By Liturgical Element
Whispered Word
I was on a retreat in July of 2016 in Asheville, NC. One of our retreat leaders was Heidi Miller, a professor of Christian Worship at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas with connections also to the Missional Wisdom Foundation. During our retreat, Heidi told us that during worship one day she whispered a scripture verse into one worshiper’s ear and then asked him to pass it on. Soon the verse was spreading through the congregation, causing anticipation and excitement. After hearing this idea I asked Heidi if I could try it in my...
read moreGod’s Heart Like a Beating Drum
The week of July 3, 2016 was another week of racism and violence in the U.S. Two black men, Philando Castille and Alton Sterling were shot to death by police officers. In retaliation, Micah Johnson shot 12 police officers in Dallas, 5 of whom died. Though weeks like this are becoming common, these events in particular filled our small rural community with feelings of anger, sorrow, even despair. Come Sunday there was a definite need in our morning worship service to lament and resist the racism and violence while at the same time being...
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 moreShared Outdoor Summer Worship
Our church has a tradition of gathering with some of the other churches in our community for a shared (ecumenical) outdoor worship service. For our worship space we set up a tent (a few of our churches own them or they can be rented) or worship in the gazebo in our town park. byIt is a lot of fun and is well attended. It also requires a good deal of coordination and planning. So, below you will find an outline of our planning process followed by the liturgy we used in July of 2016. Planning Process After Easter each year, I send out an...
read more