Calvary Baptist Church of Denver

Celebrating life together: Marriage
Celebrating our sacred dwelling: Home blessing
Celebrating God's grace: A service of healing
Celebrating life in death: The funeral
Celebrating life transitions
Celebrating creative worship: Taizé
Seasonal worship events at Calvary

WORSHIP AT CALVARY

Celebrating life together: Marriage
The sacred action of Christian marriage is often likened to the relationship that Christ has with the church, for it is a covenant of love between a man and a woman that joins them as one. The marriage ceremony is primarily an act of worship.

If you or someone in your family is considering marriage, a wedding booklet describing Calvary's wedding and counseling guidelines is available in the church office.

Celebrating our sacred dwelling: The blessing of a home
Because your home provides an intimate and personal space for you and your family, it is the primary place where you can celebrate your unique relationships with others and with God. It is a "domestic church." The dedication of an apartment, a new home, a remodeled room, or an addition can be a meaningful and important way to place God central in that place. Calvary's ministers are available for this service.

Celebrating God's grace: A service of healing
At least twice a year, a healing service is held in Calvary's Chapel. This service includes scripture reading, quiet prayer, singing, and an optional ceremony of the laying on of hands.

Health is often understood as the absence of disease or illness. Yet the World Health Organization offers this definition, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Healing was an important element in Jesus' ministry and redemptive work. In order to be a healthy person, we all need healing. To some degree, as we each journey toward wholeness, a celebration of God's healing grace in our lives is an important act of worship.

Celebrating life in death: The funeral /memorial service
A funeral or memorial service is an important and necessary act of worship. The purpose of a Christian funeral is to affirm our belief that Christ is victorious over death, to commit the deceased to the eternal presence of God, and to provide an opportunity for the survivors to grieve and find comfort.

The pastors at Calvary desire all funeral and memorial services held here to be personal, uplifting, meaningful and comforting. Some day each of us will be called upon to face our own death and the death of a loved one. It would be most helpful to know your thoughts with regard to your funeral arrangements. A brochure for that purpose has been prepared and is available in the church office. If you would like pastoral assistance in discussing your own memorial service or that of a loved one, please call the church office for an appointment.

Celebrating life transitions: Retirements, anniversaries, and other events
It is important to celebrate life's transitions. Major events in life usually signal some kind of change. Those changes need to be recognized and supported. Often, a simple ceremony focusing on the transitional event in one's life can be helpful and meaningful. If you would like to schedule a service of this kind, please talk to one of the pastors.

Celebrating creative worship: Taizé
Calvary offers a contemplative worship service in the style of the Taizé Community on the second Sunday of each month. Silent prayer gegins at 6:30 pm and the service begins at 7:00 pm.

Taizé is a small village in eastern France where young adults from all over the world have gathered together since the early 1950s. They come to pray, to worship, and to seek the meaning of life in communion with Christ and sisters and brothers of many races and cultures. The founder and mentor of this ecumenical community is Brother Roger, a "bearer of trust, reconciliation, and peace." Today there are over one hundred brothers in the TaizÉ community from over twenty different countries. They share their material goods, talents, and faith together in a celibate life, and lead Bible study groups, prayer services, and worship for the thousands of young adults who make a pilgrimage to their community. Praying together as a community is central to life together, whether they are at Taizé or travel to share the life of the poor in India, Africa, or Central America.

Taizé worship takes place three times a day and includes meditative and sung prayer, Scripture reading, and silence. The singing, often in four-part harmony or in a round, is offered in many languages. Sometimes instruments play a higher melody line while voices sing a short, chantlike tune. This simple yet magnificent sung prayer, repeated over and over again, continues on in the heart long after worship has ended.

Seasonal Worship Events at Calvary
Thanksgiving Day - A worship service in the Sanctuary at 7 am followed by a breakfast of good food and fun.

Christmas Children's Vesper - The Children's Christmas Musical followed by a Christmas craft-making workshop.

The Festival of Lights - A beautiful service of singing, scripture reading, live tableau and candlelight, featuring a variety of Calvary's musical groups.

Christmas Eve Worship - Worship for families of all shapes and sizes with carols, candlelight and communion.

Maundy Thursday
Three days before Easter, Maundy Thursday - also known as Holy Thursday - is the anniversary day of Jesus' last supper in the upper room in Jerusalem on the eve of his crucifixion.

The word “maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “to command”. It refers to the command Jesus gave to his disciples that evening in the Upper Room that is recorded in John 13:5, 14:

Then he poured some water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist ... I am the Lord and Teacher and I have just washed your feet. You then, should wash each other's feet.

It was after this that Jesus and his disciples had their last meal together. On Maundy Thursday, Calvary offers a dinner followed by a reflective worship service.

Easter Morning - Easter morning is the centerpiece of Christianity. Following his crucifixtion, Jesus was buried in a tomb sealed with a large stone. On Sunday morning when his disciples came to care for his body, they found that the stone had been rolled away, and Jesus was gone. A short time later, Jesus appeared to his followers.

Because of his resurrection, Christians believe that death is not the end of life. Hope and promise of new life make the Christian faith one of celebration and joy.

Calvary celebrates Easter Sunday with a sunrise service at the Cherry Creek Reservoir Hobie Hill picnic area and one worship service in the Sanctuary, which features the singing of Handel's "The Hallelujah Chorus."

Someday after mastering
the wind,
the waves,
the tides,
and gravity,
we shall harness for God
the energies of love.
And then,
for the second time
in the history of the world,
we will have discovered fire.

- Teilhard de Chardin