Can a church without a creed worship? After all if you don’t have to believe in God, what’s the point?

The Hebrew prophets made it clear that worship was less about abstract ideas than about personal commitment. Micah said, “And what does the Lord require but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” Amos scalded the grandiosities of worship for its own sake, saying “I hate and despise your festivals and take no delight in your solemn assemblies… take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a flowing stream.”

For us worship truly means to “shape worth,” which is what the English word comes from. Sundays for us are a time to take a reckoning. We come to reflect on how well we have lived the last week, reconnect to what we hold is ultimately important, measure ourselves against that, and find the resolve and strength to head into another week.

In appearance, worship at FSC is very much like a Protestant service. You will hear a musical prelude, hear treasured texts, sing hymns, pray, listen to music, hear a sermon. It is in the content and intent that we are distinct.

1. We believe all music can be inspirational, sacred or not. You will hear classical music, but also American folk, Mexican mariachi, jazz, musical theater, opera, and world musics.
2. We greet one another every week with a handshake or a wave. We are a community as well as individuals.
3. All great texts are sacred to us, and so you may hear a citation from the Sunday newspaper, a current book, a popular song, the Qur’an or a Sutra as well as the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.
4. We include our children, who join us for the first part of every service. We set aside a few minutes to speak to every age every week.
5. Our prayers are spontaneous and open. The language may be religious, or not. The time of silence is more powerful than the words beforehand. But together they affirm “Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit.” Called or not called, God is present. (This was Carl Jung’s motto)
6. Now and then something completely different will be happening. We may hold a service of nothing but our favorite hymns, listen to an especially powerful piece of music as our sermon, see a little humorous play instead of getting readings, see a slide show or watch a picture being painted on the spot.

If it quickens the mind, stirs the spirit, soothes the heart, rouses the will, we will do it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But you will never have to say, “same old same old.”