Worship

 

Worship at First Lutheran.

SUNDAYS IN PERSON: (Note, for the sake of the most vulnerable, given that our worship includes lots of singing, we ask everyone to mask while in the sanctuary.)

  • We offer two worship services, both with holy communion, at 8:15 and 10:30 am.
  • Note our 8:15 service tends to be smaller, our 10:30 service larger.
  • We also have Sunday school, confirmation classes, and adult forums during a learning hour beginning at 9:15 am.

SUNDAYS ONLINE: Streamed worship services (10:30 am only) are available on Facebook Live – “First Lutheran Church – Waltham MA” and can be watched any time during or after the event at Facebook  – Tutorial Here

Bulletin for Sunday April 2: Bulletin for 4 2 23

La Santa Misa: Sundays at 5:00 pm worship in Spanish through our sister                         congregation Santuario Luterano

About our Worship: 

In worship, we believe that past, present, and future connect: we look back, retelling the Biblical stories that culminate in Jesus’ death and resurrection; we look forward, singing the end-time song of when God’s ultimate plan of restoring creation is complete; and we look to God revealed in Jesus Christ, who by the power of the Holy Spirit – in community – through water, bread, wine, and Word – forgives, feeds, and empowers us in the present.

Form:

We are liturgical (from the word liturgy which means work of the people). Thus, aspects of our worship are ancient, having been handed down from generation to generation for nearly 2,000 years.  At the same time, as in every age, we seek to to take the ancient form and keep it fresh.  We sing a lot, and our hymns and service music are chosen with all members in mind, including our children.

Children in Worship:

We welcome and encourage children to attend worship, believing that as the words, symbols,  rituals, and music wash over us they have a power to shape us all, regardless of age.  Each Sunday, we invite the children forward for a children’s sermon which is centered on the Gospel reading appointed for the day. Children receive communion at an age deemed appropriate by their family, some as early as age 2 and others not until they are older.

Holy Communion:

We celebrate Holy Communion each Sunday and practice “Open Communion.” That is, believing Jesus Christ to be truly present in the bread and wine, we regard Him as the host of the meal and, in his name, we welcome everyone to the Lord’s table.  Those who do not yet commune are welcome to come to the altar for a blessing.

For Communion Bread Recipe: Click Here 

making bread
Baking Communion Bread

Our Orientation:

Our orientation is toward the cross of Christ, where human violence and the love of God meet.  You will not encounter sermons focused on what you must do to receive God’s blessing or how you ought to live in order to be a ‘good person’ (as if).  Instead you will find a whole worship focused on what God has done and continues to do through love, made known to us most centrally in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is this Good News that washes over us, and like a flowing stream has the power to wear down our resistance and reshape the course of our life.