Based on the Revised Common Lectionary and broadly ecumenical, this addition to the Just In Time! series provides: Sitting with the Text: Scripture commentary for each of the three lectionary years; Worship and Preaching Themes; Creating the Environment: ideas for decorating and preparing the worship space; Shaping the Worship Service: prayers, liturgies, dramas, music suggestions; Scripture Index; and more. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Lenten Services aids the reader in planning and implementing transformative worship services throughout the Lenten journey.

Forty meditations on Great Lent based on liturgical, scriptural and patristic texts.

The annual Lenten pilgrimage to dozens of Rome’s most striking churches is a sacred tradition dating back almost two millennia, to the earliest days of Christianity. Along this historic spiritual pathway, today’s pilgrims confront the mysteries of the Christian faith through a program of biblical and early Christian readings amplified by some of the greatest art and architecture of western civilization. In Roman Pilgrimage, bestselling theologian and papal biographer George Weigel, art historian Elizabeth Lev, and photographer Stephen Weigel lead readers through this unique religious and aesthetic journey with magnificent photographs and revealing commentaries on the pilgrimage’s liturgies, art, and architecture. Through reflections on each day’s readings about faith and doubt, heroism and weakness, self-examination and conversion, sin and grace, Rome’s familiar sites take on a new resonance. And along that same historical path, typically unexplored treasures—artifacts of ancient history and hidden artistic wonders—appear in their original luster, revealing new dimensions of one of the world’s most intriguing and multi-layered cities. A compelling guide to the Eternal City, the Lenten Season, and the itinerary of conversion that is Christian life throughout the year, Roman Pilgrimage reminds readers that the imitation of Christ through faith, hope, and love is the template of all true discipleship, as the exquisite beauty of the Roman station churches invites reflection on the deepest truths of Christianity.

Ready-to-use prayers for public worship during Lent and Holy Week.

Just as the Lenten season reminds the Christian of Christ's journey to the cross, the seven candles and the weekly extinguishing of each one enhances that long, soon-to-be dark journey. When the last candle is extinguished and the darkness seems to be all-consuming, worshipers will feel the darkness of the soul at the time of Christ's crucifixion. Using one or two liturgists, flexible services are provided for every Sunday during the Lenten season as well as Good Friday and Easter Sunday, during which a Paschal candle is lighted. The beauty and symbolism of these services will add meaning and dimension to your Lenten worship as the congregation is reminded each Sunday of being one step closer in the journey to the cross. Robert S. Jarboe is pastor of Faith Chapel United Methodist Church in Huntington, Indiana. He is a graduate of Manchester College with a B.S. in music, majoring in piano and voice. He earned his M.Div. degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

This book is a toolbox of children's sermons that present special ways to include children in our Sunday worship and to build their faith. The sermons are organized in two sections. Part One includes sermons focused on "The Center of Our Faith." This opening section includes sermons that center on God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible as the church's Book. Part Two is titled "Pathways to Our Faith." Sermons in this section engage children in exploring the nature of the community of faith; two primary sacraments of the Christian faith, Holy Communion (The Lord's Supper) and baptism; and symbols of the faith. The sermons include ideas for dialogue, prompts, and experiences designed for children to be part of both the action and the message. --from the Introduction.

The Power of Forgiveness, Pope Francis on Reconciliation calls the reader to explore the mercy of God, received in a profound way by turning toward God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This heartfelt collection of the Pope's reflections on the need for repentance, awareness of sin, God's divine mercy, forgiveness of others, and confession and absolution, is a transformative read for Catholics of all vocational states!

The cultural shift since 2001 is very different than that of the 60's and 70's. It is a culture tired of noise, turned off by phoniness, sick of glitz, and wary of the superficial. It is a culture that is searching for an authentic encounter with God, longing for depth and substance, craving quiet and spiritual contemplation, and moved by visual, tactile forms of communication." "The New Worship Awakening" examines the wide array of worship styles, from traditional to contemporary, currently in practice in today's churches. Webber makes a compelling case for renewing the vigor of the spiritual life of the church through two means: grounding worship in the biblical narrative while at the same time integrating an understanding of worship traditions throughout history. Through astute observations and personal experiences, the author emphasizes that Christ can be encountered through the arts, the services of the Christian year, the Sacraments, the singing of hymns and folk songs, the passing of the peace, the Liturgy, and many other means that incorporate Christian worship styles through the ages. He makes the all-important point that worship today celebrates the same Christ who walked the earth two thousand years ago, and that in true and lively worship there is divine action. "There is an action from above: the Holy Spirit delivers Christ and the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection to the worshippers."

This revised, expanded edition of the Common Worship President’s Edition contains everything to celebrate Holy Communion Order One throughout the church year. It combines relevant material from the original President’s Edition with Eucharistic material from Times and Seasons, Festivals and Pastoral Services, and the Additional Collects.