WORSHIP
Weekly Worship Gatherings
When we gather each Sunday, we seek to create space for the whole body to encounter and express glory to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the faithful telling of God’s story. We inhabit God’s story every week through scripture readings, prayer, preaching, singing together, offering, and an invitation to the table of communion. At times, we also incorporate other practices such as confession, silence, lament, contemplative prayer, and baptism.
Yearly Worship Rhythms
Like so many churches now and throughout the centuries, we acknowledge that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We are part of a body and a story much larger than ourselves, so in ways old and new, we observe sacred seasons and days like Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. By living into these rhythms, we anchor ourselves to God’s story and embrace the full spectrum of the human experience with God: anticipation and fulfillment, proclamation and response, lament and joy.
Our Weekly Communion Practice
The bread and cup are “the gifts of God for the people of God,” signifying Jesus’ body broken for us and the new covenant in Jesus. Communion is a weekly invitation to remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to embody our inclusion in the family of God through Christ. You do not have to be a member of Riverside to participate—anyone who believes in Jesus and seeks to live in his ways is invited to the table. If you are uncomfortable or unsure about taking communion, you are completely free to abstain by staying where you are and listening to or singing along with the worship team.
Communion and Kids
During communion, we invite children 2nd grade and older to return from their classes to the worship gathering, giving families the option to take communion together. We leave it to adults’ discretion to discern with your kids when it is appropriate to invite them to take communion. Pastor Andrew or Pastor Jess would love to talk to you if you or your child have questions about communion or baptism.