This service for solemn assemblies is a more informal, experiential service particularly suited for gatherings in flexible spaces. Whenever and however you decide to do it, you need to prepare for the service like any other renewal service.
This liturgy for the Reaffirmation of Baptism, including the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, was used by the Worship and Spiritual Renewal Committee of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in San Jose, California. This was the committee that discussed and approved the overture for solemn assemblies.
This Service of Lessons and Carols is adapted from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols that has been celebrated annually at King’s College, Cambridge, for almost a century. The nine Scripture lessons are those traditionally used at the festival, while the carols provided to accompany each passage have been selected from the Presbyterian Hymnal.
Pastors and church musicians are encouraged to consider other hymns or appropriate spiritual songs, taking into account the cultural context and worship style of the congregation. The multiple readings present an opportunity to involve a number of different people from the congregation in the leadership …
This service of preparation for Holy Communion, based on the Beatitudes and adapted from the 1946 Book of Common Worship, provides a way for congregations to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in keeping with the principles of the Directory for Worship. It is especially appropriate for the Season of Lent and other penitential occasions. The section from the Beatitudes (following the sermon) might be excerpted for personal or small group use.
See related pages: Season of Lent, Presbyterian Worship
Since World AIDS Day occurs during the first week of Advent in the Christian year, it is appropriate (particularly in the sermon or prayers of the people) to make connections to the biblical and theological themes of the liturgical season. Advent is a time of waiting in hope and faith for the coming of Christ’s realm — a new creation in which God’s promises of justice, wholeness, and reconciliation are fulfilled. In this season of longing and anticipation, we give thanks for the light of life in Christ, which can never be extinguished (John 1:5).
There is power in reading the entire gospel of Luke in one sitting. This service includes opening and closing prayers with optional hymns.
Ash Wednesday is a day of solemn assembly that is built right into the church year. It is a fast day, a day of mourning for our sin and the sin of all humanity before God, a recognition of our mortality save for the grace of God and a request that the Lord remember our creation and breathe new life into our burned-out, dusty lives once more.
See related pages: Ash Wednesday, Season of Lent, Presbyterian Worship
This is a service for the imposition of ashes and the remembrance of baptism based on the sermon’s assurance that though we are dust, we are baptized dust, and that makes all the difference.
See related pages: Ash Wednesday, Season of Lent, Presbyterian Worship
This Great Prayer of Thanksgiving is especially intended for use during a Thanksgiving celebration.
Prayer possibilities during elections or national crises.