Worship News: April 2016

Christ is risen. Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
Let the sound flow into our ears and the truth stream into our hearts.
And do not be afraid to cry.
If you are a new creature in Christ you will be happy in your tears.
– Gerald S. Sloyan

This quote from Gerald Sloyan was true for me during the Easter Vigil that I attended this year. I felt my eyes swell with tears, not only at the beauty of the service and of the night itself, but the baptism of an adult. Those of us already baptized renewed our baptismal vows and deepened our commitment to our baptismal callings.

As the baptismal candidate was submerged and the water splashed all around, the look on his face was glorious. He smiled and was not afraid to cry. He was a new creature in Christ. Or as John B. Geyer says, “A new creation comes to life and grows as Christ’s new body takes on flesh and blood.” As the church gathered that evening for the Easter Vigil and stood in the liminal and even paradoxical space between Good Friday and Easter, between death and life, Jesus dying and rising, the presiding minister reminded the assembly: “The font is both a tomb and a womb of new birth.”

Martin Luther reminds us what a gift baptism is for each of us: “What then is the significance of such baptism with water? It signifies that the old person in us, with all sins and evil desires, is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” What a gift baptism is for each of us, that daily we rise to live before God.

Baptism is a beautiful gift and shows forth God’s grace for each of us. How is this gift made visible in your assemblies’ worship? Not just in the Vigil, but throughout the liturgical year. Each and every time we are able to draw people to the water and give thanks for baptism, we give thanks for the water that nourished us in the womb, watery rescues that we recall from salvation history in Scripture, the water in this font, and for the water that has or will be poured onto the bodies of the baptized.

The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland
Assistant to the Presiding Bishop
Executive for Worship

A transformative experience in worship

I was 22 when I took communion for the first time. The church I grew up in only communed once a year, and by the time I was old enough to partake, I was also old enough to be skeptical.

Then a year after college I found myself sitting in a Lutheran church. Working in the congregation’s office had started out as just a job, but soon I got curious, and once I experienced worship, it drew me back like gravity. Intellectually I was still an atheist, but on Sunday mornings I just couldn’t help myself. There I’d be again, stumbling through the liturgy, and there God would be again at the back of my mind saying, “Just talk to me. Please.”

I didn’t though, and I also didn’t take communion. Each week the ushers would come by and each week I would shake my head. I knew communion meant eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood. That seemed like something I shouldn’t do unless I was willing to let God be a part of my life.

Over the weeks I started to change though. That God-voice in the corner of my mind wasn’t going away, and I began to look at the people taking communion with less trepidation and more longing. One day, the balance finally shifted. Instead of hunkering down when the ushers came by, I stood up and followed the congregation. The pastor recognized me, “This is the body of Christ given for you, Marissa.” I took it and ate, I drank the wine, and then as I turned to go back to my seat, I completely panicked. What had I just done? Had I eaten God? How would that change me? I rushed back to my pew, lightheaded and with my heart pounding.

The rest of the service was a blur and I left as soon as I could. Outside I tried to clear my head, but it was no use. That God-voice was there, more insistent than ever, “Just talk to me. Please.” Having just eaten Jesus’ body, I felt that I could no longer refuse. “OK God, yes, I’ll talk to you.”

I was right to wonder how communion would change me. It did, and it does. These days I approach the table with more love and less fear, but as I stretch out my hands I still wonder, “How will this change me?”

Marissa Sotos
Master of Divinity, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Interim Director of Lifelong Faith Formation

We are a church of storytellers as we pass our experiences from one generation to the next.
What is your story? We would love to hear them.
If you would like to share your story with the worship staff, email it to us at worship@elca.org

As part of the 500th anniversary observance of the Reformation, gather with other members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ. The Grace Gathering, in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, will be an opportunity to gather with voting members, prepare for the 500th anniversary and reflect on how the Reformation can continue to guide us today. It will be a time for workshops, worship and fellowship.

The Grace Gathering will provide an opportunity for all ELCA members to experience the same inspiring worship, Bible study, experiential learning activities and fellowship that voting members have when they attend the Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. At the same time, the Grace Gathering will offer workshops and presentations that equip congregational leaders and synod planning teams to prepare for observing the 500th anniversary in local communities.

Registration is now open. Learn more and register at ELCA.org/gracegathering.

Share your event
Are you planning a worship event in your congregation or synod? Share it with us for this newsletter!
Due to publication schedule, items should be submitted a minimum of 10-12 weeks before the event.

Share your story
We love highlighting worship events from across this church in this newsletter.
To submit your story, send a brief article and pictures to worship@elca.org

Now available! Sundays and Seasons, Year A 2017

Sundays and Seasons
supports comprehensive week-by-week planning with content and ideas for liturgy and music, preaching and visuals, shaped by the Revised Common Lectionary, the church year and the assembly gathered around word and sacrament.

A diverse group of more than 50 contributors from across the church has provided weekly and seasonal helps, as well as resources for the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, including:

Reproducible worship texts for the seasons, including texts for the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
Reproducible rites for days and occasions, including a midweek Lenten series based on Luther’s Small Catechism
New cover art by Christina Saj and interior art by Gertrud Mueller Nelson
Helps and suggestions throughout the publication that will prepare your worshiping community for the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
Introduction to the year of Matthew with an eye to this 500th anniversary year
Suggestions for Reformation-inspired praying for the whole church in 2017
Reflections on the hymn of the day as a Reformation inheritance
And more!

Order today at Augsburg Fortress or call 800-328-4648.

Sundays and Seasons, Year C 2016 is still available.

Now’s a great time to stock up and save, with 50 – 75 percent off while supplies last! Visit Augsburg Fortress or call 800-328-4648.

Braille edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship is available in June

Evangelical Lutheran Worship Braille Edition: Service Music and Hymns presents the words of Evangelical Lutheran Worship #151–893 (Service Music and Hymns) on Braille-embossed pages. Congregation leaders are invited to provide a copy for each Braille-using worshiper’s use.

Over 1,600 pages of Braille are produced on sturdy paper stock in a standard 11 x 11.5 page size. Pages are loose-leaf, three-hole punched, and enclosed in eight red hardcover binders. Each binder includes a cover sheet that is both printed and embossed, indicating the page range in that binder. The loose-leaf format helps the user select and remove pages to be used in worship for a given occasion.

The complete texts for all 743 service music items and hymns from the Pew Edition are included. The transcription uses Unified English Braille (UEB), implemented as the new standard for use beginning Jan. 1, 2016, by the Braille Authority of North America. This new standard is designed to be easily readable by those familiar with the previous standard, while being more accessible to new Braille users.

All contents have been prepared and thoroughly reviewed by experienced Braille users and in cooperation with the Disability Ministry section of the ELCA’s Domestic Mission unit.

This edition will be shipped direct from the manufacturer upon completion. To order your copy today, visit evangelicallutheranworship.org or call Augsburg Fortress at 800-328-4648.

This summer, Augsburg Fortress invites you to join hundreds of other church musicians in exploring fresh and innovative ways to enliven music in worship. Summer music clinics are designed for everyone involved in creating and planning music for worship. Read through new seasonal music, attend workshops led by clinicians Michael Burkhardt, Kristina Langlois, participate in and attend a hymn festival.

Burkhardt and Langlois will lead a variety of workshops, including “Advent: A Season of Longing and Expectation” (Burkhardt) and “What Tools Are in Your Hymn Playing Toolbox ” (Langlois), along with choral, keyboard, children’s and handbell reading sessions.

Join other musicians and the community for “A Holy Week Journey Festival of Hymns” with Burkhardt and Langlois. Give your choir members the opportunity to rehearse and sing with Burkhardt at the 6 p.m. rehearsal before the hymn festival. You can register for these free clinics or get more information at AugsburgMusic.org.

LOCATIONS

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., July 15-16
Columbia, S.C., July 22-23
Chicago, Ill., July 25-26 (preceding the ALCM Region 3 Conference)
Seattle, Wash., July 29-30
Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 1-2
Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 4-5

North American Association for the Catechumenate:
Sing a New Song: Unpacking the Mystery of Faith
2016 Annual Ecumenical Gathering
Albuquerque, N.M.
June 28-30

Keynote speakers include Lizette Larson-Miller, professor of theology at the University of Western Ontario and chair of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation; Dan Benedict, abbot for the Order of St. Lukes; and Marty Haugen, well-known composer and musician. Through the keynote presentations, participants will be led on a journey reflecting on our rich liturgical heritage and rediscovering the ancient faith formation process known as the catechumenate.

Pastors, seminarians, worship leaders and educators will benefit from this amazing program that seeks to bring new vitality to communities of faith with a focus on discipleship and baptismal living.

The event, which also features practical workshops and inspiring worship, will be held at the beautiful Bosque Center in Albuquerque, N.M. Scholarships are available for seminarians and first call pastors. Register by May 15 and receive a $50 early bird discount. For more information, email registrar Devra Betts or go to the NAAC website.

Lutheran Youth Choir International Invitation
Chicago and Milwaukee festivals
July 10-19

The Lutheran Youth Choir International, an ecumenical summer touring choir for high school students founded in 2005, invites singers to be part of its 2016 Festival of Global Vocal Music. Following three previous choral festivals in Germany and one in the U.S., the choir’s fifth festival will be based in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. The festival, July 10-19, will include eight full days of rehearsing and performing sacred choral music from around the world with other young people from the United States and Germany. In addition, there will be time for sightseeing in Chicago and Milwaukee, a global percussion workshop, a trip to Six Flags Great America amusement park, and lots of other fun in and around the Chicago area.

The students will stay in beautiful and secure dormitories on the campus of North Central College in Naperville, Ill. The $995 tuition includes room and board, music, admissions and local transportation. Generous financial aid is available. All singers who participate in the 2016 festival will receive a $1,000 scholarship toward the cost of the Lutheran Youth Choir’s 2017 Festival of American Vocal Music in Mansfeld, Germany, July 22-Aug. 1, 2017.

Go to lutheranyouthchoir.org for additional information and application materials.

Yale Institute of Sacred Music:
“Poverty, Wealth, and Worship” conference
New Haven, Conn.
July 19-21

Now in its sixth year, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Congregations Project is expanding its reach and condensing its program to a three-day conference format, July 19-21, on the Yale campus in New Haven, Conn.

The ecumenical, practice-oriented conference is open to leaders of congregations from all denominations who seek to strengthen their ministries of worship, music and the arts. The selected theme, “Poverty, Wealth, and Worship,” serves as the focus for worship, lectures and workshops, as well as the work shared by participating congregations. This unique conference model draws on and draws together the distinctive gifts of pastors, musicians and lay leaders at every step along the way.

Faculty will include James Abbington, Kenyon Adams, Dorothy Bass, Rita Ferrone, Martin Jean, Luke Timothy Johnson, Don Saliers, Mark Sedio and Bryan Spinks.

More information and registration are available at ismcongregations.yale.edu.

National Worship Conference
Kitchener / Waterloo, Ontario
July 24-27

Discover how art, drama, food, fun, poetry, multimedia, music, movement, nature, spiritual elements and storytelling can be interwoven with Anglican, Lutheran and cross-generational threads to create meaningful and transformational worship.

“Formation and Reformation: Worship, Justice and Mission of God” brings together presenters and participants from across North America to explore diverse styles of worship.

Keynote speakers include the Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Larson, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada pastor who co-authored “Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God: Integrating Vision and Practice,” and the Very Rev. Bruce Jenneker, rector of All Saints Church, Durbanville, in the city of Cape Town and the Diocese of Saldnaha Bay in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. He is also the canon liturgist for the diocese.

Scott Weidler, ELCA program director for worship and music, will lead two workshops titled “Let Justice Sing” and “In These or Similar Words.”

To learn more about the conference or to register, go to nationalworshipconference.org.

Lutheran Arts

LutheranArts.org has now posted the three inaugural Martin Luther Hymn Prizes, which provide $2,000 for each text writer and $4,000 for each composer. Take time to investigate LuthernArts.org to learn more about LutheranArts.org and help tell the story, share resources and ideas, and join the registry!

Ecumenical resources

One of the wonderful benefits of being a church in ecumenical dialogue and partnerships with so many other churches is being able to explore and use, as appropriate, some of their worship materials. Each month we will highlight a different resource. If you have suggestions please let us know by emailing worship@elca.org.

Book of Common Worship

The pattern for the prayers within the service of Morning Prayer in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (page 304 in the pew edition) was adapted from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship. However, Book of Common Worship includes a different set for each day of the week at both morning and evening prayer. These prayers can be extremely helpful in crafting devotional times throughout the week, for retreats or for personal use. If you are unfamiliar with this resource, it is full of valuable liturgical texts.

Don’t overlook the prayer resources in Evangelical Lutheran Worship that can be adapted and used in many ways and contexts:

pages 18-59: Prayers of the day for every Sunday and festival
pages 59-63: Prayers for Commemorations and Occasions
pages 72- 87: Additional Prayers for Worship
pages 295-327: Services of Daily Prayer for Morning, Evening and Night
pages 328-331: Responsive Prayer (Suffrages) with options for various times of day and circumstances
#1-150: The Psalms, the church’s original song and prayer collection
And many more in Occasional Services for the Assembly, pages 387-418.

Sundays and Seasons includes a wealth of alternate texts for every season.

In These or Similar Words is an invaluable tool for exploring the craft of creating and adapting liturgical texts for various contexts or settings.