Appropriate for Maundy Thursday or any time throughout the year, this resource contains several sermons and a full-blown service of Holy Communion, Feetwashing, and Agape Meal (or Love Feast). Detailed bread recipes and instructions for all the preparations are included along with bulletin texts.Examination Service And Feetwashing Service Meditation: "Broken For You" Service: The Lords Supper Sermons Include: "Seeing A Familiar Friend All Over Again For The First Time" "Peter Asks A Question" "No Forks Or Napkins" Frank Ramirez is pastor of the Elkhart Valley Church of the Brethren in...

Busy pastors and worship leaders are always searching for worship elements that underline the scripture passages and provide a unifying theme. "A Call To Worship" answers that need, supplying a range of calls to worship, prayers, and litanies for each Sunday, all based on the readings for Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. A special feature is a weekly "children's benediction" that summarizes the day's theme in a brief phrase that young people can understand and repeat with the congregation. "A Call To Worship" is a valuable library of resources that you'll want to have right at your...

"The Christmas Star"is a potpourri of holiday gifts for those planning worship -- this charming collection includes three plays and five brief meditations suitable for reading during services or for use in bulletins and newsletters. The play"The Gifts Of Christmas"is a humorous take on the traditional Christmas pageant in which three teenagers try to decide what to get their grandmother for Christmas, only to discover that the gift she really desires is the Christmas story (enacted in the customary fashion)."The "Did Someone Forget To Plan" The Christmas Pageant "provides you with the...

Preparing to lead a congregation in worship each Sunday is a pressure-filled responsibility. That's why busy worship planners will love this all-new edition of a perennial favorite CSS reference. This resource is easy to use, with several prayers and a worship theme relating to the assigned scriptural passages for every Sunday and major observance in Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. For each First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel text there's a call to worship, a collect, a prayer of confession, and suggested hymns. This complete collection offers a wide selection of practical aids...

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105 NRSV)
Coming up with fresh, meaningful worship material each Sunday that illuminates scripture and preaching themes is a pressure-filled responsibility. That's why busy pastors and worship leaders will love this all-new edition of a perennial CSS favorite. It's an easy-to-use reference offering several prayers relating to the assigned scriptural passages for every Sunday and major observance in Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. For each First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel text there's a call to worship, a...

The practice of anointing for healing appears countless times in the Bible ? yet in many Christian traditions, anointing is seldom practiced today. But it is an essential rite that reminds us that God is firmly in control of all aspects of our lives. Anointing affirms and symbolizes our partnership with God, who is the true source of restoration and healing. Through the practice of anointing, we invite God to be part of the healing process for anyone who is sick physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Partners In Healing is a complete guide with all the resources you need to revive this...

Looking for something fresh and creative for the Advent season? Here's a charming set of five lighthearted plays that's sure to engage audiences and set the holiday spirit while remaining focused on the scriptural message. Written in whimsical rhyming verse, the scenes detail the prophecies of the Messiah and the story of the Incarnation through the interaction of three angels (Gabriel, Wonderful, and, Marvelous) with several biblical characters. Congregations of any size will find these sketches easy to use -- only a small cast is needed, and the readers? theater format means no extensive...

The Old Testament is a rich tapestry that details how God's plan of salvation was being worked out centuries before the birth of Christ. Yet many people in the pews are not as familiar as they should be with the Hebrew scriptures and their profound lessons for modern living. In this penetrating collection of spiritually enlightening messages based on the First Readings from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary, five distinguished preachers unlock the secrets of some often overlooked passages from the Old Testament and the Book of Acts. These sermons for each Sunday and major celebration...

This easy-to-use reference offers several prayers relating to the assigned scriptural passages for every Sunday and major observance in Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. For each First, Second, and Gospel reading there's a call to worship, a collect, a prayer of confession, and suggested hymns ? plenty of inspiring material to help you create fresh, meaningful worship services. Supplemental resources include numerous prayers for general use, worship material for Mother's Day, and a brief service for hunting season which highlights the connection between responsible hunting and God's...