Traditional Moravian Love Feasts and Contemporary Agape Meals When I was asked to write about the Moravian love feast for this issue, I thought about the role that feasts play in the life of the church; for many of us, communion is the first meal that springs to mind. I imagine being at the table…

Long before I was creating cantatas for publishers, I was helping to create them for the local church. While we all love to sell our published work, we recognize that, for a variety of reasons, churches may need to create a Christmas program from scratch. Using the anthems you already have in your library (perhaps…

One of the first liturgical celebrations after the summer break is All Saints Day, which is held on November 1 or the first Sunday following it. On this day, we remember and give thanks for those who came before us, many of whom walked beside us and taught us. It somehow seems appropriate to have…

In last spring’s issue, I wrote about the season of Ordinary Time, which falls between Pentecost and Advent. Sometimes referred to as Kingdomtide, this season in the liturgical calendar often concentrates on growth: growth of God’s kingdom, the church, and the spirit of the individual. A perfect pairing with the season of growth in the natural…

The word “blessing” comes from the Old English word “blêdsian,” which means to sanctify or consecrate with blood. Blood was life, and so to bless someone was to connect the human to the divine life source, to invoke divine favor upon earthly life. Nowhere is the connection to life more evident than in Deuteronomy 30:16-19,…

Many of the symbols we use in worship today pre-date Christianity or have roots in other traditions, including the secular. As we have made them our own, they have given us tangible ways of expressing the deeper aspects of our faith that lie beyond words. The Advent season is a prime example of “borrowing” from…

When disaster strikes, whether in the form of nature, violence, war, or other tragedy, the church becomes a place of refuge and solace. While many of us attended services in our own churches after 9/11, television stations aired a service from the National Cathedral for the nation-at-large and those around the world. Humans need ways…

Singing is mentioned throughout the Bible as a way to praise God. Singing “a new song” occurs at least seven times in the Old Testament, and twice in the book of Revelation. I love old hymns (as well as the oldies and classic rock on the radio), but for those of us who are writers,…

The word “bread,” in the original languages of the Bible, appears close to 500 times in the Old and New Testaments. It is a prominent symbol, woven throughout Scripture. Christ, the bread of heaven and the bread of life, was born in Bethlehem which means “house of bread.” Bethlehem was the home of Naomi, who…

LEADER:​ You are living stones, cut from Christ, who is our Rock and Cornerstone. PEOPLE:​ We are members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Brought together by faith with those who testified before us, we stand on their shoulders. LEADER:​ In Christ, the whole building is joined together….

Many churches decorate a Chrismon tree during the Advent and Christmas seasons. The Chrismon (literally, Christ’s monogram) tree is decorated with symbols of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. As we recall his birth, the tree stands as a remembrance to his overall life. Either an evergreen tree or a bare-branched tree may be used….

This generation, like those that have come before, says that we are living in difficult times. We are not unique in making this declaration: All times are difficult in their own way to those living in them. What matters is how we live in those times. One of the Thanksgiving hymns of my childhood is…