Worshipping Together at VBC

Come with your heart and mind to worship God

Vienna Baptist Church is a progressive and open community of faith offering a rich variety of Bible studies, retreats, and fellowship activities. Our worship, too, offers a variety of avenues for each of us to say “Yes” to the personal call of Jesus to walk with him daily.

VBC worship takes place in one service at 11 a.m. in the Worship Room, a place rich with meaningful symbolism. The Worship Planning Team creates services that offer scripture, sermon, prayer, music, and community-building actions in many forms. Our music is expressed with various musical instruments and draws from several continents and from the thousands of years of musical expression to communicate the theme of the day. Texts are drawn from the New Revised Common Lectionary.

Sermons will be by Bob Albritton unless otherwise indicated. Visit the Sermons page to read and listen to previous sermons.

Worship during Lent: Transformed Living

Day of Prayer
Wednesday, Feb. 6—Ash Wednesday
The Worship Room will be open for individual prayer from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. that day. Two special services will be held in the Worship Room.

At noon, a short prayer service will take place.

In the evening, a short Ash Wednesday service will be held from 6:45–7:30 p.m. During this reflective service of worship, participants come forward to receive a mark on the forehead in the sign of the cross, using ashes obtained from burning last year’s palm branches.

Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Joel 2:1–2, 12–17, or Isaiah 58:1–12; Psalm 51:1–17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10; Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Worship
Sunday, Feb. 10—First Sunday in Lent
Theme: Commitment
Scripture: Genesis 2:15–17, 3:1–7; Romans 5:12–19
Sermon: “Your Free Gift” by Dr. Bob Albritton
Through Jesus we receive the free gift of righteousness through the grace of God. Notice that the phrase “free gift” appears five times here. Our transformed living is a response to the free gift of God. Today we commit ourselves to thanking God for this free gift.
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Genesis 2:15–17, 3:1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11

Sunday, February 17—Second Sunday in Lent
Theme: Prayer
Scripture: Psalm 121; John 3:1–17
Sermon: “Blowing in the Wind” by Dr. Bob Albritton
Psalm 121 reminds us that in prayer we look to the hills from whence comes our help. Nicodemus and Jesus talk about the Spirit of God blowing like the wind over our lives. In prayer we have access to spiritual power to help us live each day.
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Genesis 12:1–4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1–5, 13–17; John 3:1–17 or Matthew 17:1–9

Sunday, February 24—Third Sunday in Lent
Theme: Presence in worship
Scripture: Romans 5:1–11; John 4:16–26
Sermon: “Thirsty for Worship” by Dr. Bob Albritton
The woman at the well argues with Jesus about where to worship. Jesus says the place is not important. He also says, “For the Father seeks such as these [who worship in spirit and truth] to worship him” (4:23). From Romans 5:1–11 we hear we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our generous giving and living come out of already being at peace with God.
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Exodus 17:1–7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1–11; John 4:5–42

Sunday, March 2—Fourth Sunday in Lent
Theme: Financial gifts and tithing
Communion Sunday
Scripture: Ephesians 5:8–14, Psalm 23
Sermon: “I Shall Not Want” by Dr. Bob Albritton
Ephesians 5:10 invites us to “try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” We begin the 23rd Psalm with the declaration, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We are to live as children of the light and give thanks with every aspect of our lives—including our financial resources. Then we can sing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs to God through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19).
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: 1 Samuel 16:1–13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8–14; John 9:1–41

Sunday, March 9—Fifth Sunday in Lent
Theme: Service
Scripture: Romans 8:6–11; John 11:38–44
Sermon: “Unbind Us and Let Us Go” by Dr. Bob Albritton
“The Spirit is life” (Romans 8:10). The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies. The generous life is the life worth living. Jesus commands that someone unbind Lazarus and let him go. We are set free through resurrection not to earn the love of God, but to respond with service to others because of what God has done for us.
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Ezekiel 37:1–14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6–11; John 11:1–45

Lenten Service of Prayer for Healing and Wholeness
Sunday, March 9
7:30 p.m. in the Worship Room
Our monthly service originally patterned after a similar service on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland, in which we share concerns, pray, and take time for contemplation.

Worship
Sunday, March 16—Passion/Palm Sunday
Theme: Commitment
Scripture: Philippians 2:5–11; Matthew 21:1–11
Sermon: “Giving to Jesus” by Dr. Bob Albritton
Note in the Palm Sunday story and the Passion story the persons who gave generously to Jesus during his last week. How can we give to Jesus today?
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Palms—Matthew 21:1–11; Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Passion—Isaiah 50:4–9a; Psalm 31:9–16; Philippians 2:5–11; Matthew 26:14–27:66 or Matthew 27:11–54

Passion Week
Thursday, March 20—Maundy Thursday Service
7:30 p.m. in the Worship Room
A service of quiet reflection and choral music in commemoration of the time when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with his disciples

Friday, March 21—Good Friday
Observation of the Stations of the Cross with Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna

Worship
Sunday, March 23—Resurrection Day/Easter Day
Theme: Commitment Sunday
Scripture: Acts 10:34–43; Matthew 28:1–10
Sermon: “With Fear and Great Joy” by Dr. Bob Albritton
Jesus says twice in these verses the main command of the Bible: Do not be afraid! The women have both fear and great joy. As we enter into this transition as a church and as pilgrims together, we have both fear and great joy.
Suggested Lectionary texts for reading and meditation: Acts 10:34–43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Colossians 3:1–4 or Acts 10:34–43; John 20:1–18 or Matthew 28:1–10

Monthly Service of Prayers for Healing and Wholeness
Second Sunday evening of each month at 7:30 p.m.
The healing and wholeness service was originally patterned after a similar service on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland, where a Christian community has existed for more than 1,000 years. We use music taken from Taize or other monastic traditions, liturgies focused on bringing to God our pain and concerns for others, prayer, and time for contemplation. Held in the Worship Room, it is a quiet, reflective time of sharing our human needs while seeking God’s divine intervention in our lives.