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Advent (biblical)

The historic starting point of the Christian year is the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christian "Pascha," or Passover. However, for most Christians, the Christian seasons begin with Advent, a time of preparation for the celebration…

The Season After Pentecost

One of the reasons that the Christian year is so widely used is that it is both fixed and flexible. It is firmly rooted in the Christ event, the paschal mystery. The primary Christian celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost call attention …

Introduction To Epiphany And Christmas Worship

The waiting of advent soon turns to celebration of Christmas and Epiphany: Christ is born, the Word is made flesh. The communities of worshiping believers can be heard singing the angels' song: "Glory to God in the Highest. " This is a season of cellebration; …

Introduction To Advent Worship

Advent is the time of preparation for the birth of Christ. Historically, however, Advent was not the beginning of the Christian year, but the end. The original themes of Advent focused on the second coming of Jesus. Gradually Advent also came to mean preparing…

An Introduction To The Ordinary Time After Pentecost

The season from Pentecost to the beginning of Advent is ordinary, or nonfestive, time. During this season, the church focuses on its vision for witness to the world and on God's continuing work in bringing about his kingdom. Once the festival seasons of Adve…

Adventist Worship

Seventh-day Adventist worship follows in the tradition of free church worship, featuring much hymn singing, expository sermons, and informal atmosphere. Some churches use the Common Lectionary, and the Communion Service is becoming more prominent. A representa…

The Use Of The Arts In Christmas Worship

The arts during Christmas may symbolize the Incarnation and thus speaks in a profound way to the meaning of "God with us. " Adapt the suggestions below to local customs. 1. The greening of the church done for Advent remains through the Christmas season. 2.…

Lectionary Texts From Christmas To Epiphany

The following are the texts suggested for the Sundays of Advent in the Revised Common Lectionary. Brief descriptions of each lesson are provided to aid in recalling the basic theme of each passage. Descriptions of each lesson are provided to aid in recalling t…

Lectionary Texts For Advent

The following are the texts suggested for the Sundays of Advent in the Revised Common Lectionary. Brief descriptions of each lesson are provided to aid in recalling the basic theme of each passage. Year A (1995, 1998, etc. ) SUNDAY OLD TESTAMENT PSALM/CANTI…

Perspectives On The Environment For Advent Worship

Advent worship involves both penitence and joy, moods that can be conveyed by the visual environment of the worship space. Adapt the following suggestions to local custom. Passing into Winter How does one decorate for Advent in a manner that respects the so…

A Traditional Service For Advent Part I

The following service is a creative adaptation of the traditional pattern and texts for worship in the season of Advent. It will be of particular help for those who plan more formal Advent worship. For others, the commentary included with this service will pro…

What Is The Christian Year?

The Christian celebrates the saving events of God in Jesus Christ by marking those particular events in which God's saving purposes were made known. The most common term for the yearly celebration of time in worship is the Christian year. The Christian year,…

The Origins Of Advent Worship

The history of Advent teaches us a great deal about its meaning and prepares us to observe this time with reverence and understanding. This history reveals the simultaneous importance of both penitence and hope, of both remorse and rejoicing. Preliminary Con…

Adventist Churches

Christmas and Easter celebrations have become increasingly common in Adventist churches. Observance of the Christian year remains rare, but a few congregations are discovering that it is a rewarding source of balance and biblical spirituality in worship. His…

Planning Visual Arts For Worship

This article gives practical advice for planning art for worship, focusing particularly on temporary art. It argues for the importance of planning art that coordinates with other aspects of the worship service and that is characterized by simplicity. The Art…

Music For The Four Acts Of Worship

Music is integral to each of the four basic acts of worship. Music sets the tone or mood for what takes place in each act. It is also a means by which the unique aspects of each part of the service many be expressed. The process of planning music for worship s…

Adventist Churches

With roots in the radical Reformation, Adventists have not placed great emphasis on sacraments. Nevertheless, they traditionally have regarded Communion, baptism, and sometimes marriage as sacred acts. Footwashing, ordination, and anointing the sick are also p…

Adventist Churches

In Seventh-day Adventism, the worship service is the center of congregational life. Evangelism, social concern, Christian education, and pastoral care flow from, and are shaped by, worship, which aims at ministering to the whole person. Worship is the center…

Adventist Churches

The sabbatarian worship of the Seventh-day Adventist churches follows in the free church tradition of worship and, aside from its distinctive Sabbath observance, is similar to that of many other evangelical churches. The church is likewise undergoing efforts a…

A Traditional Service For Advent Part Ii

The following service is a creative adaptation of the traditional pattern and texts for worship in the season of Advent. It will be of particular help for those who plan more formal Advent worship. For others, the commentary included with this service will pro…

Adventist Churches

Christmas and Easter celebrations have become increasingly common in Adventist churches. Observance of the Christian year remains rare, but a few congregations are discovering that it is a rewarding source of balance and biblical spirituality in worship. His…

Resources For Planning Advent Worship

Planning Advent worship is a great challenge, given its short duration and the rich and varied resources that are available. The following entries present a collection of such resources, ranging from texts appropriate for reading and praying to artistic contri…

A Traditional Service For Pentecost

The following service is a creative adaptation of the traditional pattern and texts for worship for Pentecost Sunday. It will be of particular help for those who plan a more formal Pentecost service. For others interested in worship renewal, the commentary inc…

A Christmas Communion Service

Christmas marks the culmination of the Advent season. The time of waiting is past, and God's people celebrate the arrival of their Messiah, who has visited and redeemed his people. The Opening Leader:Glory to God in highest heaven and on earth peace for tho…

A Sample Advent Banner

Since the Scripture readings for Advent are filled with so many images, Advent banners are helpful in portraying their message in a colorful and powerful symbolic way. Always begin preparations for Advent by considering the Scripture lessons that will be read.…

Lighting The Advent Candle

The custom of lighting Advent candles in expectation of the coming of Christ is perhaps the most prevalent symbol in Advent worship. An Advent wreath containing five candles is hung at the front of the church. The four corner candles correspond to the four Sun…

The Spiritual Journey Of Advent Worship

Advent is a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of Christ. When the church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified. What we …

African Methodist—episcopal Zion Churches

Although A. M. E. Zion churches do not widely observe the Christian year, some congregations have made attempts to include some of its features in worship. This article describes the efforts of one pastor to revitalize worship, particularly through Advent and …

The Season Of Advent

A Liturgy For Reconciliation

Lent and Advent are the two penitential seasons of the church year. They are times of preparation and waiting. The most important way we as Christians prepare for the coming of the Christ, the one who reconciles us, is to examine ourselves and repent of sin. T…

African Methodist—episcopal Zion Churches

Although A. M. E. Zion churches do not widely observe the Christian year, some congregations have made attempts to include some of its features in worship. This article describes the efforts of one pastor to revitalize worship, particularly through Advent and …

The Arts In Advent Worship

Advent is a season for seeing, hearing, touching, imagining. Advent Scripture readings are filled with evocative images and Advent anticipation has inspired some of the most cherished music in the Christian church. Every tradition of Christian worship has deve…

Biblical Foundations of Christian Festivals

Christians, like the Jews, have developed a calendar of feasts to celebrate God's great acts of salvation. As explained in the following nine entries, these feasts are organized especially around the birth of Christ (Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany) and around…

A Traditional Service Of The Paschal Vigil

The following service is a creative adaptation of the traditional pattern and texts for the Easter Vigil. It will be of particular help for those who plan a more formal Easer Vigil service. For others, the commentary included with this service will provide a g…

Recovering The Twelve-day Christmas To Epiphany Celebration

The commercialization of Christmas may be combated by following the suggestions below to recover a full twelve-day celebration that begins at Christmas and ends at Epiphany. The word epiphany means "manifestation" and refers in particular to the manifestatio…

A Creative Service For Advent

This service draws on the historical Advent service to model an Advent worship for the free-church tradition. Adapt this service in a way suitable to the local congregation. Service Preparation and Reflection Taped Music [Monks of Weston Priory]: "The Good…

The Penitential Character Of Advent Worship

Advent is a penitential season, calling us to both personal and corporate repentance. Acts of confession and lament are appropriate not only for personal wrongdoing but also for the evil principalities and powers that pervade our culture. Today in the United…

The “o” Antiphons

The seven "O" Antiphons are ancient texts developed for use during the last seven days of Advent (December 1723). Eventually these antiphons were gathered into the well-known hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. " Today these ancient prayers can be used in a variet…

The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath, which hangs at the front of the church with its five candles, symbolizes the coming of Christ. Sample texts that can accompany the lighting of the candles are printed ealier in this chapter. In the past two decades, the ancient custom of t…

The Origins Of The Christian Year

In the first centuries a. d. the cycle of Christian time grew out of the conviction that all time finds its meaning in the death and resurrection of Christ. Thus the early Christians, beginning with the paschal event, extended the Christian calendar forward to…