Planning Ahead for Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter

What are some ideas you have for creative Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter services?

Last year, we celebrated Palm/Passion Sunday by reading the entire passion story from Mark 14 and 15 in place of the sermon. So many times people skip from the triumphal entry to Easter Sunday. I wanted them to hear the whole story.

I was the narrator, and I assigned the other speaking parts to people in the congregation. They spoke their lines from their seats. I used Eugene Peterson’s The Message version of the Bible. I wanted people to hear the familiar words in a new way. (That doesn’t always work. I did the same thing with our Christmas Lessons and Carols. At least one person didn’t like it. At times, the familiar words are more important than hearing it in a new way.)

Any other creative ideas for the upcoming season of Lent and Easter?

Creative Worship Ideas: Ash Wednesday

Now that Christmas and Epiphany are over, let’s start thinking about Lent, Palm Sunday and Easter. In fact, let’s throw Ash Wednesday in there.

Ash Wednesday Service
Ash Wednesday is February 17 this year. Does your church usually have an Ash Wednesday service or not? Do you impose ashes? I don’t know how many Ash Wednesday services my home church had growing up, but it feels like it was always a part of my tradition. I love evening services with candlelight and ritual. I love Ash Wednesday services.

I found my favorite Ash Wednesday service online in 2000. It’s from Heather Kirk-Davidoff, Pastor of First Congregational Church of Somerville, Massachusetts, by way of Sue Hamly. Thanks to both of you!

At the beginning of the service are a few words of welcome and introduction. Then there is 20 minutes of meditation time, with keyboard music or Taize songs. People could choose to simply sit in their seats, listen to the music, and pray or reflect. Or they could visit one or more “reflection table” that was set up with a few chairs around each one.

There were four tables. At each table was clay, water, oil, or ashes. There were cards with a scripture passage, a reflection, and an action for each element.

After the 20 minute meditation period, we had a tradition Ash Wednesday service, with imposition of the ashes, taken from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.

Here is what I put on the cards for each station:

CLAY
Jeremiah 18:1-6
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
5Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

Reflection: One of the ways in which sin is described in the Bible is as a “hardness of heart.” Do you ever feel that your heart is hard, that it is inflexible or judgmental? Do you keep your guard up in your relationships with others and/or with God? Reflect on the way in which this is true.

Action: Take a piece of clay. Warm it in your hands and knead it until it becomes pliable. Give it a new shape – perhaps a small bowl which could symbolize receptivity to God and to God’s forgiving love.

WATER
Psalm 51:10-12
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Reflection: One of the ways in which we can understand Lent is to see it as “Spring Cleaning.” Just as we will clean our houses in preparation for a visit from a special guest, so we take time to examine our lives in preparation for our encounter with the risen Christ at Easter. Are there closets where you store past resentments? Clean them out! Is there a sink full of dishes with the residue of negative behaviors? Start scrubbing!

Action: Dip your hands into the water in the bowl on the table before you, and wipe your hands dry on the cloth provided. As you do so, reflect on what your life could be like, thoroughly rinsed with God’s love. Take a marble as a reminder of God’s cleansing love.

OIL
Lamentations 3:19-23
19The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
is wormwood and gall!
20My soul continually thinks of it
and is bowed down within me.
21But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Reflection: The author of Lamentations spends most of his time complaining, both about the world’s afflictions and his own. One thought gives him or her peace: the steadfast love of God. The knowledge of God’s unshakable love, even in the midst of trouble, is finally the grease which makes the squeaky wheel of lamentation fall silent.

Action: Dip your finger in the oil in the bowl on the table before you and smooth it onto the back of your hand. As you do, reflect on the parts of your life which are stiff and squeaky – places where you are stuck, places which give you cause for continual complaint. Consider how the love of God might lubricate these parts of your life, renewing them, making them usable in a way they have not been before.

ASHES
Genesis 3:19c
19 “…you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Reflection: Ash Wednesday used to begin a season of 40 days of deadly serious penance. It included a type of fasting far stricter than most diets today, embracing the absence of all life’s pleasures and enjoyments. There is evidence that marking the face or body with ashes began in Gaul in the 6th century and was at first confined to public penitents doing penance for grace and notorious sin, whom the clergy tried to comfort and encourage by submitting themselves to the same public humiliation. For our spiritual ancestors, the people of Jewish and other Near Eastern cultures, wearing ashes was a sign of mourning and lamenting. Ashes were usually associated with sackcloth, which was the clothing worn to mourn the death of a beloved or to lament a personal or communal disaster. Humans are the only species we know of who are capable of contemplating their own death. Yet few of us do. Ash Wednesday challenges us to reflect on our own death so that we can truly embrace life. The mark of ashes reminds us that only by a Christ-like death can we experience the promise of Easter’s life.

Action: Dip your finger in the charcoal and make a cross on the back of your hand. Press firmly. (It may work best in the same spot where you have already rubbed in the oil.) Reflect on the gift of life over death symbolized by the cross. Offer this prayer: O God, may I often remember the symbol of the cross upon my hand and say, “I am dust that will return to dust, yet in You I trust.”

The first time I led this service, a family came with four children. The kids loved it! As did the adults.

Using a Song as the Focus of Worship

The scripture passage I’m preaching on this Sunday is Luke 1:39-56, which includes the Magnificat, the Song of Mary. I’ve been playing around with ideas for the sermon. One is the theme of joy in the gospel of Luke. Another is God as Savior. Not just Jesus Christ, but God, too, has that role.

I knew that the Presbyterian Hymnal has a musical version of the Song of Mary. I’ve never sung it in church. It’s a bit of a difficult tune. Then I pulled out my copy of Gather, a contemporary hymnbook from GIA Music. I saw it last year when I went to our community’s Christmas Musicale held in St. Mary’s Catholic Church. (I always like to look at the books in the pews when I visit other churches. I get good ideas that way). Gather had “God Has Chosen Me” in it, one of my favorite songs, so I ordered a copy of the hymnbook as reference.

This year, again at the Christmas Musicale, the Catholic church choir performed “Canticle of the Turning.” It’s an Irish tune, and I love Irish music.

When I looked through Gather to find musical versions of the Magnificat (I figured a Catholic hymnbook would have loads to choose from), what did I find but “Canticle of the Turning.” Turns out that beautiful song was a musical version of the Song of Mary.

So I’m playing with ideas of how to incorporate it into our worship service this week. There’s a video with the song on YouTube (be careful with usage issues.) I’ve purchased a download of the song by Rory Cooney, Gary Daigle, and Theresa Donohoo. I’d like to show a video or play the song sometime during worship. Perhaps instead of reading that portion of scripture, or right after I read it and before the sermon. Or during the sermon. Or for the offertory. And I’m leaning toward using “the world is about to turn” as the theme of my sermon.

How you ever used a song as the focus of worship?

Advent Prayer Stations

Steve Taylor, over at sustain:if:able kiwi wrote a great post on prayer stations for Advent.

Ever since the suggestion was made at the Synod School Creative Worship class, I’ve been thinking about it. Perhaps now is the time.

Steve’s three suggestions are:

Scriptural prayer: Consider the words from Numbers 6:24-27. What strikes you? What questions would you like to ask the writer? In the white space, around the words, write or draw your comments and questions.

You could use any scripture passage you want, the same one throughout Advent or different ones each week, the sermon scripture or another scripture passage.

Intercession bowl: Write or draw the names of people and places you want to see blessed this Christmas. Place them in the bowl.

This sounds like a very easy one to start with. Our children’s Sunday school is using The Way of the Child, which has several stations for individual work. I could use the intercession bowl at one of the stations during Advent.

Fridge magnet prayers: The Bible is written in Hebrew and Greek. As words are translated, they take on different shades of meaning. This provides an opportunity for prayer and reflection. First, consider words of similar meaning.

(spread on table — lord/protector/saviour/redeemer/provider/the/and/you/us/his/her/with/in/be/bless/benedict/kiss/impart/watch/guard/keep/strengthen/sustain/protect/shine/glow/highlight/enlighten/illuminate/magnify/reflect/gracious/kind/merciful/give favour/hug/lift up/hold/extend/face/peace/shalom/tranquility/whole of life)

Second, arrange the words into your prayer of blessing. When you are satisfied with your work, write your prayer in the Advent journal. Please note that by writing out your prayer, we are asking your permission to display it publicly, perhaps on the church website or projected at a service or in an outside art installation.

Sometimes when we’re asked to write a prayer, we have a hard time. But if the words are already there and all we have to do is arrange them, I think more people would try. The prayers that Steve’s church came up with are beautiful.

Redeemer, wholeness of my life, illuminate your will and love
Provider, sustain me through life, provide me with your blessings
Protector, be gracious to me, be merciful
Saviour, show me your peace. Shalom.

The Lord give you his favour with the whole-of-life-shalom
The Lord bless you
Face to face. Amen

For Ill and old people; Merciful protector
Hold
Kiss
Keep
Guard
Watch in the whole of life

Have you ever set up prayer stations in worship or other places?

World Communion Sunday

How are we celebrating World Communion Sunday at First Presbyterian Church in Centerville, Iowa this Sunday?

At the beginning of worship, we’re showing the video for the Peacemaking Offering of the Presbyterian Church USA. (I tried to show it last Sunday, but the speaker wouldn’t work. Always have a Plan B for your technology. My Plan B — which I made up on the spot — was to briefly explain what the Offering was about.)

The congregation, with the help of the choir and a cantor, will sing “Come, All You People” from Sing the Faith. It’s a song from Zimbabwe, Africa. My congregation has heard it before on CD sung by the Embangweni, Malawi choir, but they’ve never sung it before. We’ll have an opening prayer, and then we’ll sing “Halle, Halle, Halleluja,” also from Sing the Faith. This song is from the Caribbean. Our children, who have been practicing playing rhythm instruments with the song, will join in.

For the children’s sermon, I’m going to talk about bread from different parts of the world, and how people from all over the world will be celebrating communion today. I’ve got tortillas, matza, a bagel, pretzels, rice cakes, a loaf of sour dough, and pita bread. This idea came from the children’s activity sheet from the Presbyterian Church resources.

During the Prayers of the People, we’ll be praying specifically for Malawi, Africa, Egypt, and El Salvador, because our congregation has a relationship with these three countries. I’ve been to Malawi on three mission trips, we support a mission co-worker in Egypt, and our Presbytery has a partnership with a parish in El Salvador. We’ll also be praying for the people of the Philippines. One way to pray for people all over the world is to use the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. The Cycle lists countries to pray for each week, and gives information and prayer requests from each country.

We’ll receive communion by intinction, and we’ll have pieces of each of the different breads we used in the children’s sermon available. People can choose which bread to take. And we’ll project pictures of people from different countries as the organist is playing. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has a great section on worldwide worship.

What are you doing for World Communion Sunday? Post a comment with your ideas. I will create a page devoted to World Communion Sunday, and other seasons such as Advent and Lent, so that we can share our ideas with one another.

Using Simple Drama in Worship

Go with your strengths. If you don’t have people who are gifted and passionate about drama, don’t do it.

Drama is not my strength. I organized a “Last Supper” drama for Maundy Thursday one year. No one had speaking parts, but I still went crazy trying to organize it. Never again.

My friend Linda, on the other hand, is very talented in drama. She’s active in community theatre as an actor, playwright, and director. She’s turned the history of Marion, Illinois into a play. And she’s written quite a few short dramas for worship. I wish Linda were at my church. Perhaps someday she’ll write a post about how she started the drama ministry at her new church.

But there are ways you can use drama in worship even if you don’t have people like Linda.

Dramatize the Scripture Reading
I attended a seminar with Bible scholar F. Dale Bruner. Each morning he would teach a passage from the gospel of John. Before he taught, he would do a dramatic reading of the passage from memory, sometimes paraphrasing and adding simple motions. He said that when he taught in the Philippines, it was so hot that people kept falling asleep in his afternoon classes. So his wife, Kathy, suggested that he memorize the passage and his lecture. It brought the passage alive and kept people interested.

One of the steps I’ve added to my sermon preparation process is to read the passage out loud several times. If I do that every day before Sunday, I’ll be able to dramatize the passage even if I don’t memorize it completely.

Another simple way to dramatize Scripture is to have different voices reading different parts. The scripture I used last Sunday was Psalm 148. I read the odd verses, and the lay leader read the even verses. Very simple, yet we got several comments that people really liked it. Adding one or more voices helps people hear and understand the passage better.

For Palm/Passion Sunday last year, instead of a sermon, we did a dramatic reading of the whole passion story, using Eugene Peterson’s The Message. I read the narration, and the other voices came from people sitting in the congregation.

Reformed Worship
Readers Theater is when you have two or more people reading a script without movement, costumes, or memorization. It takes a little more work to coordinate, but is a good way to start adding simple drama.

The journal Reformed Worship is an excellent source of Readers Theater dramas. All but the last two issues are available online. It’s worth the price of the subscription.

John C. Bush uses a service for Good Friday at his church, And There Was Darkness. The heart of the service is two readers reading from the gospel of Luke, alternating between the birth narrative and the crucifixion. It’s one of the most powerful readings I’ve seen.

Bert Witvoet wrote two “dialogues with scripture” using the Ten Commandments and the 23rd Psalm. He says,

Here is a fresh approach to the reading of the Ten Commandments and of Psalm 23. People tend to tune out when they hear an overly familiar passage of Scripture. Juxtaposing the way our society expresses its views on moral issues with the commandments gives the reading fresh meaning…

Iona Resources
I’ve found the Iona books Cloth for the Cradle, Stages on the Way, and Present on Earth very helpful. They contain prayers, readings, scripts, and symbolic actions. The language is fresh. Even though I haven’t done much with the scripts, I’ve used many of the prayers and readings.

Special Seasons
Special seasons are a good time to incorporate drama into worship because people are a little more open to new things during Lent and Advent. Perhaps this Christmas would be a good time to try drama.

How do you incorporate drama into your worship?

More World Communion Sunday Ideas

I want my congregation to know that we worship with Christians around the world. So we use elements from other cultures in our services.

This Is the Good News
One idea is to use the song “This is the Good News” (#598 in the Presbyterian Hymnal). The tune is a Native American (Dakota) melody, and the words make a perfect affirmation of faith. When I used it in our alternative worship service, I played the recorder (an instrument that sounds similar to a Native American flute), and someone else led the people in saying the words together.

This is the good news which we received
in which we stand,
and by which we are saved:
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried,
that He appeared to Peter,
then to the twelve and to many faithful witnesses.
We believe He is the Christ,
the Son of the Living God.
He is the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.
He is our Lord and our God. Amen.

The Maasai Creed
The second idea is also an affirmation of faith. It’s the Maasai Creed, which was written in the 1960s for the Maasai people of Africa. I heard about it on NPR’s Speaking of Faith.

We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created man and wanted man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth. We have known this High God in the darkness, and now we know him in the light. God promised in the book of his word, the Bible, that he would save the world and all nations and tribes.

We believe that God made good his promise by sending his son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He was buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from that grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.

Songs for Communion

My friend Darin asked for suggestions for songs to use during communion.

But before we get into specific songs, let’s talk about music during communion.

Live vs. Recorded Music
I was taught that live music is always best. Perhaps that used to be true, but I want to make the case that recorded music can be as good, or sometimes better.

I did pulpit supply for a small church that had a dear older woman playing the organ. She’d been playing it for years, but she didn’t have much rhythm. The first time I preached I thought I had chosen a hymn the congregation didn’t know because it didn’t go very well. I learned the next time it wasn’t the hymns I’d chosen. The church had started singing contemporary praise songs to CDs at the beginning of the service. It was a better choice for them than the organ, especially for newer songs with more syncopation.

Technology needs to be invisible. Technology shouldn’t distract us from worshipping God. Whether we have live or recorded music, it needs to flow. If a CD doesn’t start right away or the wrong song comes up, that gets in the way of worshipping. But technology has gotten better over the years so it’s easier to use recorded music in worship. And it sounds better.

Instrumental vs. Words
I grew up with the organist playing instrumental music during communion. The first time I remember singing during communion was at seminary. We sang simple songs like Let Us Break Bread Together. I’ve come to appreciate singing during communion. When the songs are simple and the words are printed in the bulletin, people can drop in and out as they receive the elements.

If the organist plays, he or she could play a song that the congregation will sing later in the service, or one that the congregation knows. When I hear an instrumental version of a song I know, the words are in my mind without having to sing them out loud.

Another option is to have the choir sing during communion. Some songs have a refrain where the congregation can join in.

You could play recorded music of instruments you don’t usually have in worship, like the harp or violin. I have a CD of hymns played with an acoustic guitar. Or you could have special music where an instrument or group of instruments is played during communion.

Silence
Another option is to receive the elements in silence. Our world is so loud we need silence. Even if we don’t realize it, I think we crave silence. If I were using silence during communion, I would introduce it and warn people that it might be uncomfortable at first.

Suggestions
Now, on to the music suggestions.

I use short songs with the words printed in the bulletin. I used to lead a Taize service where we would sing short, contemplative songs over and over. I would always sing to provide a guiding voice. One day, the fourth time through one of the songs, I dropped out and listened to everyone else singing. Listening to others sing was just as nourishing as singing myself.

Here’s a list of songs I would suggest. I’ve provided links so you can hear the song, but I encourage you to find a recorded version you like, or use written music.

Let Us Break Bread Together
One Bread, One Body
I Am the Bread of Life

Taize songs (many of which are in Sing the Faith):
Eat This Bread
In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful
Stay With Me
Holy Spirit, Come to Us
Nothing Can Trouble
Come and Fill Our Hearts

Some contemporary songs I’ve used include:
Breathe
Draw Me Close
I Love You Lord

Church of the Apostles, an emerging church in Seattle, Washington, has a song, You Are the Bread of Life, on their Ordo CD. They don’t have a sample of it online, but you can buy the album here or listen to their morning and evening prayers here.

David Haas, an author and composer of contemporary Catholic liturgical music, has two CDs of communion songs that might be worth checking out:
Table Songs: Music for Communion
Table Songs 2: Music for Communion

As I was checking out resources online, someone said his favorite communion song was “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” I know it as an advent carol. I love the song. It’s from a 4th century communion prayer. I’d love to have someone singing it a cappella during communion. Or perhaps like this.

If you do choose to play a recorded song, make sure you let your organist know. I forgot to once, and he was a bit upset with me, but he forgave me because he liked the song, God Has Chosen Me.

What are your favorite communion songs?

What Is Fresh Worship? Pt. 2

When I started this blog, I hoped to have a complete definition of “fresh worship.” I realized I just had to start, and the definition would work itself out.

I’m reading Debra and Ron Rienstra’s book Worship Words. Excellent book. I’ll do a review on it as soon as I’m done. It’s a very dense book, so it’s taking me a while to get through. Debra also did a workshop on Crafting Prayers and Other Words for Worship at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship 2007 Worship Symposium.

Debra is an English professor and writer. She says in her chapter on naming God:

Through my scholarly study of English devotional poetry of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as my interest in contemporary poetry by people of faith, I have come to realize that vivid, startling poetic language about God can pierce the heart in ways that familiar, traditional terms sometimes cannot do precisely because of their familiarity.

That’s what I mean by “fresh worship”: vivid, startling language and actions and images and music that pierce the heart.

Another English professor recommended pastors read poetry. Not to use in sermons because, she said, that rarely works. But to learn how to use language in fresh ways.

My favorite worship resources use language in fresh ways. Resources from the Iona Community do that, perhaps partly because they’re from Scotland, and words from other countries often have a different twist. I use their communion liturgy, which starts:

He was always the guest.

In the homes of Peter and Jairus,
Martha and Mary, Joanna and Susanna,
he was always the guest.

At the meal tables of the wealthy
where he pled the case of the poor,
he was always the guest.

Upsetting polite company,
befriending isolated people,
welcoming the stranger,
he was always the guest.

But here, at this table, he is the host.

You can purchase Iona Resources in the United States through Gia Music.

My husband and I are re-watching The West Wing. When Toby and Sam, the president’s speechwriters, talk about phrases that move people, I always say, “I want to write like that.” I’m better at finding good resources than creating my own. But maybe, if I sit with the scripture passage long enough, and revise my initial attempts, and learn from poetry and other good literature, my words will become fresh and able to pierce people’s hearts and help them move toward God.

Creative Worship Ideas: World Communion Sunday

Have you started planning for World Communion Sunday yet? Do you have any creative worship ideas?

I’ve been planning both our kick-off Sunday (September 13) and World Communion Sunday (October 4), so I’ll throw out some ideas and see if it sparks your creativity.

Kick-off Sunday
We want the kick-off Sunday to be full of energy and Spirit. The scripture passage will be Psalm 150 and the theme will be praising the Lord. Right after the announcements, we’ll play a video of Let Everything (that has breath praise the Lord). During the opening hymn, we’ll have the choir, and the children playing rhythm instruments, processing in to “Halle, Halle, Halle.” It’s a great song. I want to teach it to our congregation so we can use it on a regular basis. It works well for a call to worship or after the declaration of pardon. We might use it on our “First Sunday.” On the first Sunday of the month, people bring food and money for our local food bank, and the children collect the items after the children’s sermon. I wanted to find a version of the song on CD so I could teach the children during Sunday school. And I found a wonderful CD from John Bell of Iona, Sing with the World. It has songs from all over the world, sung in the native language and in English. You can download individual songs or the whole CD. The CD and song book are also available through Gia Music. Perhaps we’ll also use one of the songs for World Communion Sunday.

World Communion Sunday
We’re going to use a different type of bread. The United Church of Christ has some great World Communion Sunday ideas, including recipes for breads from different countries. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has some good resources, especially if your church is receiving the Peacemaking Offering. One of the best ways to introduce video into your church is to show the videos that the PCUSA produces for special offerings. We’ll probably show ours a few weeks before to prepare people for the offering.

Our church has a special relationship with Malawi, Egypt, and El Salvador. So we’re going to highlight those countries throughout the service, perhaps having the children pass out flags, or short updates on what God is doing there and how we’re helping.

What are some of the creative worship ideas you have for kick-off Sunday or World Communion Sunday?