Worship service – a reason to celebrate

Every Saturday: 9:30 a.m. Bible discussion / 10:30 a.m. sermon

Celebrating festivals is one of the most beautiful things in life. Whether birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or other occasions – festivals are unforgettable highlights, memorable moments, special highlights of our existence.
Festivals are a part of every culture and every religion. Since time immemorial they have served as a meeting place between people, and in religious cults they also serve as a connection between people and the gods or the one God.

According to Christian understanding, God is present in the celebrating community: “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Jesus compared God’s actions for the benefit of mankind to a banquet to which everyone is invited by God himself (Luke 14:15-24; 15:22-32). Thus, every service becomes a celebration in which the congregation celebrates the presence of their Lord and rejoices in his closeness. In “God’s service,” God primarily serves us humans – and only then do we serve God!

Seventh-day Adventists hold a weekly service that serves as an encounter with God and with one another. Before the sermon, a so-called Bible discussion takes place.

In a small group discussion, everyone has the opportunity to share their questions and insights on topics concerning faith and life in dialogue with others.

God can and wants to be heard not only in sermons, but also when people talk to each other about him.

The main elements of Adventist worship, in addition to sermons and conversation, include worship – praising God through readings, songs, prayers, etc. – and the experience of community. The latter reflects the life and vitality of a family in which no one is overlooked and everyone is welcome. People celebrating anniversaries are congratulated, children are blessed, experiences are shared, intercessions are made, etc. After the service, people sometimes eat together, deepening the Christian community of love.

It is not fixed liturgical forms, but above all communicative elements that determine the character of the service in a typical Adventist congregation. This corresponds to the view that Adventists have of God: God is not a mere principle, not an impersonal world spirit, not an unapproachable ruler, but a loving father and a personal friend who is with us humans – with us and in our midst. Like hardly anything else, the service testifies in many but consistent ways: “God is here!”