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Published on
July 8, 2011
This resource guide for Ordinary Time includes sermon ideas, worship songs and hymns, visual arts, and readings to help you plan “ordinary” worship—times in the church year outside the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. The season’s liturgical color is green, symbolizing a time of growth in the Christian life. This guide also includes ideas for worship on Christ the King Sunday, Thanksgiving, and All Saints’ Day/Reformation Sunday.

Worship during Ordinary Time

After the church year cycles of Advent/Christmas/Epiphany and Lent/Easter/Pentecost, we enter a period called "Ordinary Time." In the context of the church year the term "ordinary" does not mean "usual or average; it means "not seasonal." In Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ not in one specific aspect but in all its aspects, and the readings during the liturgies of Ordinary Time help to instruct us on how to live out our Christian faith in our daily lives. The color for this season of growth is green. During the season after Epiphany, focus on Christ’s ministry in his manifestation as the Son of God; a preaching series on a particular theme, creed or book of the Bible might work well during the summer and fall months. Autumn also provides opportunities to celebrate Worldwide Communion Sunday, Reformation Day, the feast of All Saints, and Thanksgiving. Congregational growth can be nurtured by focusing on the work of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, exploring the teachings of the Church and the truths of God’s saving events in history, and committing ourselves to grow in obedience and service to our Lord.

Find more in The Worship Sourcebook.

Read a story about the Church and the Triune God and the Blessings of Multiple Translations.

Featured Resources

The Worship Sourcebook

The Worship Sourcebook offers many resources for planning services. Part One offers appropriate scriptures, sample prayers and other worship resources for each act of worship throughout the year, with suggestions for the Call to Worship, Opening Responses, Confession and Assurance, Prayers for Illumination, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Blessings. Part Two provides resources centered on themes of Creation, Providence, Thanksgiving, the Trinity, and Unity of the Church as well as for the Christian Year.

Reformed Worship magazine

Search for resources for Ordinary Time and various worship themes from our ministry partner, Reformed Worship magazine.

Coop's Column

Read Coop’s Column about a “Declaration of Dependence”

Center for Excellence in Preaching

Browse resources for "Beyond the Lectionary" from our ministry partner, Center for Excellence in Preaching.