By Liturgical Element
Yes, you can go there!
As a child, our church’s sanctuary was not a place of mystery or wonder for me, but a place of prohibition. DON’T touch the organ! DON’T go behind the pulpit. DON’T ever touch the altar. As it turned out, the unapproachable sanctuary translated for me into a feeling that our pastor, and God, were unapproachable too. To be fair, that was not the intention of my church or its leaders and I know they would be horrified to hear that. Fostering a sense of the holy, creating a sanctuary space, and keeping the sanctuary...
read moreChristmas Eve: Drama of the Light (for 4 Voices)
Below is a dramatic reading for 4 voices that was written for Christmas Eve, 2014. We used it as a call to worship but you could use it anywhere in the service. If your setting allows it, you may consider scattering the four readers around the sanctuary. You can also have them grouped, perhaps in the back of the sanctuary. Whatever you decide, make sure the readers speak loudly or have microphones so that all can hear! Narrator: In Bethlehem that night there were many lights. The moon was out. The stars were twinkling. And...
read moreCathedrals and Thatched Pavilions: A Prayer for World Communion Sunday
This communion prayer was written for World Communion Sunday (10/2/0216) but could be used any time. It was inspired by John 17:21, the UCC motto, “that they may all be one.” Communion Prayer & Words of Institution Holy God, the One Source of all our love, and all our wisdom, the One for whom we yearn, and in whose heart we rest, we thank you for the many ways in which you make yourself known to us and to people throughout the world. Today we remember our Christian sisters and brothers, gathering in cathedrals...
read moreWorship/Event
Many churches have a Sunday morning or two throughout the year when the congregation hosts both a worship service and a special event. Maybe your church hosts a Christmas fair, an Easter brunch, a breakfast fundraiser for a mission you support or something else. In our church, the last Sunday in September is always reserved for day two of our annual Old Fashioned Harvest Market which draws thousands from all over our region. I know from experience that on this particular Sunday our congregation’s attention and energy is divided...
read more