Lent
Ash Wednesday 2021
In the COVID-19 era, the very tactile and personal liturgy for Ash Wednesday poses unique challenges for video worship. Below is a liturgy we developed for 2021 that has been translated for the screen into the following format: 20 minute service will be recorded in advance, rendered into a worship video, and viewed by “share screen” option that is streamed simultaneously through Zoom and YouTube Live. During the Imposition of Ashes, we will pause the video and go live. This will allow us to see one another as we wipe ashes on...
read moreThe Passion of Jesus Christ According to Matthew: for 5+ Readers & 1 Cantor
A script written for for Palm/Passion Sunday 2020 to be enacted via video worship. Cast can be scaled up or down as needed. Cast 2 Narrators Judas 2 Disciples Jesus Peter Pilate High Priest Servant girls Cantor Crowd: All Cross Draper Props Cross Black shroud All cast members dressed in black The Passion of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:14-27:66) [Cast is seated on chancel, and on lower level High Priest, Disciple 1 and Narrator 2 stage left. Narrator 1 and Jesus stage right. Cantor and Disciple 2 below, distanced.] Narrator 1: Then one of...
read moreMark Passion 2020
For Holy Week 2020, Rev. Bert Marshall offers a video for you to use in your services, whether they are taking place online or in a sanctuary Bert has memorized the entire Gospel of Mark and this is his telling of the Passion story with guitar and drums. He offers this description: “It’s a bit different from my usual version; i.e. because I filmed it in my study at home there wasn’t room to move around so I did the whole thing sitting down. It’s also the debut of a new guitar background for the opening segment....
read moreMicah 6:8: benediction for a time apart
A simple and just-right benediction based on Micah 6:8. Written for 3/22/2020. Go in peace – to do justice – staying home is justice today; love mercy – be kind and gentle to yourself and others; and walk humbly with your God – God is beside you, in you, and from you, today and all days…Amen. © Rev. Sally May, 2020 Rev. Sally May is currently the pastor of Mallett’s Bay Congregational Church, UCC in Colchester, VT. She lives in Jeffersonville, VT. Her sense of call is rooted in worship, pastoral care, and...
read morePsalm 23 in a time of COVID-19
Here is a responsive reading of Psalm 23 in a time of COVID-19 written for a Sunday morning worship service, 3/22/2020. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; With God all things are possible; He makes me lie down in green pastures. Let us honor the sabbath so that we may find healing rest in the midst of the chaos of these times. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. There is no better time to trust in God who knows we need quiet and stillness to restore our anxious souls. He leads me in paths of righteousness...
read moreSpiritual Care Package
Below is a link to a simple weekly “spiritual care package” designed to be distributed to families and individuals in our congregation and beyond. It contains: 7 daily devotionals including scripture verse, visual meditation and prayer pages for families with children and youth It can be easily adapted to your timeframe, setting and needs. SPIRITUAL CARE PACKAGE © Hadley Bunting & Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen, 2020 Hadley is the Director of Family, Youth & Children and Kevin is the senior-pastor of Charlotte Congregational...
read moreAshes & Oil: 2020
The Ash Wednesday liturgy below is simple and traditional. After the imposition of ashes, though, we have added a time for congregants to come forward and share their need for healing with our pastors and deacons before being anointed with oil. This theme of healing and oil could be carried into Lent, used in other services leading up to Holy Week and also within Holy Week. Gathering Music Congregational Chant: “Come Bring Your Burdens” (S. Afr. Trad.; arr. Bell) Interrupting Word: Joel 2″1-12 & 12-17 Call to Confession Silent...
read moreStations of the Cross 2019
Below is a link to a booklet we used at Charlotte Congregational Church on Good Friday 2019 for an outdoor walking meditation. Our congregation made 14 crosses and then tied them to trees in the woods behind our church building. At 4PM we began walking from station to station, using this booklet to guide our reflections. The “Connection” for each station was written by Rev. Susan Cooke Kittredge and the “Prayer” for each station was adapted by Rev. Will Burhans from “The Stations of the Cross” written by Passionist Missionaries of Union...
read moreBlessing of the Palms 2019
A simple blessing of the palms for Palm Sunday 2019. Blessing of the Palms Christ, a very long time ago you mounted a colt, road over coats, and entered Jerusalem, as fickle crowds waved palm branches, and shouted, “Hosanna” and “blessed is he.” This morning we reenact the story: we reenact to deepen; we reenact to understand; we reenact to connect; we reenact to lament; and we reenact for reasons all our own. Christ, bless our reenactment, and bless our palms that they might be for us: a doorway into Holy Week; a portal...
read moreFinger Labyrinth
Here is a procedure outline for using a finger labyrinth in a service of worship. It could be adapted to fit into a variety of places during a special service or on a Sunday morning. Length is approximately 2-3 minutes. I usually print the labyrinth graphic on the front cover of the service bulletin for easy access but it could also be printed as an insert. Scripture reading can be changed according to service theme and season of the year. Introduction: (Say something like this) – “I invite us all now into a time of...
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