Covenant Renewal Worship is the name given to the structure and flow of our worship services at Holy Covenant Church. We call it covenant renewal because we gather to renew the covenant between God and us weekly. Additionally the service is structured around the three sacrifices mentioned in Leviticus 9, which were the sin offering, (whole) burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. The overall structure can be seen in the five “C” words which are highlighted in our bulletin. Here is a mini exposition of each segment.
Call – Our worship begins with a call to worship. This call is initiated by God and establishes the fact that everything begins with Him. Like a king summons his subjects before him, so too does our Great King summon us into his presence.
Confession – Just as one prepares to meet an earthly king, so must the people of God prepare to the King of Heaven and Earth. This preparation time consists of dealing with sin, which looks like confession and receiving forgiveness.
Consecration – Upon being cleansed, the people of God are consecrated or devoted to God through the reading/preaching of the word. This is embodied as the congregation confesses our common faith. In this phase we have moved from “outside” to “inside.”
Communion – The service lands at communion. This time in our worship service celebrates the forgiveness that we received from God, through Christ and the fellowship that we enjoy with him and one another.
Commission – Having met and fellowshipped with the King, we are sent out into the world as ambassadors of him. The goal of this commission is two-fold First, we must live lives that reflect our King and call others to bow the knee and serve Him.
As one considers the flow of worship at Holy Covenant Church, the center of it is Jesus. We do not offer sacrifices like the people of God in Leviticus 9, rather, Jesus was the final and ultimate sacrifice. He was the sin offering and consecrated his entire life for the express purpose of bringing us into a covenant relationship with God. And so our worship extols and highlights Jesus, both looking backwards to what he has done and forward, as we anticipate what he will do.
Here is the link of the sermon preached in connection with this post: Holy Covenant Worship 04/06/2025