The most impressive thing about Wayne Keller's body of ideas for worship throughout the Christian Year is his boldness. He is bold in demanding that we, his colleagues in liturgical leadership, plan worship that has to do with the reality of our congregations' experience in the world, rather than just leading people through a proper agenda of acts and words that have no bearing on what we do the rest of the week. He is bold in challenging us to bring that real world -- with its pains and its pleasures, its hungers and its feasts, its beauty and its ugliness -- to exposure before the living God. And he is bold in helping us shine the strong, exposing light of the transforming Word on our real lives and on that real world, so that we may move beyond planning worship as a "nice," safe, feel-good routine from which we depart the same people we were when we arrived. We are thrilled by the seriousness and authentic reverence with which this author approaches the planning of worship. Thank God for Wayne Keller and for his deep respect for the central act of the Christian community: the blessed and life-transforming experience of the worship of God. Richard Avery and Donald Marsh Port Jervis, New York Wayne Keller's method creates not only a contemporary appeal, but also effects a congregational involvement so necessary today within the liturgical context. His approach is fresh and practical and yet a reflection consistently of a solid liturgical and homiletical background. Keller has the ability to appeal to the everydayness of congregational experience. Donald Macleod Francis L. Patton Professor Emeritus Princeton Theological Seminary The good humor of Wayne Keller's work helps us feel at home in our imperfect world and feel more empathy for the rough edges of others and ourselves. Wayne's work encourages hope and faith with the way we are. Doug Adams Professor of Christianity and the Arts Pacific School of Religion and Graduate Theological Union A cascade of insights, ideas, suggestions, and plans for stimulating the working pastor's imagination and guiding in worship planning. Robert Coote Professor, San Francisco Theological Seminary Editor, Mustard-Seed Churches Wayne Keller elevates us to an authentic bring-your-warts-and-smiles encounter with the living God... a remarkable year-round resource for the entire worship team. Paul Hackett Former pastor and member, First Presbyterian Church Puyallup, Washington Keller says, "I have seen people bored to death in worship, seemingly because they come to worship as spectators, not as participants. For me no spectators are allowed! Soren Kierkegaard's analogy of worship as drama has guided my thinking and planning." Wayne H. Keller graduated from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He has served pastorates in Pennsylvania, Washington, and Oregon, and has also been the director of a halfway house for recovering mental patients. A member of the Presbyterian Writers Guild, Keller has published several books and numerous articles, and has been a columnist for the Bellingham Herald. He has also appeared frequently on radio and television programs and co-hosted a call-in counseling program and talk show.

Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary. For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day. This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.

Preachers get the best of lectionary and topical series preaching with this comprehensive manual of sermon series ideas based on the Revised Common Lectionary. Designed to frame consecutive weeks of lectionary texts into seasonal and short-term series, a diverse group of twelve preachers outline multiple thematic series plans for each lectionary year. Each series plan provides a series overview, chart that outlines each segment of the series, tips and ideas, scriptural references, and a brief sermon starter. The series honors holy days and seasons and responds to typical patterns of church attendance, maximizing visitor retention and member engagement. Pastors can honor their commitment to lectionary preaching while taking advantage of the benefits series preaching can offer with this truly unique resource. Contributors include: Theresa Cho, Pastor of St. John's Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, California Bob Dannals, Rector of St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas Magrey R. DeVega, Pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church, Tampa, Florida Brian Erickson, Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Alabama Mihee Kim-Kort, Presbyterian Minister and Campus Ministry Leader at University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana Jessica LaGrone, Dean of Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky Cleophus J. LaRue, Professor of Homiletics, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey Jacqueline J. Lewis, Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church, New York City, New York Katherine Willis Pershey, Pastor of First Congregational Church, Western Springs, Illinois Paul Rock, Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Kansas Martin Thielen, Pastor of First United Methodist Church, Cookeville, Tennessee Winnie Varghese, Priest and Director of Community Outreach at Trinity Wall Street, New York, New York

A follow-up to the previous Ancient Christian Devotional, which follows lectionary cycle A, this devotional guide follows lectionary cycle C, which begins in Advent 2009. This guide to prayer and reflection combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer.

This historic and authoritative volume contains the complete three-year listing of the Revised Common Lectionary (Years A, B, and C) to guide preaching and Scripture reading on the Lord’s Day. Abingdon Press. Also included are an introduction explaining the nature and uses of lectionaries and a brief history of the Consultation on Common Texts.

This volume of the Connections Worship Companion series offers complete liturgies--from the call to worship to the closing charge, with prayers and litanies for every need in between--for all worshiping occasions between Advent and Pentecost of Year C. Part of the Connections commentary series, these worship resources help congregations illuminate the connections between Scripture and liturgical rhythms. A "Making Connections" essay precedes each liturgical season's resources, providing context for worship within the themes and purpose of the season.

Worship should be about more than just your ears. Worship means more when we’re experiencing more than simply the spoken, read, and sung word. That’s why Delia Halverson and Karen Appleby have written Creating Holy Space; to help us worship with our eyes as well as our ears. The book contains suggestions for worship visuals tied to each Sunday of all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary. These visuals can be assembled on the altar, placed elsewhere in the sanctuary, or photographed to be used for projection. The weekly entries describe each of the four readings for that Sunday, and suggest viuals appropriate to each, creating a multi-sensory experience of worship bound up with the day’s lectionary theme.

This elegant resource offers more than 600 hymns that span the centuries and the continents. It includes hundreds of familiar hymns and nearly 200 fresh expressions of the Gospel. Lutheran Service Book presents a significant body of resources that faithfully proclaim our forgiveness and life in Christ.