Come, O Emmanuel: A Service of Lessons and Carols
Since at least the eighth century, Christians have prepared to celebrate the birth of Christ by singing the O Antiphons. These seven songs, or antiphons, function as prayers asking for the Savior to come soon. Each employs a different name for the Messiah found in the Old Testament. In modern times, the O Antiphons are most commonly sung as the seven verses of the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The seven O Antiphons and their names for the Messiah guide this Lessons and Carols service.
November 2, 2026
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8 min read
Eight Simple Reminders for Trauma-Informed Worship
Reflections from a clinical psychologist who cares about the church.
October 14, 2026
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6 min read
Rebecca Snippe on Zeteosearch.org
Preachers, worship leaders, teachers, and others who study the Bible often go online to find resources for their research. Sorting through search results is often frustrating. But Zeteosearch.org—a revamped curated search engine—offers thought-provoking results.
October 1, 2026
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3 min read
Creation in Christ Sunday: A Worship Resource
Creation is struggling, and we are suffering with it! People around the world are reeling from natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, drought, floods, tornadoes, and typhoons.
October 1, 2026
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5 min read
Trauma-Informed Worship: A Priestly Act
Every person who enters Christian worship brings more than a body into the room. We bring our histories, relationships, memories, fears, wounds, hopes, and expectations. For some worshipers, those histories include trauma.
September 21, 2026
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17 min read
Attuning Your Philosophy to Enhance Your Creativity and Your Worship
As inhabitants of the modern age, we are deeply marked by skewed ways of thinking that thwart our humanness, our involvement with the world, and our spirituality. This is a philosophical tune-up that directly challenges and dispels modernity’s implicit philosophy. My philosophical proposals in my 2023 book Doorway to Artistry target the creative process, but they positively affect and bring healing to all arenas of life and work and worship. I pose that we as human persons are meant to live out a joyous “yes” to the real, and our involvement with the real takes the form of intimate encounter and communion. My approach reflects especially on God’s creative act and God’s created things. It taps epiphany, the redemptive encounter, and the Eucharist as paradigms for our knowing, our artistry, and all our everyday involvement with the world, so it should make us better at our stewardly dominion and voicing creation’s praise in worship.
September 14, 2026
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77 min video
We Need a Plan! Worship Planning 101
What basic models for worship planning are out there, and which patterns will work best in your context? Join a lively discussion of several worship planning models by the authors and pastors who use them. Bring your questions and suggestions as we learn together.
September 14, 2026
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76 min video
The Difference a Covenantal Vision Makes
Explore the compelling beauty of the Bible's covenantal vision of the divine-human relationship and the transformative difference this makes for how we worship the triune God. This session will feature insights from the authors of two influential books: Esther Lightcap Meek's Loving to Know: A Covenantal Epistemology and Daniel Block's Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption.
September 14, 2026
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77 min video
Worship with Teenagers: History Lessons for Ministry Today
Teenagers’ desire to encounter God has been realized throughout history as youth ministry has grown and evolved. Indeed, teenagers have expressed needs and desires to practice and grow their faith at church, school, and home as well as at camps and conferences or on short- and long-term mission trips. On the one hand, these worship efforts have been deeply formative. On the other hand, these worship efforts have focused on attracting and keeping teenagers as much as, if not more than, on spiritual formation. This session will identify key historical patterns in adolescent worship and examine how we might engage their wisdom for faithful worship practices with teenagers today.
September 14, 2026
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77 min video
Q&A with Worship Leader Kimberly Williams
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
September 14, 2026
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68 min video
Disability in Cultural Context
This panel will explore the intersectionality between culture and disability. What can we learn from the experiences of people across varying cultures and contexts? What do experiences of racism and ableism in the church have in common? How do they overlap? How does belonging for people with disabilities look different in a variety of cultural contexts?
September 14, 2026
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75 min video
Dreams Realized: Stories from Hispanic Worshiping Communities
In this panel, Hispanic pastors share the learnings and experiences lived by their congregations after completing projects related to the development of their understanding and practices about worship. Together, they represent a variety of Hispanic denominations as well as of "dreams" they were able to realize (learning about the Creeds, bilingual worship, multigenerational worship, worship in non-traditional settings). Their congregations were part of the first cohort of Hispanic congregations receiving "worship grants" under a new initiative CICW launched in July of 2022.
September 14, 2026
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67 min video
