Worship Library Essays & Blog
Explore over three hundred curated essays on the Christian year, ancient-future worship, sacramental practice, and sacred music.
An Overview of Worship in the United Methodist Church
UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES Worship in the United Methodist Church draws from both the Catholic and Protestant heritage. The denomination contains both strong liturgical and cha…
An Overview of Worship in the Armenian Orthodox Church
The liturgy of the Armenian church reveals the influence of many sources, but is basically of Syrian origin. It expresses the theme of sacrifice more than other Eastern liturg…
Ten Basic Needs Met By Worship
In worship a person gives to the Lord all of the conflicts, struggles, and disappointments that affect his or her life. Leaving them in the Father’s hands, the worshiper focus…
An Overview of Worship in the Evangelical Free Church
Ehe Evangelical Free Church does not dictate worship style to its congregations. For this reason, each community may respond to various trends. Some have been influenced by th…
Tips for Using Music During Communion
One of the great traditions that is being restored in many churches is the re-establishment of congregational singing at Communion. The following summary from the document Mus…
Thoughts on Early Church Worship in a Modern Context
Christian worship from the beginning has been characterized by a variety of styles. Contemporary scholarship suggests that there was no single original style of worship, but r…
An Overview of Worship in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)
Worship in the Church of God draws on both the holiness and ecumenical traditions. There is a strong emphasis on the “altar call” for conversion and the use of the “public alt…
What Is a Collect?
A collect is a prayer that “collects” the prayers of the people in summary fashion, places them in a context appropriate to the seasonal or thematic focus of the day, and offe…
Planning a Funeral
Since the celebration of the funeral bring together family and friends who are experiencing deep grief, the ritual itself should minister to these people. Therefore, the ritua…
The Four-Fold Pattern of Worship
There’s an old adage, typically used by educators, that “external order organizes internal experience. ” When it comes to worship, the proper use of order facilitates how a ch…
Seven Ways To Respond To Epiphany Today
REFLECT on the stunning reality that God doesn't hide - He reveals Himself. This is the very nature of true love – self-revealing. In Christ, God gave the world an epiphany of…
Announcing an Exciting New Music Collection: Songs for the Church Year
WorshipLibrary announces SONGS FOR THE CHURCH YEAR, a brand new Christian music resource created by a skilled team of songwriters, led by church music veterans Dennis and Nan …
Rethinking the Twelve Days of Christmas
It’s one of our most popular carols. Yet few know that the verses of The Twelve Days of Christmas are based on the season of Epiphany, or the period between December 25th and …
Christmas Worship Among the Great Hymns of our Faith
On a recent chilly morning as I walked home from my neighborhood coffee shop, I received a phone call from a friend who’s a worship pastor. With the holidays approaching, the …
The Origins of Christmas and Epiphany Worship
The proclamation of Christ’s resurrection is the central focus of the Christian message. Yet for many churches, and not a few Christians, the annual festival of the birth of C…
The Daily Office for December 16, 2012
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The Daily Office for December 14, 2012
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The "O" Antiphons and Advent
The seven “O” Antiphons are ancient texts developed for use during the last seven days of Advent (December 17–23). Eventually these antiphons were gathered into the well-known…