Each year, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.
On Pentecost Sunday, we remember the story from the book of Acts about how the apostles gathered, were filled with the Spirit, and with tongues of fire resting above their heads, began spontaneously speaking in different languages.
This was the beginning of the church, in a way — a group of people that gathers together and goes forth to share the Gospel throughout the world.
For many churches, the lectionary (a pre-planned collection of readings to choose from each Sunday) is the guiding force behind worship planning.
Perhaps the two most well-known forms of the lectionary are the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a 3-year cycle first published in the early 1990s and the Ordo Lectionum Missae (1969) on which the RCL is based, which emerged after the Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council. (source)
The Ordo Lectionum Missae has been revised and updated (and translated into English) since then and is still used in many Catholic Churches (now called the Lectionary for Mass). The RCL, which is likely familiar to many of you, is used across denominations in churches around the world.
But, in the last several years, new lectionaries have emerged, giving churches an opportunity to explore new reading plans and guides for worship.
Last Fall, Mandy Davis of Central Presbyterian Church in Anderson, SC reached out to me for resources and music planning ideas for the relatively new Narrative Lectionary (2010), a 4-year reading plan that follows a more continuous, “narrative” approach, created by Luther Seminary. After exchanging a few emails, I asked if I could touch base with her later in the year to see how it’s going.
Today, I've invited Mandy on the blog to share her experiences (from a church musician's perspective) and talk about her favorite Narrative Lectionary resources. Enjoy!
What a beautiful sentiment about what we do as church musicians.
There’s something different about sharing music in a worship context - it becomes something greater than ourselves, more than we could make it on our own. In a way, we become the instruments, ready to be used by God, for His glory: “Take my voice and let me sing - always, only for my King."
I’ve written a few posts like this one, with music and worship-planning resources on a specific theme or topic. Here are the links, in case you missed them:
Today’s theme is Music. I’m writing this post for myself, really, because we’re in the midst of planning a Music Sunday at our church for later this Spring - a day to celebrate God’s gift of music and bring together as many of the church’s musicians as we can to offer our praise and thanksgiving.
Easter is one of the most joyous, celebratory, hope-filled Sundays of the church year. It’s the day we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant resurrection, the fulfillment of the prophecies, and the hope of everlasting life to come.
All of these things make Easter Sunday the perfect time to pull out all the stops (so to speak). From handbell choirs to soprano descants, brass ensembles to fanfares, there are lots of things you can plan to match the joyful spirit of the day and speak to the hope we celebrate.
But, there’s something more to the Easter story. That first Easter morning was a surprise.
Yes, Jesus had been talking about his death and resurrection (in metaphor) leading up to that day, but no one really understood what he meant. No one could comprehend what would happen. Especially after he was dead and buried in the tomb.
Holy Week is a special time in the church year.
We retell the old, old story of Jesus gathering with his disciples, washing their feet, and breaking bread with them; praying in the garden; being betrayed and condemned to death on a cross; and laid in a tomb sealed with a stone. It’s a somber week of remembrance and reflection on God’s great gifts of love, grace, forgiveness, and redemption. But, we all know how the story ends: with victory, resurrection, hope, and new life.
Some churches have services every day during Holy Week; others may have only one or two services. Maundy Thursday, the remembrance of the Last Supper, and Good Friday, the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for us, are the two most common Holy Week services.
We’re in the midst of finalizing our plans for our Maundy Thursday service this year and are leaning toward a more emergent service, with art, music, readings, and communion around the table.
Looking to create something similar for your church? Here’s my step-by-step process:
Throughout the Bible, there are many analogies of sheep and their shepherds:
Moses was a shepherd for the Israelites, leading them through the wilderness for 40 years.
David was a shepherd before he became King of Israel.
Jesus described himself as "the Good Shepherd” in John 10, one who “lays down his life for his sheep."
We hear about sheep and shepherds in the Parable of the Lost Sheep, where the shepherd went after the one sheep who had strayed from the fold and did not stop looking until he found it. We read about God as our shepherd in Psalm 23 and throughout the book of Psalms:
"But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness." (Psalm 78:52)
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." (Psalm 95:6-7)
"Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” - Dr. Seuss
There’s a lot of truth in that statement. And the exciting thing is, we are never done learning. There are always new ideas, new processes, new perspectives to discover, explore, and seek to understand.
Reading is a great way to escape, unwind, and rest, but it’s also a useful way to learn, grow, and find inspiration. In our work as musicians and teachers, directors and coordinators, worship leaders and planners, this is extremely important.
A few years ago, I shared a few book recommendations for church musicians - choir directors, children’s choir directors, organists and accompanists, and others. Today, I’m sharing a book list for worship leaders - those of you involved in planning, leading, and facilitating worship services (traditional, contemporary, and everything in between).
Lent, as a season, is about reflecting, simplifying, cleansing. It’s about searching our hearts, forgiveness, and grace. It’s also about love and freedom and growth.
It’s a time we remember Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days (hence the reason Lent is 40 days long), teaching the people about God’s love and how we should love others, breaking bread with his disciples, and living out God’s will for his life.
In Lent, we refocus on the renewing waters of baptism, the cleansing river, the fountain of grace.
Some say that the Sundays in Lent are not counted as part of the 40 days; rather, they are considered celebration days or “little Easters" (source). But I think this is missing the point a little: Lent is a journey, a time of self-reflection and examination of the heart, a time when we invite God in to do the work of shaping us and molding us into His likeness.
It’s a process, and it takes time.
How can we create space for this in worship? How can we make this season more meaningful? How can we capture the quietness, the self-reflection, the invitation to come just as we are in our Lenten services?
How do you plan a worship service? Where do you start?
It’s likely that the process looks different from church to church and worship planner to worship planner, but I thought it might be helpful to share an inside look at my worship planning process, from start to finish.
Before I do that, however, I want to share a few articles and resources that have been helpful to me:
UMC Discipleship - Worship Planning - sample orders of worship, sermon notes, hymn/song suggestions, and other resources (click “This Week’s Planning Resources” to see worship planning suggestions for each week)
A Single-Thread Worship Planning Model - an insightful look at integrated liturgy and the benefits of planning sermon series
The Nuts and Bolts of Worship Planning - "collected wisdom from 100 congregations"
There are some themes and symbols that appear over and over again in scripture: creation, light, bread, water. And every few weeks, I seem to find myself planning around a certain theme and searching for worship planning inspiration:
“hymns about light”
“songs about water”
“ribbon banner for worship”
You, too? Okay, good. Based on my own planning for a service later this spring, I’m sharing my favorite stories, music, and worship planning ideas for services about water.
Water symbolizes baptism and rebirth, healing and renewal, creation and order from chaos. It ebbs and flows, waves and ripples: a living, moving thing. It sustains us and life on earth. It cleanses us and makes us new.
