Advent is a time of prayer and waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Advent liturgy and worship resources published in the annual Lectionary Companion of the Call to Worship journal remind readers and faith leaders of this eternal hope, especially in the midst of wondering what election results and new administrations will hold for our common life together.
“For more than 50 years, Call to Worship and its precursor journals have fostered deep dialogue among pastors, musicians, and scholars around the theology and practice of worship,” said the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell, associate for worship with the Presbyterian Mission Agency, who sees the new website as an opportunity to expand these conversations in digital spaces and draw in fresh perspectives.
At baptisms especially, Presbyterians love to talk about water. Some of the more adventurous baptizers even splash some of the water out of the font to remind those gathered to celebrate of their own baptism.
Beginning with Advent, preachers, music leaders and the people who hear them each week will enter a year with Matthew’s gospel, thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary, which turns the focus to Year A beginning Nov. 27.
A new webinar from the Presbyterian Mission Agency will help preachers, church musicians and other worship leaders connect Scriptures from the Gospel of Matthew with the PC(USA)’s work on building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.
Two thoughtful theologians — Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, the J.B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary, and the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell, Associate for Worship in the Office of Theology & Worship — put their brains and their hearts on display Thursday during the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ town hall, “Why do we Keep Doing these Prayers of Confession?”
There is a fountain in Louisville’s Waterfront Park beside the Ohio River. It is an oasis for office workers and a treat for tourists in the heat of summer. Children splash with delight in the jets of water that spring up from the ground. And for members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Sacrament Study Group (2003–2006) it is a sacred place.
In what is believed to be a first, “Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching and the Arts” a quarterly journal produced by the Office of Theology & Worship, is focusing an entire issue on poverty.
The latest COVID-19 resources from the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)’s Office of Theology & Worship, “Prayer at the Time of Death” and “Comforting the Bereaved,” are stark reminders of the times we are living in — and dying in.
