Contagious Sundays

Welcome to the new Sacredise Lectionary Worship Resources blog!

After years of providing worship resources linked to the Revised Common Lectionary, I finally have a dedicated place for these resources to live. Each week, on this blog, I will post summaries of the lectionary readings and reflections on the themes that emerge from them, suggestions for applying these themes to our Christian walk on both local and global scales, and links to music, prayers, liturgies, images, videos and other resources that support expressing these themes creatively, and meaningfully in worship. My primary goal in offering these resources is to help you create worship services that are contagious – not just in the sense that they are attractive and draw people into church, but in the sense that what people ‘catch’ in worship on Sunday, they will carry with them into the rest of their lives.

I work about four weeks in advance, in order to give you lots of time to prepare to use these resources well, so you may want to subscribe to the email updates and then save the emails on your system for reference when you need them. Alternatively, the site is fully searchable, so you can just search for the week you need when you need it.

So, thanks for visiting. I hope you find this to be a place you come back to often. And feel free to spread the word to anyone you know who could use these resources.

Grace

John

Year C – Advent Sunday

Below is a selection of resources and links for Advent Sunday for Year C, which, of course we celebrate on November 29. The readings speak of God’s constantly coming reign, and the need for us to be watchful to recognise it and receive it. In tough times like these, it’s good to have this reminder that God is at work even in the most tragic places in our world.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 33:14-16: God’s promise to raise up a descendant of David to reign in Israel & bring goodness, rightness & justice.

Psalm 25:1-10:  A prayer for God’s compassion, forgiveness and leading, that praises God’s righteousness, compassion & love.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13:  Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians that they may grow in love, and have strong and holy hearts when Jesus returns.

Luke 21:25-36: Jesus speaks of the signs that show the coming of God’s reign, and calls for his followers to be watchful & alert.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The coming of God’s reign is a central focus of this week’s readings. Through Jeremiah God promises a leader like David for God’s people. The Psalmist prays for such leadership and guidance. In his prayer for the Thessalonians, Paul asks them to place themselves under God’s reign, and to grow in love, able to show how they have lived as Jesus did when he returns. Finally, in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus calls for us to be watchful and aware of what is happening around  us, and open the the coming of God’s reign – and this does not just apply to the end, but to all times.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The season of Advent calls us to remember the God who comes to us – past, present and future. In the light of God’s eternal reign, we cannot help but reflect on our own priorities. Our lives in this world are called to reflect values that last and that have universal value. This calls us to be aware of the signs of God’s reign that are already visible in our world – in places of peace, restoration and sacrificial service – and to be part of calling out God’s reign in other places – places of need, violence and self-interest. Projects like the Advent Conspiracy (http://www.adventconspiracy.org/) offer a great opportunity to live out our faith in God’s coming reign.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Advent reminds us that in the midst of our daily struggles and victories, there is another reality at work, one that, if we remain aware and connected to it, will fill every detail of our lives with greater meaning & purpose. As we enter this season, we are called to watch, and to look for the signs of God’s reign around us, and then to co-operate with those signs, calling them into the light, and offering our love and strength to make God’s reign even more visible in our families, churches and communities.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Watching
Expecting
O Come Emmanuel
A New World

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas

Hymns:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Creator Of The Stars Of Night
Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending
How Long We’ve Waited (New Hymn)
Longing (New Hymn)
Prepare The Way (Link to MySpace video)
Come Now Is The Time (Link to YouTube video)
Father, Spirit, Jesus (Link to YouTube video)
Marvellous Light (Link to album previews – scroll down for this song)
Advent Songs by Sojourn (A great album of new interpretations and new songs for the Advent season – and it’s available free or for a donation)

Images:
A Collection of Advent Candle Images from Worship Photos
Advent from Image Bank (and the same image without the words)
Church PowerPoint Backgrounds in Advent Liturgical Colour
Advent Backgrounds at ShareFaith

Video:
The Return Of Christ (The Work Of The People)
Advent – Christmas (SermonSpice)
Advent – He Comes (SermonSpice)
Other Advent Video Resources from SermonSpice

Additional Advent Resources & Reflections:
Sacredise Advent & Christmas Page
Advent (Taylor Burton-Edwards – GBOD)
The Text This Week

Year C – Advent 2

The work of preparation continues in the Advent journey this week. With a Gospel focus on John the Baptist, preparation for God’s work of forgiveness and restoration comes through as a strong theme.

READINGS:  
Baruch 5:1-9: A prophecy of God’s restoration of Israel in justice and mercy.
OR Malachi 3:1-4: God is sending God’s messenger to prepare for God’s coming, and God’s people and God’s priests will be refined and made pure.

Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song of thanksgiving for God’s rescue of Israel, and his proclamation of his son, John, as the messenger who will prepare the way for God’s coming.

Philippians 1:3-11: Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians, his desire for them to grow in love and purity, and his assurance that Christ will complete the work begun in them.

Luke 3:1-6: John begins his ministry of baptism and preaching, preparing the people for God’s coming.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:    
God is always coming, always available to God’s people, and always working for restoration. But, receiving God’s coming takes preparation, and so God sends a messenger to do this work, to prepare God’s people for God’s coming. The challenge in these passages is for us to embrace the work of preparation for ourselves – opening ourselves to God’s restoring, cleansing and disturbing work, and making our hearts ready for us to be messengers of God’s restorative justice and mercy to the world.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:    
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In a world where measurement happens on a quarterly basis, effective preparation is often sacrificed on the altar of expediency and immediacy. We are all too keen to declare the current recession “over” without taking the time to make the necessary changes to correct the flaws in our systems. The same applies to climate change science, addressing poverty, AIDS and conflict. The prophetic message of Advent is that we need to reflect on our brokenness as revealed in times like these, and prepare ourselves to go forward and do the necessary, lasting work of true restoration. These thoughts could apply particularly to the Climate Change Conference which starts tomorrow (Dec. 7) in Copenhagen.
LOCAL APPLICATION: How much of the day do we spend in reaction? So much pain and injustice is caused simply because we react in fear, anger, self-protection or simply impatience. However, if we can develop a prepared heart, we can more easily slow down, reflect and then act with wisdom and grace. Preparation – particularly of the heart – is restorative. It’s a proactive stance that frees us from our selves and our destructive or unhelpful patterns of behaviour and moves us into a life that more easily considers, serves and brings restoration to others. We need John’s to call us to this work of preparation & then we need to be John’s for others.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
New Days
Messengers

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy of Creation and Communion (If you are picking up on the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen)

Hymns: 
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Love Divine All Loves Excelling
Hail To The Lord’s Anointed
Messenger (New Hymn)
Clear The Path (New Hymn)
Hark The Glad Sound!
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)
God Will Make A Way (Link to YouTube video)
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
Over The Mountains And The Sea (I could sing of your love forever) (Link to YouTube video)

Video:
Recapturing Advent (The Work Of The People)
John The Baptist (SermonSpice)
A Voice In The Wilderness (The Work Of The People)

Additional Advent Resources & Reflections:
Sacredise Advent & Christmas Page
GBOD

Trinity Sunday C

This week, instead of celebrating a biblical event or a characteristic
of God, the lectionary leads us to celebrate a doctrine – the Trinity.
In the face of this “theological” theme, it can be tempting to avoid the lectionary altogether, but the doctrine Trinity can be an exciting and creative playground in which to worship.

May you be inspired as you prepare, and transformed as you worship this week!

READINGS:
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31: Wisdom sings of being with God at the creaiton of the world, and of humanity.

Psalm 8: A song of God’s majesty, and the honour God has given to humanity.

Romans 5:1-5: In Christ God has given us peace and a place of privilege, and has also strengthened us by giving us the Spirit.

John 16:12-15: Jesus promises the Spirit who will lead us into truth, and teach us all that belongs to Jesus and the Father.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The theme this week is clear – the nature of God as Triune. This “difficult” doctrine of the Church is a tough one to address in a sermon or in worship, which tempts us either to treat it as an academic exercise, or to skip over it completely. However, the very mystery of this doctrine – and of the texts that are wrapped around it this week – provide a wonderful array of options. There is the opportunity to acknowledge again the limitations of our language and thinking about God, and to embrace God’s glorious, infinite mystery. There is the chance to recognise how God has chosen to reveal God’s self to humanity in flesh and Spirit, and how Jesus and the Spirit really do show us what God is like. There is also the chance to recognise the work of all three Persons in the life of every woman and man. There is also the opportunity to explore God’s nature as community, as Love, as relationship, and what this means for us. Ultimately, though it is wise to bear in mind Richard Rohr’s words: “Trinity leads you into the world of mystery and humility where you can not understand, you can only experience.” And perhaps the heart of that experience is ‘mutuality’ – of God within God, and, miraculously, of God with humanity.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: One of the massive challenges facing our world is competing ideas about God. This does not only apply to religions in conflict, but also to the way God is viewed from the perspective of the sciences – physics, anthropology, sociology and psychology. Within these competing visions of the divine lies the problem of human arrogance, and the need to impose our visions on others. Ultimately when we believe that God is on our side (who or whatever that God may be – from the warrior of a fundamentalist to the science of a Dawkins), we easily deny the humanity, the wisdom and/or the worship of others. As followers of Jesus, though, we are offered a vision that denies us this arrogance. It makes our speaking and thinking about God hesitant and humble, because we are forced to acknowledge the mystery behind the words. It also calls us to allow God’s relational image within us to shine forth, leading us to seek connection, mutuality and love with all. These are not two separate attitudes. Humility and mutuality are based on each other, and are a necessary ingredient for any work of reconciliation, peace-making and problem-solving in a world where the struggles we face are bigger than any one person or group.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In the Western culture of individuality and self-interest, we too easily lose our sense of connectedness and responsibility for others and for the collective. In the Eastern and African cultures of community and social responsibility, we too easily lose our sense of self-determination and accountability. In both cases, the vision of God that is offered to us in the Trinity gives us what we lack, and enables us to lean into the paradox which values both individuality and mutuality. In our communities and churches, then, we recognise God’s call to hold individuals accountable – those in leadership, and those who follow – and to challenge each one to take responsibility and live faithfully and justly (there are no grand children in faith!). But, we also recognise God’s call to bring people into humble, respectful, compassionate and generous relationships of mutuality and sharing, in which grace and respect and mercy triumph over judgment, exclusion and partisanship. The Trinity reveals to us both God’s confrontation of our human weakness, sinfulness and injustice, and God’s invitation to share in God’s love and mutuality in communities of faith. The glory is that justice can only truly be enacted when the trust of mutuality is assured, and mutuality can only be maintained when justice is upheld. We are called both to live this truth, adn to proclaim it to the world.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Life-Giving, – Restoring, -Fulfilling God
God, Saviour, Counsellor
A Desperate World

Hymn Suggestions:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Father, We Praise Thee
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Immortal Invisible
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
Father, Spirit, Jesus (Link to YouTube video)
Praise The Father, Praise The Son (Link to YouTube video)
Glorify Your Name (Link to YouTube video – best one I could find, I’m afraid!)
Father, I Adore You (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Breaking of Bread

Video Suggestions:
Trinity
Psalm 8

Image:
Trinity 1
Trinity 2