Planning Ahead: Worship in October
The highlight of the October calendar may be World Communion Sunday, when Christians everywhere celebrate what it means to belong to the body of Christ—"the holy catholic church, the communion of the saints." In celebrating the Lord's Supper, we most deeply celebrate our oneness in Christ.
October is also a time when Protestant communities commemorate Reformation Day. This is a day not to dwell on historical conflict among Christians, but rather to celebrate the truths most cherished by the Reformers, including the authority of scripture and the power of God's grace.
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Introduction to the Season of Ordinary Time
The name "Ordinary Time" sounds rather mundane, but as Alfred Fedak writes in Reformed Worship, "This designation is not meant to imply that these weeks represent an unimportant part of the Christian year. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Ordinary Time is a valuable reminder that the Christian life is an everyday vocation and is not reserved simply for special occasions. The very word ordinary derives from the Latin ordo, (“rule” or “order”); thus, these Sundays are numbered consecutively to mark the passage of time, which, like life itself, is a gift from God."
This season after Pentecost is also a season for growth—and in fact some churches use the name "Growing Time" for this season—as we celebrate our spiritual growth as individual believers and as the body of Christ.
Related Articles
The Pattern of the Christian Year
Ordinary Time: Counted Time of the Church Year by Dennis Bratcher (www.crivoice.org)
Extraordinary Worship During Ordinary Time by Harry Boonstra (Reformed Worship)
Lectionary Readings
Find the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for these Sundays from the Vanderbilt Lectionary Project
Find resources for these readings from the Revised Common Lectionary from TextWeek.com
Worship Service Ideas
- May We All Be One! World Communion Sunday (John 17)
- Come, All You People: A Service for World Communion Sunday (Reformed Worship)
- More World Communion Sunday worship resources
- The Immeasurable Riches of God's Grace: Celebrating Reformation Day (Ephesians 1-3)
- A Doxology to Grace: Celebrating Reformation Day (Ephesians 1, 2 Timothy 1, Romans 11)
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Series Ideas
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- sermon series suggestions from the Center for Excellence in Preaching
More Planning Ideas and Resources
- Reformed Worship
- Center for Excellence in Preaching: This Week
- Ministry Resource Center
- The Text This Week
- Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Worship Planning Basics
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