At Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, our worship is reverent, orderly, and Christ-centred. We gather in the presence of the almighty and holy God, not first to offer Him our achievements, but to receive His gracious gifts.

For this reason, we call our Sunday worship the Divine Service. In the Divine Service, God serves His people. He gives us the forgiveness of sins through His preached Word, comforts us with His promises, and feeds us with the true body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

Our worship follows the historic liturgy of the Church. Through the liturgy, we hear the Word of God, confess the Christian faith, pray together, sing psalms and hymns, and speak God’s own Word back to Him in prayer and praise.

At Good Shepherd, we use the Lutheran Service Book. Most Sundays, we follow Divine Service – Setting Three, beginning on page 184 of the hymnal. This setting is often known as the Common Service, a form of the historic Western liturgy cherished by Lutherans for generations.

Hymns

We sing hymns that have been handed down through the generations, along with faithful hymns of the Church from more recent times. These hymns teach us the Word of God, assist us in prayer, confess the saving work of Christ, and give thanks to God for His gracious gifts.

In Lutheran worship, hymns are not simply religious songs. They are sung confession, prayer, teaching, and praise.

Word and Sacrament

The Lutheran Church is a sacramental church. We rejoice in the gifts that Christ Himself has given to His Church, especially Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

In Holy Baptism, Christ joins sinners to His death and resurrection, washes away sin, and gives the gift of new life.

In the Lord’s Supper, Christ gives His true body and blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

These gifts are not symbols of our devotion to God. They are Christ’s gifts to His people.

The Lord’s Supper

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church practices closed communion.

This does not mean that we wish to turn people away from Christ. Quite the opposite: we desire all people to receive His gifts faithfully and with a good conscience. Because the Lord’s Supper is both a gift of Christ and a public confession of unity in the faith, we believe that unity in teaching comes before unity at the altar.

For this reason, if you are not a member of a congregation of Lutheran Church–Canada, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, or one of our sister churches, we ask that you speak with the pastor before communing.

Visitors are very welcome to attend the Divine Service, hear God’s Word, pray with us, sing with us, and come forward for a blessing if they wish.

If you have questions about the Lord’s Supper, Lutheran teaching, Baptism, confirmation, or church membership, Pastor Ferreira would be glad to speak with you.