Easter
Consider the Birds
In the fall of 2015, Rev. Daniel Cooperrider of Weybridge Congregational Church, UCC told our WorshipWell team about a sermon series he was leading based upon a book by author and pastor Debbie Blue, titled: Consider the Birds: A Provocative Guide to Birds of the Bible. Cooperrider explained that his sermon series included presentations by bird experts in worship along with bird watch outings. Inspired by Cooperrider and Blue, Rev. Goldenbogen of the United Church of Underhill (UCC & UMC) led a “Consider the Birds” sermon...
read moreThrough the Church Year
Below is a detailed liturgy for a single Sunday morning service that walks a congregation through the entire Church calendar from Advent through Reign of Christ. Through Word, explanation, and song, this service is a worshipful way to educate and to help a multi-generational congregation to participate in the rhythms and patterns of the liturgical year. It was originally used in 2006 for a United Church of Christ congregation in Massachusetts. (Note: *= Stand as you are able) Order of Worship Prelude & Meditation Time Greetings,...
read moreMaple Syrup and Donuts: An invitation to Holy Communion (based on John 21)
We are the Church….the body of Christ made manifest in this world. We are ordinary disciples, doubters and sinners, strangers and friends, family members, we are from “away” and we are natives. We are immigrants and refugees. We are similar but not the same. We are striving to be God’s faithful people and here we are….at the table where everyone…all of us, are welcome. This morning we heard Jesus say “feed my sheep”. These directives are not just about caring for those around us but about those we do not know, it is about those...
read moreCapturing Lent
Cameras are ubiquitous and inter-generational. Kids have ’em on their tablets and DS’s, teens and adults have ’em on their phones, grandparents and great-grandparents probably have a phone-camera too…if not…they are likely to have one lying around the house. Why not use them for worship and faith formation? Here is an idea we used during Lent 2015 that you might adapt for your own use (could be used in any season). during Epiphany we advertised a Lenten theme of CAPTURING LENT using logo to the right: we...
read moreMother’s Day: thoughts & a prayer
Mother’s Day has become sort of a thing. Like it has happened with Memorial Day and Passover Seders on Maundy Thursday, more and more of my colleagues have developed an ambivalent/tense/negative relationship with the second Sunday in May. “It’s just a Hallmark holiday,” some will say. “It has no place in the church calendar,” other will say. Still others will bemoan the particular ministry complexities of this day, arguing, “not everyone has a mother,” or “not everyone has/had a good...
read moreEaster Communion: Words of Resurrection
Below are some elements of a simple liturgy for Holy Communion on Easter Sunday. They are similar to the elements of our standard Communion liturgy (adapted from the United Church of Christ Book of Worship) except that the WORDS OF INSTITUTION have been replaced by WORDS OF RESURRECTION. INVITATION – Dear ones, this isn’t my table. It’s not your table. It’s not our table. But it’s Christ’s table. And because it’s Christ’s table all of us are welcome here. At this table, you don’t have to look a certain way. You don’t have to worship a...
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