Easter
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Celebrating Holy Week In A Post Holocaust World
$28.00Add to cartAn ongoing issue for clergy as well as Christians in general is how to approach New Testament narratives about the crucifixion of Jesus in relation to Jews, Judaism, and the horrific events of the Holocaust. The popular movie “The Passion of the Christ” has brought one aspect of this problem into widespread public attention. The events of Holy Week pose particular challenges for clergy and congregations. In this book Henry Knight helps us deal with Holy Week texts in light of our post-Holocaust world and provides practical examples of prayers, liturgies, and resource material to help pastors prepare for and lead worship and teach during this important time in the life of a congregation.
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Why Did Jesus Die
$8.95Add to cartWhat really motivated the main characters in the events surrounding Jesus’ death? Was Judas merely a pragmatic man dealing with the unpleasant realities of everyday life in an occupied land? Was Herod an honorable leader of the Hebrew people who was concerned with saving lives? Was Pontius Pilate a talented and efficient representative of Rome who was simply trying to keep the peace? Or did they all intentionally participate in the wrongful execution of an innocent man?
Written in an easy-to-present format, this fascinating drama series will have your congregation pondering how they would answer these and many other questions. Six biblical characters come to life in new and revealing ways as they take the witness stand in a contemporary grand jury inquiry into the meaning of Jesus’ death. While attempting to explain their thoughts and actions, Judas, Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, Mary Magdalene, and Peter face intense questioning by a state’s attorney. The innovative grand jury approach makes audiences active participants in the drama, as they are challenged to determine the true significance of the crucifixion.
Why Did Jesus Die? is an enlightening six-part resource that’s perfect for weekly Lenten worship, but it can also be easily used as a single dramatic production. Several thought-provoking questions relating to each witness’s testimony are provided to spark follow-up discussion, and a closing argument by the state’s attorney summarizes the evidence pointing to Jesus’ innocence ? and our sinful guilt.
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Worship Innovations 3
$17.95Add to cartDedicated to providing fresh ideas for busy ministers and worship planners in a variety of settings, the Worship Innovations series offers practical resources that will bring the Bible to life and brighten your worship services. The easy-to-produce dramas and programs can be used in any size church, yet are flexible enough to fit almost any worship style. And each user-friendly resource comes with detailed instructions, including a complete list of everything you need to prepare for.
In this Worship Innovations volume, the focus is on the Lent and Easter season. Like the first two books, this is a rich storehouse that will supply you with many seasons worth of compelling, scripturally authentic material. Included are:
* The Paths to Calvary — a series of six short dramatic monologues for the weeks leading up to Easter in which biblical characters tell of their encounters with Jesus
* Our Place at the Table — a dramatic re-enactment of the events preceding the Last Supper, culminating in a congregational communion service
* A Passover to Remember — a complete Maundy Thursday service with a modified Passover seder as the centerpiece
* A Growing Darkness — a Good Friday tenebrae service featuring seven readings about the day’s events, brought to life with several costumed monologues
* Seven Words to Die By — based on Christ’s seven last words, this tenebrae service finds meaningful truths in the somber events of the crucifixion through monologues, scripture readings, music, and prayers
* Surprise at Sunrise — an Easter sunrise service depicting the resurrection discovery in four vignettes using child actors
* The Week of Weeks — a set of interactive scripture readings for each of the Sundays between Easter and PentecostOther titles in the Worship Innovations series:
Hanging The Greens For Christmas
Easy Bible Drama -
Season Of Ash And Fire
$20.99Add to cartIn addition to prayers and liturgies for Ash Wednesday through Ascension Day, this book includes suggested themes and symbols for the Sundays of Lent, daily Scripture readings for Lent and the fifty Days of Easter, household prayers for Lent and Easter, and an order for Lenten study groups. A Selected Scripture Index is included. This book has been designed for ease of use in both thematic and lectionary-based worship services.
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Walking The Way Of Sorrows
$14.95Add to cartEach year on Good Friday and throughout Lent, Christian congregations all over the world walk the Stations of the Cross, a commemoration of Jesus’ walk to Calvary. In Walking the Way of Sorrows, artist Noyes Capehart and writer/journalist Katerina Whitley provide a fresh resource for congregations and individuals who want to explore the meaning of these Stations more deeply. Capehart’s stark and powerful blockcuts of the fourteen Stations are accompanied by monologues from the point of view of someone at each station. These monologues, along with biblical references and a brief liturgy, are excellent for individual devotion, but can also be used by groups who walk the Stations together.
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Lessons From A Dog Guide Cycle C
$10.95Add to cartDee Brauninger has a way with words that makes one’s heart sing and be open to learn andhear more. Gentle phrases leap out and make one think and wrestle with God and one’s self.(from the introduction)Margaret Slater, Inclusive Ministry CoordinatorLocal Church Ministries, United Church of ChristIn these meditations on the love and trust of the relationship between guide dog and person, readersfind themselves learning to love and to trust in other important ways. Brauninger speaksfrom experience, yet with care and respect for the reader’s own journey and conclusions about life.Mary Avidano, PastorAlbion United Church of ChristAlbion, NebraskaBrauninger has a gift for writing words that are truly inspired and inspiring. Her workwith guide dogs has given her a unique insight into spiritual life, and a very understandableway of presenting God’s message.Judy Campbell, Director of TrainingLeader Dogs for the BlindRochester, MichiganTheses superbly crafted meditations, focusing on messages of hope and the reality of God’spresence, introduce insights that speak to the heart. The meditations bear reading severaltimes, allowing one to savor the words and explore the meanings for one’s own life.Martha D. Walker, Counselor and Christian EducatorPottstown, PennsylvaniaUsing her own experiences with leader dogs as a metaphor for our dependence upon a caringGod, Brauninger creatively weaves together personal stories, fresh insights into biblical passages, and implications for people in the pews.Dosia Carlson, Pastor EmeritusChurch of the BeatitudesPhoenix, ArizonaThese messages are a real treasure! Told in a setting that includes a dog guide namedTreasure, the stories help relate our faith to our own daily situations. Treasure helps us gainsome insight and understanding into both our faith and our life.Bob Loffer, Associate Conference MinisterNebraska Conference, United Church of ChristThe images of our faith strengthen our spiritual growth. Dee Brauninger weaves the attributesof the divine so well as she captures the person with a disability living in unity with adog, or is it with God?David Denham, ConsultantUnited Church of Christ Disabilities MinistriesDallas A. Brauninger is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ andfull-time writer who has served churches in Colorado and Nebraska. She has been honoredby her denomination for outstanding ministry to persons with disabilities and theirfamilies, and she is the editor of That All May Worship And Serve, the
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If A Sermon Falls In The Forest
$23.95Add to cartThis fascinating volume looks at the scriptural texts concerning a pivotal New Testament theme — the resurrection of Jesus — and examines how they may be read in various interpretive communities. Shepherd analyzes each of the major New Testament writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul — and places their distinctive accounts of Jesus’ resurrection in the broader context of their entire output. Through a careful study of the literary, historical, theological, anthropological, and sociological dimensions that color each writer’s picture of the resurrection, Shepherd helps readers understand the unique view each brought to bear on the life of Jesus and the faith of his followers.
But that is not all this book has to offer. Each section also includes one or more sample sermons illustrating how a preacher might treat these texts for an actual congregation. Each message is introduced with a description of its original setting and the homiletical and interpretive issues involved — so this is an excellent resource for pastors looking for stimulating Easter material or instructive preaching models.
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Alleluia : Messages For Children On Lent And Easter Themes
$12.95Add to cartElaine Ward passionately believes that it is vital for children to hear the good news of God’s love through the Lenten stories of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In this companion volume to An Idle Tale Becomes Good News (also available from CSS Publishing Company), Ward shares her gift for communicating with young people through twenty stories based on specific phrases or objects related to Jesus’ ministry in his final days or in his resurrection appearances. Each message tells a captivating tale in easily understood language, then invites children to enter the sacred story by connecting it with the scriptural narrative. Brief talking points and questions are included to help presenters clearly make the link for their young listeners.
Stories include:
* The Wasted Ointment
* The Warning Dream
* The Misdirected Tears
* The Torn Curtain
* The Idle Tale
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Idle Tale Becomes Good News
$15.95Add to cartEach chapter in this collection of twenty meditations considers a specific phrase or object related to Jesus’ ministry in his final days or in his resurrection appearances. In several cases, this is something intangible yet very distinct, such as Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, Pilate’s wife’s dream, or the astounding news of the resurrection which seemed like an “idle tale.” Other messages address objects that could have been seen and touched: the torn curtain in the Temple, ropes, scars, or the burial spices the women brought to the empty tomb. But whether tangible or intangible, each symbol reflects a significant event in the biblical narrative which Sheets explores to see what lessons can be drawn for today’s Christian living. This volume is excellent for adult Sunday school classes or other study groups, devotional reading during Lent and Easter, and as background for sermon preparation. A companion book of children’s sermons based on the same texts (Alleluia! by Elaine M. Ward) is also available from CSS Publishing Company.
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Journey Of Stones
$7.95Add to cartDrawing on the rich imagery of rocks and stones in scripture, these powerful messages center around the compelling metaphor of stones (and our willingness to throw them) as representative of our sins. As worshipers enter the sanctuary they are invited to pick up stones as a concrete symbol of each sermon’s theme; then as the message concludes the stones are placed at the foot of the cross. When the stones disappear on Easter (just like the stone sealing Jesus’ tomb), it’s a vivid illustration of how the Lord also removes our stones of sin. Each chapter includes several thought-provoking discussion questions to spur further reflection. With messages for Ash Wednesday, five weeks of Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, this is an excellent resource for Lenten midweek programming.
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Leading To Easter
$12.95Add to cartAre you looking for fresh, thoughtful material for your congregation’s Lenten journey that prepares them to experience the marvelous joy of the risen Christ? Here’s an anthology of ready-to-use resources that you can build on to create memorable Ash Wednesday and Holy Week services. Included are:
* A Season In Purgatory, an Ash Wednesday service with a sermon examining the concept of purgatory and how we atone for our sin.
* Why I Am An Optimist, a service and message for Passion/Palm Sunday which reminds us why it is important to empty ourselves and experience the pain and despair of Holy Week. It is because only then can we truly participate in the optimism of God’s ultimate victory which we celebrate on Easter morning.
* As I Have Loved You, a moving Maundy Thursday program that recalls the scene in the Upper Room by combining the food and symbolism of a traditional Passover meal with elements of a tenebrae service. As the meal progresses, scripture passages are read and candles are extinguished, until as the service ends only one candle remains lit, reminding us that Christ is the light of the world.
* Through The Eyes Of Jesus, a Good Friday service that intersperses hymns, prayers, and scripture readings with brief meditations depicting the various groups of people Jesus saw at the crucifixion.
* Behold, I Show You A Mystery, a set of three choral readings that are especially appropriate for Easter sunrise services, but could be profitably used any time during the Easter season.
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Getting Our Feet Wet
$12.95Add to cartLent is a great time to work dramatic presentations into your congregation’s programming — and Getting Our Feet Wet, a collection of 14 thoughtful sketches depicting Lenten themes, is a great resource for communicating the Gospel in fresh and exciting ways. Written with grace and style, the scenes probe common assumptions about faith, making a vivid impression on audiences while stretching their theological imagination. Most of the dramas explore familiar biblical events from novel vantage points: the proprietor of the upper room, two anonymous women at the crucifixion, wine-weary disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the stories bring out the humor and theological edge in scripture, while others leave readers yearning for the Good News of Easter. Appropriate for intimate gatherings or large worship services (particularly during Holy Week), many of the scenes require only one or two characters, and each comes with specific directions for props, sound, and lighting. Performance time of the scenes varies from approximately 5 to 12 minutes.
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Come In And Worship
$12.95Add to cartCome In And Worship offers a complete worship resource for your Holy Week needs, including a festival celebration for Palm Sunday, a Holy Communion service for Maundy Thursday, and a tenebrae service for Good Friday. Each features lengthy scriptural readings supplemented with stirring messages that place worshipers in the emotional turmoil of the passion events. The Palm Sunday ceremony includes a charming children’s story, “The Donkey’s Tale.”
Anyone who has to plan or lead worship will find these services to be a wonderful way of bringing Holy Week to life for congregations. Use them in combination with Bankhead’s other Lenten titles for a complete interrelated seasonal program.
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Gathering At Golgotha
$7.95Add to cartGathering At Golgotha provides a simple yet dramatic way for a group of readers to present the human drama at the heart of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion by focusing on the emotions of those with whom Jesus was most intimate. Including an original song, the script gives fresh voice to the feelings of Jesus’ close companions on that black night. This easy-to-produce piece uses very few props and needs minimal rehearsal time to create a lasting effect.
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Were You There
$7.95Add to cartThe story of Good Friday and Easter Day is dramatized through the device of “man-on-the-street” interviews. As a radio reporter tries to obtain details of the crucifixion, we hear the viewpoints of many people who witnessed the events, from children to a Roman soldier to a rabbi to some of the disciples. Then we hear radio announcers “on the scene” reporting the astounding good news of the resurrection. With parts for 6 men, 2 women, and 3 children, Were You There? is an excellent way to bring the Passion story to life while involving many members of your congregation.
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At The Foot Of The Cross
$10.95Add to cartSeven figures who were at the foot of the cross (or might have been there) pour their hearts out to Jesus in these dramatic conversations. Judas opens the series, spiritually wrestling with himself at the cross before taking his own life, pondering what he had done to Jesus. Other characters include the Centurion, Simon of Cyrene, the disciples John and Peter, as well as Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus. An additional monologue for Easter sunrise worship dramatizes the angel at the empty tomb waiting for the women to arrive, reflecting on the week’s events.
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Tenebrae For Modern Times
$7.95Add to cartTenebrae For Modern Times combines scripture, contemporary language, and prose poetry in an innovative setting. Within the framework of a standard worship service, short reflections by six apostles are echoed by the musings of six contemporary people with similar concerns. This juxtaposition reveals that little has changed in almost 2000 years – there are still taxes to pay and family situations to deal with. Questions central to our lives are addressed: “How do I find time for my family?” “How can I find time for church work?” and “How can I bring God into my life?” The service does not require a sermon, and there are suggested hymns and choral anthems for the church musician. The format allows for participation by many readers, yet the service is very adaptable for use by small congregations. No props or costumes are required, though the service may be performed in costume if desired. This truly distinctive Good Friday resource combines the past, present, and future into a poignant worship experience. Good Friday is an important day in the lives of Christians, and Marie Asner’s Tenebrae For Modern Times is a powerful way to make that day significant and meaningful in our lives. She causes us to think deeply about our own relationship with the Lord with her references to Jesus’ disciples as well as modern people who struggle. Each of us will be touched and changed by her inspired writings.
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Last Supper : A Maundy Thursday Portrayal
$7.95Add to cartWith The Last Supper, you won’t just hear about this familiar story, you’ll see it and feel it! It’s an insightful look at one of the most poignant moments in the life of Jesus. Glimpses into the personalities and backgrounds of the disciples emphasize the human qualities that we share with them. It’s also a visual portrayal of the sacrament of Holy Communion. This is a dramatic way to celebrate Maundy Thursday, as the program deftly combines a depiction of the Last Supper with a tenebrae service conclusion. In addition to the pastor, there are parts for 14 men and one woman. Character synopses and a seating chart for the portrayal are included.
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Prelude To Black Saturday
$7.95Add to cartThis liturgical drama provides a stark contrast to the joy and celebration of Easter morning. This service captures the reality of that Friday when our Lord was crucified. The cast includes people who were present on that final Friday – each sharing their emotions, from the sneering soldiers, to the heart-wrenching sobs and pleas of his mother, to Christ himself.
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Trials Of Christ
$7.95Add to cartThe Trials Of Christ is a readers’ theater presentation involving six people. It requires little rehearsal and no memorization.
The narrative is biblically based and provides a captivating message for Good Friday or Easter Sunday.
The Trials Of Christ attempts to demand a stand for truth from its audience, whether that stand be a theological position for Christ or a stand for truth in general. It challenges a congregation to consider the difficulty of taking a position that is totally unpopular or detrimental to the person taking that stand. The message helps direct listeners to live for eternal values.
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2 Good Friday Tenebrae Services
$9.95Add to cartThese services can be used by any number of participants, and include an order of service. Paradoxes Of The Passion examines the circumstances leading up to the crucifixion of an itinerant preacher from Galilee. What Shall I Do, Then, With Jesus Who Is Called Christ? brings us face to face with Pilate’s question that has echoed down the centuries.
Each of the Tenebrae services in this booklet can be used by any number of participants. An order of service for your bulletin preparations is also included.
Paradoxes Of The Passion brings to the worshiping congregation the circumstances leading up to the crucifixion of an itinerant preacher from Galilee who was no less than the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. The seven paradoxes are interspersed with hymns and prayers.
What Shall I Do, Then, With Jesus Who Is Called Christ? To Pilate’s surprise the crowd sought freedom for the murderer Barabbas rather than for Jesus. Pilate then asked the question that has echoed down the centuries to every man, woman, and child who has ever heard the Gospel: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” In this thought-provoking Good Friday Tenebrae service, Douglas Meyer explores how various key characters in the Passion story answered that question. Then he considers how The person in the pew answers that question today.
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2 Tenebrae Readings And Services
$7.95Add to cartTwo Tenebrae Readings And Services provides pastors and congregations with dramatic ways to remember the Passion of the Lord.
Tenebrae I – 9 reading parts
Tenebrae II – 12 reading partsParts are simple enough for both young people and adults. They are creatively drawn from the Bible narratives and present realistic human responses from those who would be his disciples.
These resources require very little preparation. They were conducted in the author’s congregation by calling the readers together an hour before the service.
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Meditations For The Six Days Of Holy Week
$7.95Add to cartThese six meditations offer a time and a place, suggested scripture readings from the Gospel texts, and provocative meditations. Participants will experience and share the commitment of fellowship in the days leading up to the surprise and joy of Easter.
Suggested uses:
Men’s prayer breakfast
Women’s breakfast or luncheon during Holy Week
Youth meetingsEach day offers suggested scripture readings and a provocative meditation that enables the participant to experience the pathos of the days leading up to the surprise and joy of Easter.
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Speaking With Signs
$7.95Add to cartSpeaking With Signs is a unique series of six object lessons for children during the Lenten season … making worship more meaningful for them (and for adults). Each lesson brings them a story from scripture by focusing upon a symbol related to the Easter story. Lessons are based on texts from Matthew and John.
Objects include:
a lantern
a rope
a crown of thorns
dice and a robe
a stepladder and sponge
a spear
a picture of an empty tomb -
3 For The Third Day
$12.95Add to cartBrevity and flexibility are the strengths of this volume. Each of these three drama-based Sunrise services takes only about 30 minutes to perform. The maximum number of participants required is nine and the minimum is four. Ages of the participants can range from adults to older elementary children.
The first service is titled We Were There and features an all female cast. It is the story of the women who were waiting for the sunrise trip to the tomb. The second is titled A Night Of Memories. It has Mary, the mother of Jesus, remembering the life of her son. As she recalls highlights of his life, corresponding scenes from the past become visible. The third service is called The Dream. It is the story of two young friends — a believer and a non-believer. One appears in the other’s dream as an angel and leads him through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Hymn, costume and scenery suggestions are included with each service. Scriptural references are also cited.
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Resurrection Rain : Meditations For Holy Week
$21.00Add to cartWith thoughtful and engaging style, Arthur Fogartie brings us this insightful collection of meditations for the Easter season. Presented in a story sermon format, each tale is designed to stir the soul and offer pause for daily reflection during Holy Week.
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7 Last Words Of Jesus Christ
$7.95Add to cartFor centuries, the cross has been the central symbol of Christianity — and the “Seven Last Words” of Jesus have been indelibly etched into the Christian conscience as these words remind us of the pain and torture that Jesus faced on our behalf. But despite our ongoing struggle with evil and death, we can find faith and courage in the noble example that Jesus set on the cross. Maurice Fetty reminds of this in practical, down-to-earth sermons on each of these famous utterances. The messages of this outstanding preacher are sure to provide great material for a Good Friday worship experience.
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Access To High Hope Cycle A
$15.95Add to cartHarry Huxhold’s excellent sermons build on the epistle texts from the lectionary to express and explain the meaning of the Lord’s passion and resurrection. His messages interpret the events of Jesus’ life in the light of God’s revelation to us through the scriptures. By sharpening our focus on the access we have to hope through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, he helps readers find the true significance in the events of his earthly life. Harry Huxhold currently serves as pastoral associate at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Carmel Indiana.
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Tears Of Sadness Tears Of Gladness Cycle A
$13.95Add to cartAlbert Butzer believes that “sermons should speak to the real and immediate lives of the listeners and be grounded in the everyday events of their lives.” This collection of sermons for Lent and Easter based on gospel texts definitely achieved that goal: Butzer’s messages consistently and creatively deliver a ringing proclamation of the good news. They are outstanding examples of the homiletical art that bring together several elements of the classic sermon: biblical text, theological tradition, life of the world, life and experience of a particular congregation, and faith and experience of the preacher.
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Passion For Pilgrimage
$23.95Add to cartUsing literature, art, and biblical texts as illustrations, Jones explores our search for light and love, repentance, and forgiveness in the context of the Passion and Easter stories. Includes study questions at the end of each chapter and makes an excellent group study during Lent or Easter as well as for individuals who would like to understand the Christian journey more deeply.
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Martin Luthers Easter Book
$11.99Add to cartThe late Roland Bainton, author of the much-respected Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, has translated excerpts from Luther’s Easter sermons and included 18 handsome engravings from Luther’s 1562 Bible, depicting real human beings agonizing and exulting over the mysteries of faith.
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Last Covenant
$7.95Add to cartThese two dramatic choral readings will place a permanent imprint on the conscience of all who speak and hear them. They won’t be heard as much as they will be felt. The pain and the anguish, the emptiness and hatred of that Friday long ago will fill the senses with such powerful rage that anyone in attendance will be transformed from passive bystanders to active participants in the quest for life as the glorious news of the risen Christ is known on Sunday.
Both choral readings involve five voices, which may be chosen from the congregation or can be performed as a choir litany. The combination of these voices will convey the strong emotions and images of the drama of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Both can be substituted for the sermon. No costumes or props are required.
With an order of worship, Easter Day’s reading includes congregational singing of nine hymns with the choral reading. The Last Covenant is a wonderfully effective way to involve the entire congregation in “”The Greatest Story Ever Told.””
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And Him Crucified
$7.95Add to cartCrowd: (Each person selects a phrase and repeats at random) Let him be crucified! Death! Crucify him! Let him die! Away with him!
Pilate: Why. What evil has he done?
Crowd: (At random) Let him be crucified! Away with him! Crucify him! Let him die!
Narrator 1: So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd.
Based on Matthew’s Gospel, And Him Crucified is a complete worship service in readers’ theater format. It brings the events of Jesus’ last days into the lives of your congregation. It needs few rehearsals and no costumes or experienced actors. A vivid and powerful picture of the crucifixion of Jesus is drawn from these pages. Six readers and two narrators are recommended, however you may use nearly 25 different speaking parts. The theater is part of the complete order of service, lasting about one hour.
The service includes suggested choir anthems.
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Living The Easter Faith
$12.95Add to cartLiving The Easter Faith is a series of Easter season sermons based on themes from Jesus’ parables. The parables demonstrate in a concrete and specific way the very heart and mind of the God revealed in Jesus.
“The Resurrection Age invites a new way of thinking and living in God’s world,” writes Donald William Dotterer. “Being Christian means that we adopt an alternative lifestyle. The parables of Jesus provide us with direction and insight for living the Easter faith.”
Sermons cover Easter Sunday through Easter 7. Texts are from Matthew, Luke and John. Sermon titles include “The Return Of The Lost,” “Counting The Cost,” and “Surprised By Grace.”
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Kneeling In Jerusalem (Large Type)
$20.00Add to cartIn a powerful and creative way, renowned author and speaker Ann Weems brings new insights into the Lenten season by providing seventy-one poems of inspiration. With her intutive and heartening poems, Weems takes the reader on a pensive journey through Lent and Easter.
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This Is The King
$7.95Add to cartPilate: Are you the king of the Jews?
Jesus: Do you say this on your own or did others tell you this about me?
Narrator: Pilate was startled to hear the authority and depth of the man’s voice.
— from “This Is the King! “dramatic reading
“This Is the King!” is a complete resource for congregations wanting a special Palm/Passion Sunday celebration.
Worshipers will find:
– An order of service with a blessing of the palms
– Scriptures for the day
– A children’s sermon
– Hymn selections
– A dramatic reading
– A service of communion
The children’s sermon title is “Churning Up the Waves.” The dramatic reading, “This Is the King!” is offered in place of a sermon. It uses a narrator, Pilate, and Jesus. -
Vine And The Branches
$12.95Add to cartI am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. — John 15:5
Schmalenberger takes Easter season texts from Mark, Luke and John and weaves them into eight sermons with applications for today’s Christian. Sermons cover Easter through Ascension Of Our Lord.
In the chapter for Easter 5, the author speaks of Christ as the vine. He states that the vine and the branches’ relationship teaches us something of what our relationship to Christ is like. Whenever we forget that Christ is the heart of everything, everything goes crooked. This is true of preaching, teaching; family life, vocation — everything.
Sermon titles include:
* When Thomas Doubted
* One Flock, One Shepherd
* Chosen For Good News
* A Prayer For Disciples -
In His Steps
$7.95Add to cartIn His Steps is a Protestant version of the stations of the cross experienced by Roman Catholics. It is designed as an ecumenical Good Friday worship service. There are 12 stations in the service.
Participants represent the stations during the service by standing in a position visible to the congregation. The participants hold the appropriate symbol for that station.
The leader announces the name of the station and the symbol for it and one of the participants reads the scripture. Time is provided for the congregation to pray and meditate briefly.
The book includes the order of service and a section to be copied and used as a church bulletin.
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Joyful Noise
$7.95Add to cartOrgans, choirs, hand bells, trumpets — even a brass quartet — are all possibilities with this versatile service for Easter morning.
Appropriate for use as a sunrise service or regular Sunday worship, this celebration of Easter joy will leave you and your congregation exulting in the full meaning and significance of Christ’s triumph over death.
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Master Has Come
$12.95Add to cartJesus and his kindom are the focus of this seven-part preaching series for Lent and Easter Day. Thomas Pilgrim, a seasoned proclaimer and an effective parish pastor, brings the reader and the listener face to face with Jesus and his claims upon Christian disciples. Well illustrated and carefully outlined, Pilgrim’s messages are appropriate for a Lenten Sunday or Lenten mid-week preaching series. Each message is accompanied by an appropriate and easy-to-tell children’s object lesson.
The author develops the theme in this way:
The Master Has Come
To Proclaim God’s Kingdom
And Calls Disciples
And Is Moved With Compassion
To Build His Church
And Is Calling For You
To Face Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
To Be Lord of Life (Easter Day) -
I Was There
$7.95Add to cartThis gripping tenebrae worship drama confronts your congregation with the powers of darkness and destruction which were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. Brief monologs by Sorrow, Fear, Death, and four other shadowy personae (presented on stage or spoken from off stage), and an eerie, dimly lit stage create the somber and mournful mood which all Christians feel on this day.
This flexible worship drama requires only a few easily obtained props — a large cross, candles, and a spotlight. Costumes are optional, and monologs can be either spoken or read. Whether presented alone or as part of a full-length service, this moving worship experience will leave your congregation prepared to fully appreciate the joyous celebration of Easter morning.
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Ashes And Tears
$12.95Add to cartAsh Wednesday and Holy Week are special days indeed on the Christian calendar. Pastors and worship leaders need to approach these days with special care so that their significance is not lost on the gathered congregation. How does one mark familiar days such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday in such a way that a deadening sameness does not overtake the planning and the execution of the worship services for these days?
James M. Bloom provides in this helpful resource eleven separate services or worship ideas. Liturgies and meditations are included. In most cases more than one worship alternative is provided.
Use this volume to enrich your observance of the special season of Lent. Share its ideas with others on your worship planning team. Help the members of your parish to experience a blessed Lent.
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Resurrection Promises
$12.95Add to cartJesus’ resurrection is a time for setting earthquakes shaking in the soul. The seven excellent Easter messages in this book will help to make that happen in your congregation. Leonard Budd and Roger Talbott have combined well-crafted stories, most of them imaginative fiction pieces, with solid exposition of texts from Old and New Testaments. These messages will provide preaching resources for the entire Easter season.
Two additional resources expand the usefulness of this volume:
* Prayers and readings for each Sunday follow each message.
* There are study/discussion questions for an adult forum group which can assemble following worship, or in the week following, to discuss the message. Each set of questions is preceded by “group-builder” get-acquainted and growth exercises. -
Passion Paths : Worthip Services For Ash Wednesday And Holy Week
$12.95Add to cartHere are five creative worship services for five special days on the Christian worship calendar. Each service involves the congregation in responsive readings, participation in contemporary prayers, and appropriate hymnody, psalmody, and scripture. Each service is accompanied with a highly creative sermon dialog to be shared by 3, 4, 5, or 7 readers.
The service and dialogs lead worshipers down familiar and appropriate paths to confrontation with the Living Christ and the God of Grace, whom we meet in the Lenten season in a special way.
The Path of Maturity — Ash Wednesday
The Path of Quality — Palm Sunday
The Path of Integrity — Maundy Thursday
The Path of Dignity — Good Friday
The Path of Creativity — Easter Day -
He Is Risen Indeed
$7.95Add to cartEach of these sermon — length dramas celebrates the resurrection from an unusual perspective. Suitable for use at Easter Sunrise, Easter Festival worship, or on a series of Sundays during the Easter Season, Gurden Henley’s dramas involve 5-8 characters each.
Sunrise Surprise tells the traditional Easter morning story through the eyes and mouths of Mary Magdalene, John, Peter, and Jesus.
A Zealot’s Greatest Battle deals With the resurrection from the perspective of a Jewish freedom- fighter of Jesus’ generation who saw his hopes for freedom going down the drain on Good Friday.
When Old Nick Met Nicodemus tells the resurrection story from the perspective of contemporary American society. An unchurched outsider is profoundly moved by the rehearsal of an Easter drama and is caught in the story.
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Darkest Day
$7.95Add to cartThe centerpiece of this Good Friday worship service is the monologue, The Ghost of Judas. Designed to be presented by the pastor or any lay-person who can speak with a sense of drama, the monologue places Judas Iscariot at center stage on the day Christ died. His reflections on his own behavior, his remorse, and his deep sense of regret and self-examination lead the worshiping congregation to search their own souls, an appropriate activity on this most profound of all Christian days.
The monologue is sermon length. If not available in local hymnals, suggested hymns may be replaced by others more appropriate.
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Power Of Darkness Series C
$14.95Add to cartThis preaching resource for Lent and Easter, Cycle C, provides model sermons based on nine texts from Luke and nine from John. In addition to the Sundays in these liturgical seasons, messages are also provided for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Ascension Day (or Ascension Sunday). Included in these pericopes are familiar texts including Jesus’ wilderness temptation; the lament over Jerusalem; parables of the unproductive fig tree, the lost son, and the rebellious stewards; Luke’s narratives of the Passion of Our Lord, the Upper Room, and Jesus’ Ascension; John’s Resurrection account; Thomas’ shaky faith; and Jesus’ prayer of Christian unity.
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Hear The Good News
$7.95Add to cartHear the Good News is a fine volume of worship services for this important week within the church year. The services are particularly significant because they are based on the premise that God’s word, scripture, is dynamic and lively. Therefore, the author has provided dramatic readings of the narratives as found in the synoptic gospels. In addition, other portions of scripture are used as antiphonal hymns and liturgies. Brief introductions to the scripture passages are presented, either for oral sharing or for use in the bulletin; the congregation is also given opportunity to participate in the proclamation of the scripture texts. This is a creative and prayerful worship series for Holy Week.
