From Lament to Praise
When we gather for worship on New Year’s Eve, we do so to praise God for the past year—to thank God for the wonderful gifts he has given us and to remember his wonderful deeds. But what if our year has not been good? What if, when we think back on the year, all we can remember is pain and heartache?
Epiphany: Words of Hope
The idea for this service began in late November 2007. As a congregation we were not planning to hold a New Year’s Eve or a New Year’s Day service. So we asked the question, "How will we begin the new year on Epiphany Sunday?"
Bringing Our Pain to God: Michael Card and Calvin Seerveld on biblical lament in worship
Lament is an essential ingredient of honest faith, but what does biblical lament look or sound like in real congregations? A feature story exploring how Christians can bring their pain to God in worship.
Interview with C.R. “Kees” van Setten about the Power of Musical Lament to Reconcile Jews and Christians
In this email interview from spring 2008, van Setten tells how the music of lament has helped heal European Christians ashamed of how they’ve treated Jews and helped Jews feel God’s presence. He explains how combining lament and praise can enrich evangelical worship.
From Pastor-centered to Participative Worship
Many churches are renewing their worship by changing some practices, yet remaining true to their worship principles. A feature story about a congregation exploring renewal through teaching and intergenerational involvement.
Advanced Vocals and Vocal Arranging
This session covered how to sing effectively as a worship team, and how to make the truths you are singing come alive.
Symposium 2008 - Blended Worship: Good for the Body
The best argument for blended worship is that the body of Christ by definition is itself blended - therefore our services should reflect that reality.
Planning Worship for the Global Village
21st-century worship planners are faced with unique exciting challenges as the church answers the Spirit's call to be a place where all nations and cultures are invited to join in praise.
Christ's Priesthood and Our Praises
This workshop will explore the implications for liturgy and preaching which arrive from recognizing afresh 1-- the reality of Christ's priesthood and 2-- that we are, in George Herbert's phrase, "Secretaries of thy praise."
Finding Stories for Sunday's Sermon
Although sermon preparation involves lots of steps-everything from selecting a text to embodying the sermon on Sunday-the search for meaningful illustrative material during the week is often the most frustrating.
Reclaiming Funerals as Christian Worship
While funerals have often been seen as family affairs or private activities, the fact is that death impacts entire communities: both the faith community and the community at large.
An Invitation to 'The Liturgy of the Hours'
From the age of the Apostles, to the Early Church Fathers, to the Middle Ages, to the present, we are invited to join that great cloud of witnesses who have worshiped God around the clock from hour to hour, from one time-zone to the next, in ceaseless prayer and praise. This session explored how to incorporate the rhythm of what some call 'The Liturgy of the Hours' into busy contemporary life.