Worship Ways are original liturgies written in English and in Spanish by United Church of Christ pastors, based on readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. Look for Sunday, festival and special UCC worship services here, organized by seasons of the Church Year. (Please note: Previous Worship Ways are archived and may be found using the search function.)
The season of Lent invites introspective, an inward act, that often gets concretized through spiritual disciples, action, to reinforce their meaning and to translate them into a way of living. If the spiritual transformation is missing, however, the actions become meaningless and a mockery. Repentance, reconciliation,and repair require an inward transformation of mind, body, and spirit–represented by the heart. In ancient Hebrew tradition, the heart reflected more than emotional response; it encompasses both reason and feelings in an integrated fashion.
To rend one’s heart is to deliberately open ourselves to revitalized thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. It is to become vulnerable and malleable. Tearing one’s clothes was an outward sign of remorse and commitment to change. It’s entirely possible to go through the motions without engaging the emotions, and that’s not what God asks of us or appreciates from us.
Our lives occupy inward and outward space. Christian rituals, in particular, reflect that our inward being manifests in outward doing. Baptism is a public act symbolizing and signaling new life and belonging. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he demonstrated his perspective on their relationship; they surrendered to his act of servitude. The distinct names attributed to the sacred meal Jesus instituted with his companions attests to more than denominational and doctrinal differences. They point to the multiplicity of experiences engaged in the single act: community formation, thanksgiving, and remembrance are internalized aspects named Communion, Eucharist, and the Lord’s Supper.
We are resurrection people, which means the story–and our story–may culminate toward a climax but never ends. Every perceived end becomes something new. These transitions may lead us to perceive life as a relentless circle of trials and turmoil, but the heights we reach tell a different tale.
Throughout the biblical narrative, the highs and lows hold a consistent thread–the enduring presence of God. While that presence may assume different forms and manifest in different ways, we can rest in the covenantal promise of God to companion with us on the journey. That is love that never fails, that does not fade, and that does not abate.
This Easter season, let us reflect on how the unfailing love of God manifests in the biblical narrative (particularly the Gospel accounts) and in our own lives.
This year, we are thrilled to partner with Pacific Islander Asian-American Ministries to provide Worship Ways for the Easter Season written by members of these communities.
Season after Pentecost A, Part 1
Year A, June 4 – August 27, 2023
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“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18 CEB)
The longest season of the liturgical calendar are filled with Sundays called “Ordinary Time.” It begins with Trinity Sunday and ends with the Reign of Christ. We move from concentrating on the event of Christ in the world and shift to the impact of being in Christ in the world. A life in the unity of the Trinity is one of being shaped and sent daily in the image and in the purpose of Holy Love.
Season after Pentecost, parts 4-6
Season After Pentecost, part 2 Year C, September 3 -November 26, 2023
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What are human beings that you think about them; what are human beings that you pay attention to them? (Psalm 8:4 CEB)
The longest season of the liturgical calendar is filled with Sundays called “Ordinary Time.” It begins with Trinity Sunday and ends with the Reign of Christ. We move from concentrating on the event of Christ in the world and shift to the impact of being in Christ in the world. A life in the unity of the Trinity is one of being shaped and sent daily in the image and in the purpose of Holy Love.
Advent celebrates anticipation. It reminds us that the days to come offer promise and a future with possibilities. We remember days of our past, heritage, and history as a testimony to the evolution of time and circumstance.
Anticipation is best accompanied by preparatory action. How do we respond to the confession that Christ has come, Christ has risen, Christ will come again? How shall we ready ourselves and participate in the coming of Christ in the world?
Many cultures mark birth with a celebration of the naming of the child. Names have the significance we assign to them. Some honor a loved one, living or deceased, by bestowing their name upon the new addition to the family. Others choose names based on the meaning of the name itself. Whatever the background, names serve as a means of identification. The Christmas season lifts up the baby Jesus in many ways through many names. We might remember the prophesy of Isaiah with the promise of the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Son of God and Son of Man, depending upon which Gospel account you read, also speak to who Jesus is. Perhaps the most indicative and faithful to the season of Christmas is “Emmanuel” (“God With Us”).
The Christmas event is the gift of incarnation, mercy manifested, and love made visible.
Imagine the holy excitement of beholding the tangible, touchable, holdable presence of God. Enter into the baptismal waters of the Jordan River with John the Baptist as Jesus shows up alongside the Voice and the Spirit. Hear the prophetic call to live in the radiance of God and do the simple if difficult things required of those who claim and are claimed by the Holy One. Experience the thrill of the mountaintop and the reluctance to return to the low and ordinary places where life and ministry really takes place. Be prepared and committed to witness, testify, and demonstrate the realization of the kindom. That is the joy of Epiphany.
Sermon Seeds is a weekly preparation resource that corresponds with Worship Ways liturgy.
Check out The Living Psalms. The Psalm appointed for each week in the Revised Common Lectionary cycle is reinterpreted in poetry and art as a reflection of God’s work of justice and compassion in our midst today.
The National Offices have secured licenses for the use of curated recordings of individual compositions that are available for use by the local church setting. No further licenses are required. Please find these recordings here.
Click here for Mission Moments, which can be used with your newsletter or Sunday worship bulletin.
