Worship
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Liturgy and Prayers for Worship
As I prepare sermons, I attempt to begin a few weeks in advance. When I start, I currently use the liturgical texts (Revised Common Lectionary) printed double spaced. I mark them up extensively writing comments, summaries, questions, observations, etc… I, then, spend time developing the liturgy and choosing music for that service. Generally, the liturgy ties very closely to the passages for the service consistent with the Reformed Tradition. For most services, I write the Call to Worship, Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Pardon, and Prayer of Dedication. The Call to Worship is usually a portion of the Psalm of the day modified for a leader/congregation responsive…
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Scripture Index for Hymnal Lift Up Your Hearts
When I began at a church in rural Montana, the church used a hymnal with which I was not familiar. This Hymnal titled ”Lift Up Your Hearts: Songs for Creative Worship” was published by Geneva Press and copyrighted 1999. The selection committee includes Kevin R. Boyd, Peggy Brown, Lucile L. Hair, Harry C. Meissner, Sylvia Washer, and Linda White. It a hard-to-find hymnal, and it seems it was in print for only a short period of time. It does not have, however, a scriptural index; though, many hymns have a scriptural passage noted. In order to match songs to scripture passages in worship, I created a scriptural index for the…
