The
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
Commission on Worship
(Summer 2006 Issue)
After six years in development, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
(LCMS) introduces this fall its new Lutheran Service Book.
The LCMS Commission on Worship devotes a major section of its
website to this new resource. All five settings of the Divine
Service (Eucharist) can be downloaded, as well as other liturgies
and elements from the pastor's two-volume companion of occasional
services, the Agenda, to be released at the same time.
Information is also available on workshops to be conducted at
over 250 sites in North America.
Interesting
items under the "Articles" section include:
- Reflections
on contemporary worship
- Singing
the psalms
- The
Prayer of the Church
- Lutheran
worship and emotions
The
"Worship Resources" section offers downloads of the
study guide and excerpts from Text, Music, Context, a
theologically based guide for worship planners.
The
LCMS is not exactly a leader in liturgical renewal, having confounded
the Inter-Lutheran Commision on Worship by failing to endorse
the Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978, producing its own
Lutheran Worship in 1982. It is nonetheless respected
for its rich liturgical heritage (I first learned to sing introits
and graduals at an LCMS church during my seminary days), and for
making its liturgy consistent with its theology.
Evaluation
of site: (maximum 5 *s)
Content
Breadth: 3 ***
Content Depth: 3 ***
Ease of Use: 3 ***
Practical Application: 5 *****
External Links: 1 *
Season
of Creation
(Spring 2006 Issue)
This developing set of resources for a 3-year 4-Sunday liturgical
season of creation began in 2000 at St. Stephen’s Lutheran
Church, Adelaide, South Australia, the work of Norman Habel, Prof.
of Theology at Flinders University in Adelaide. The Uniting Church
in Australia encouraged further development in 2003.
 The
season of creation is celebrated “down under” in September
(where it is then spring). The resources for 2005 are posted,
and those for 2006 were being loaded as this review was written.
Each year offers four complete liturgies that are ecumenical,
traditional in form, robust in content, refreshing in language,
with a prophetic voice of social justice. The themes are:
A (Matthew) Spirit: Forest, Land, Wilderness, River
B (Mark) Word: Earth, Humanity, Sky, Mountain
C (Luke) Wisdom: Ocean, Fauna, Storm, Cosmos
In
addition to the liturgies, for each year, the site offers:
- Guidelines
for worship
- Sermon
starters
- Complete
children’s sermons
- Ideas
for spiritual reflection
- Visual
image gallery
Materials
are copyrighted but offered for free use in congregational worship
and workshops. This site is a resource treasure for Earth Day,
creation, and environmental worship.
Evaluation
of site: (maximum 5 *s)
Content Breadth: 4 ****
Content Depth: 4 ****
Ease of Use: 5 *****
Practical Application: 5 *****
External Links: 1 *
Notre
Dame Center for Liturgy
(Winter 2005/2006 Issue)
Notre
Dame Center for Liturgy's mission is to support and enrich the
liturgical life of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly through
documents and decrees of the Second Vatican Council. The website's
right sidebar includes:
- Publications:
list of books and periodicals for sale
- Bibliographies
- Church
Documents
- Conferences
- Liturgy
Links
Bibliographies
reflect RC perspective on sacramental topics such as Christian
Initiation (baptism), Reconciliation (penance), Eucharist, Pastoral
Care of the Sick (anointing), Ministry (ordination); as well as
themes like Inclusive Language, Liturgy and Justice, and Women
and Worship.
The
site includes information on conferences which the Center sponsors.
There
is an extensive list of links, mostly RC-oriented, to liturgy
sites, libraries, publishers, and publications.
Evaluation:
(maximum 5 *s)
Content
Breadth: 3 ***
Content Depth: 3 ***
Ease of Use: 5 *****
Practical Application: 3 ***
External Links: 4 ****
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General
Board of Discipleship Worship (UMC)
(Summer
2006 Issue)
The
United Methodist Church's General Board of Discipleship Worship
site is navigated primarily by the  hotlinks
and drop-down menus in the left sidebar. Many of the sections
have articles, "musings," and links. A number of services
and liturgies can be accessed equally from the Music, Preaching,
or Worship sections.
- Music
includes copyright information, hymnal and musical resources,
and lectionary planning
- Preaching
includes a section on 21st century Africana liturgy
- Worship
includes acolytes & altar guild, children and youth in
worhsip, Holy Communion study, and liturgy & history
- Contemporary
has subsections for music, preaching, and worhsip. Don't miss
"Whatever Happened to the Father? The Jesus Heresy in
Modern Worship" by Susan J. White.
- Emerging
Worship
is geared to ages 18 to 30
- Lectionary
helps
- Wesley
Resources notes Charles Wesley's 300th birthday will
be December 18, 2007
- Ethnic
Resources
are provided for African-American, Asian, and Native American
populations
- Liturgical
Arts includes architecture, dance, drama, and storytelling
This
site is a rich and robust collection of worship resources beyond
the immediate concern of lectionary, hymns, and propers. It offers
more a cultural and anthropological rather than a theological
approach to worship.
Evaluation
of site: (maximum 5 *s)
Content
Breadth: 5 *****
Content Depth: 4 ****
Ease of Use: 3 ***
Practical Application: 4 ****
External Links: 5 *****
St.
John in the Wilderness
(Spring 2006 Issue)
 The
Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness, White Bear Lake
MN, offers a substantial website of more than three dozen courses
for adult education and formation. Some are discussions of particular
books. Many have downloadable course outlines or presentations.
Of
particular interest to readers of Sacramental Life:
- “Prayer,
Finding the Heart’s True Home,” based on Richard
J. Foster’s book of the same name (1992) (5-part PowerPoint
presentation): simple, formation, sacramental, contemplative,
healing
- “The
Eucharist,” based on John MacQuarrie’s A Guide
to the Sacraments (1998) (5-part PowerPoint presentation):
Eucharist as meal, Real Presence, sacrifice
- “Christian
Spirituality,” based on Alister E. McGrath’s book
of the same title (199) (5 sessions with overheads): theological
foundations, biblical images, visualization and spatialization,
Anglican spirituality
- “Contemplative
or Centering prayer”
- “Praying
with Icons,” a program presented by Fr. Jonathan B.
Proctor, Rector of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in America,
St. Paul.
The
site also offers two e-book versions of the 1979 Book of Common
Prayer, with extensive hyperlinks.
Evaluation
of site: (maximum 5 *s)
Content
Breadth: 2 **
Content Depth: 3 ***
Ease of Use: 5 *****
Practical Application: 3 ***
External Links: 2 **
Earth
Ministry
(Winter 2005/2006 Issue)
 Founded
in 1992, Earth Ministry is an environmental ministry of 1400 persons
and 100 congregations, headquartered in Seattle. Among the goals
of its mission is the "greening" (heightened environmental/creation
consciousness) of congregational worship. This robust website
has sidebar buttons and a rich matrix of cross links. For those
who prefer a more linear naviation, the Site Map is an easier
place to start than the home page.
Follow
the path: Cultivate Congregational Involvement -> Worship
Aids to find:
- Worship
elements, many from National Council of Churches' Earth Day
services (most recent 2004), plus a couple Native American
- List
of traditional and contemporary hymns and songs with environmental
themes
- An Environmental
Stations of the Cross liturgy
- Eight
environmental sermons by staff and colleagues
- Family
devotions booklet
- Guidelines
for greening your congregation's worship
From
the path: Increase Your Awareness -> Publications, see:
- Annotated
Bibliography sections on "Creation Spirituality"
and "Poetry, Prayer, and Mediation'
- Ordering
information for the 225-page Greening Congregations Handbook
Evaluation:
(maximum 5 *s)
Content
Breadth: 5 *****
Content Depth: 4 ****
Ease of Use: 4 ****
Practical Application: 4 ****
External Links: 3 ***
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