We worship together following the basic orders used by the Church for the last 2,000 years, to receive Christ’s gifts, namely, the forgiveness of sins. Our church worships in a traditional setting with organ-led hymns, spoken and sung liturgy, and the Lord's Supper every Sunday.
The God who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, wants to meet with his people; those who believe in Jesus. He wants to bless His people with his gifts. He also wants to hear from His people through their praises and prayers
What we hear in church is different from any other place. It sounds different. It looks different.
Church is different.
Considering the world, that’s a very good thing.
The Divine Service
We are united in the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lynchburg, worship is formal, reverent, and Lutheran. We want to make a clear confession that worship is this congregation’s central feature. God’s love is most clearly demonstrated when He distributes His gifts of Word and Sacrament to the body of Christ in the Divine Service. Our grateful reception of such gifts is acknowledged in the simple word of faith: "Amen!"
When people hear that our worship is formal, they often think of how they are to dress. Wearing one's 'Sunday best' is a confession that what happens in the Lord's House is sacred, of utmost importance. But the liturgy is not dependent upon what the people wear. Some people dress for our worship services in casual clothing. Despite the attire of those gathered, the liturgy itself is formal. That means that it is planned and deliberate. It is not spontaneous. It is formal in its tone, since it takes up topics of the utmost importance and eternal consequence. It is, in short, the salvation story of the world, delivered to God's people assembled to receive the gifts our Lord Jesus won by His death and resurrection: Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and the Holy Supper.
Our worship is not a show to be done in the sight of men. The point is not pomp and circumstance. Rather our ceremonies, standing, bowing, kneeling, and the like, are driven directly by our conviction that God Himself is present in His risen Body and Blood for us, that He speaks in His Word and the Absolution, and that He is paying close attention to our prayers.
Some Lutherans in America have taken up the trappings of the dominant Protestant culture in America, or worse, the entertainment industry. We have resisted–not because we are just conservative and reject change for the sake of doing things the way they “have always been done.” Instead, we are fully committed to the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Concord, and the historic liturgy, and therefore receive our Lutheran heritage, including ceremonies, as grateful recipients.
Please read here for an explanation of our practice of closed communion.
If you have any questions or concerns about our worship or anything else regarding our congregation, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to answer your questions.