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All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4) “What’s gotten into you?” I remember my mother asking me that throughout my teenage years. “What’s gotten into you?” the wife asks, as the husband sails through the week on his bottom lip. “What’s gotten into you?” the church member asks his friend who has completely stopped coming to worship or believing in God at all. “What’s gotten into you?” This question is often one that stems from something negative or a behavior that is deemed unacceptable. For our Pentecost purposes, let’s turn the question into a positive. For that is exactly what we can ask of that first Pentecost congregation 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. These post-Easter people, for days, even weeks, were hiding in fear for their lives. Now they are out and about acting in strange and astonishing ways. They no longer live in secret. In fact, they were calling attention to themselves by their behavior. What had gotten into them? All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4) What’s gotten into you? The Holy Spirit has gotten into you … has filled you from head to toe and within every cell through the waters of Holy Baptism, where God says, “You are my child. I am into you and will never leave you nor forsake you.” Living a Pentecost life:
We need not search for tools to create this community. We need be reminded that community existed as the definition of church from the first congregation two millennia ago. What’s gotten into you? The Holy Spirit that’s what! Take a deep breath, feel that Pentecost air flowing in and out. This Spirit is what empowers us to be Pentecost people who live lives of action, justice and boldness. Come Holy Spirit! Come! The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland |
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Mark your calendars for an important worship event! Fall 2016 In this 10th anniversary year of the publication of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, you are invited to attend an event focusing on Lutheran worship in our current context. Pastors, musicians, lay leaders and worship committees: Whether you have extensive experience with Evangelical Lutheran Worship, are exploring it for the first time, or use other materials for your community’s worship, you will find a place at these gatherings. We will open anew the gifts of God at the strong center of worship in word and sacrament. We will explore how to open more widely the doors that welcome the world to these gifts and the doors that send us with these gifts into God’s beloved and needy world. SYNOD EVENTS – The program at each site will include time for synod leaders to be prepared to be able to offer Evangelical Lutheran Worship introductions and/or refresher events in their own synod. For more information about the event, visit the Strong Center-Open Door site.
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A transformative experience in worship I remember when I first realized that prayer is as much about listening to God as it is speaking to God. In other words, I remember the first time I experienced real silence. The Three Days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Vigil of Easter) are the most important days and liturgies for any Christian, but for an over-eager graduate student in the first year of my master’s program in liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame, I was over the top in anticipation of what all I would experience. But I never imagined what would be most transformative. I was a part-time church musician at a wonderful, local Lutheran congregation, with its own rich traditions of worship and music, but I knew that what was going to happen in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus was like nothing I had experienced before, so I adjusted my schedule to attend all the liturgies that I could. It was Good Friday and we had a noon service at my church. The Good Friday liturgy at Sacred Heart was at 3 p.m. – a traditional time for Roman Catholics, I learned – the hour at which Jesus died. I also learned that the basilica would be packed, and I should arrive very early. Early? On Good Friday? This Lutheran found that hard to believe, but I did dash across town and campus, arriving an hour early. Plenty of time, I assured myself. I opened the doors and I heard nothing. I was convinced I was the first person to arrive. Obviously, I had over-estimated what arriving early meant. Much to my amazement, the basilica was already packed to overflowing. People were everywhere. In the overflowing pews. Sitting on the floor in the side aisles. Perched on the steps around the tabernacle and flowing clear back into the Lady Chapel. What struck me most was the silence. The utter and complete lack of sound. The communal breath that one could only sense. The power of prayer, even if unfamiliar to me, permeating every being in that room. Silence. Together. As the body of Christ. It taught me something about how we gather for worship. It taught me a lot about prayer. It was truly a transformative experience that shaped me forever. Scott Weidler |
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The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is an opportunity to rejoice in the life-giving, liberating power of the gospel. As part of the observance, we invite you to attend the Grace Gathering, in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. This will be an opportunity to experience the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) when gathered as the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, prepare for further observances of the 500th anniversary and reflect on how the Reformation can continue to guide us today. Early registration closes June 15. Read about workshop offerings, keynote speakers, experiential learning opportunities and more by going to ELCA.org/gracegathering. |
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| Evangelical Lutheran Worship Braille Edition: Service Music and Hymns NOW AVAILABLE!  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.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. |
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Sundays and Seasons Resources, Year A 2017
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:
Order today at Augsburg Fortress or call 800-328-4648. |
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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. You can register for these free clinics or get more information at AugsburgMusic.org. LOCATIONS
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 Trinity Lutheran Seminary Summer MusicColumbia, Ohio June 6-24Musicians come from across the country to Trinity Lutheran Seminary to take courses during three weeks of intensive study and participation in worship in June. The program provides the opportunity for musicians to continue in their current church position while earning a Master of Arts in Church Music degree over several summers. In addition to a flexible timeline of study, Trinity offers student access to remarkable instruments for their studies.dThe one-week music courses are offered in the afternoons while the three-week theology and liturgical choir courses are scheduled in the morning. To learn more about the program or to register, visit the seminary’s website or contact professor May Schwarz. |
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A multi-denominational training event for contemporary worship musicians The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod Worship Excellence Team invites you to join them for the “TUNE UP worship band gathering” in Houston. For those who have never experienced this event, it is an opportunity for contemporary worship musicians to learn and grow with specific learning tracks for pastors, worship leaders, vocalists, drummers and percussionists, guitarists (all varieties), keyboardists and sound and video techs. There will also be sessions available on Collaborative Worship Design, Making Worship Contextual, Live Streaming Your Worship, and Worship and Culture. Worship bands, praise teams, directors of music and pastors will all take away techniques and strategies that they immediately can implement. The cost is just $25 per person with a maximum per congregation of $150, which includes lunch. To learn more or to register, visit http://tuneupgathering.org. |
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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. |
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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. 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. |
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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! |
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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.
“Evangelical Lutheran Worship Occasional Services for the Assembly” contains orders for blessing of people being sent into mission, or organs, other instruments, worship furnishings, as well as a general order of blessing to be adapted for specific needs. The smaller volume, “Pastoral Care,” includes the general order of blessing, as well as the blessing of a home. “Bread for the Day” includes some blessings for particular occasions in the home throughout the year. |
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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.
Yale Institute of Sacred Music:
National Worship Conference
Lutheran Arts
“Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers”
