“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

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Worship

What we believe impacts how we worship.

A common misconception about worship is that worship is a required service we must perform as our duty to God. But God does not need our sacrifices. The purpose of worship is not to dwell on what we can do for God, but rather on what God has already done and continues to do for us. We need worship to refocus our attention each week. It is God’s gift to us. When we turn our attention away from ourselves, recognizing the great and precious gift we have received in Jesus, we can do no less than the apostle Paul does and exclaim/proclaim “Glory to [God] in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

One of the tools used in the church to help turn our attention away from ourselves and toward God is the liturgy. Using a liturgical form dates back to the earliest Christian church. The form has varied but the purpose remains the same. It is intensely scriptural. It helps us remember all the great things God has done in the past, it encourages us in the present and reminds us of God’s promises for the future when Jesus will return to restore all things.

At Wilhelmina, our liturgical form and practices have varied through the years. In the earliest days we used a Swedish hymnal. In the 1930s the switch into English required a different hymn book. In 1958, a “red” hymnal replaced the older black one. In the early 1980s we adopted the “green” Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). In the mid 1990s we continued to use the LBW, while adding settings from the new With One Voice hymnal supplement. The adoption of a projector and projection software in 2010 has allowed us to use all the pieces of our rich liturgical heritage, and add new ones too.

Over and over we are reminded that “through his mighty power at work within us, [God is able] to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

In addition to regular sunday worship services, our congregation has held special mid-week, evening or morning services as the interests and needs of the people warranted. Years ago, a 6:00am “Julotta” Christmas morning service was the practice. Not too long ago a 10:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight service was normal. Recently this changed to a 4:00pm Christmas Eve service instead. Over the years we have had Sedar suppers on Maundy Thursday, Saturday evening Easter Vigil services, and even a few 6:00am Easter Sunrise services.

In 1991, we started celebrating “Santa Lucia” on the Friday evening closest to Dec. 13th (St. Lucia Day in Sweden).

In the mid 2000s we began using the “Holden Evening Prayer” liturgy by Marty Haugen for five Wednesday evening services during the season of Lent (in Feb/March or April depending on the year).

Learning

Becoming more like Jesus requires spending time learning from Him. Just before leaving this earth, Jesus told his disciples to “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (excerpt from Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus words’ have been recorded in the Bible for our benefit. It is the primary way we learn from Him. So we must spend time reading the scriptures, both individually and as a group. When we participate in worship we hear His words; when we stay for visiting and coffee after worship, we can talk with other followers of Jesus about our faith and what God is doing in our lives.

In addition to worship services, formal opportunities for learning at Wilhelmina occur primarily through confirmation classes, when there are enough students, and sunday school programs for younger children. Less formal adult (and sometimes youth) bible studies have also taken place at various times and places, with various leadership – sometimes pastoral and sometimes lay led.

If you are interested in being part of a bible study group, or teaching either youth or adults, please contact someone on the church council to discuss what is currently happening at the church and how you can be part of it.