair: Because we are family-integrated, this participation includes our children. We don't expect them to be silent observers; we expect them to learn to pray, sing, and confess the faith alongside their parents. Their "Amens" are just as vital to the life of the church as those of the adults.
In everything we do, the goal is to be a people who are fully present and actively engaged, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.
"What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up."— 1 Corinthians 14:26