Reformed Worship - October 2021

Bringing you relevant inspiration, right for this moment. October 2021 Welcome to this newly redesigned Reformed Worship eNewsletter. We hope that this new design provides a fresh look. Soon you will also notice changes to our website made in part to help you find the resources you need more quickly. Watch for announcements through this eNewsletters and social media. Subscribers of our quarterly journal (in print and digital formats) may have noticed that since Issue 140 (June 2021), the overarching theme has been worship and spiritual disciplines. To echo that theme, this eNewsletter features articles and resources about spiritual disciplines such as scripture memory, singing, embracing mystery, lament, and getting our mind refreshed and renewed. Paul encourages us to develop these practices: live in peace with each other, warn those who are idle, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient, rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:13–18). FEature   Keep These Words in Your Heart: The Spiritual Discipline of Scripture Memory BY JEFF BARKER A personal spiritual discipline prepares us to enter into corporate worship, and likewise, corporate worship prepares us to live more Christianly. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is a treasured personal practice, and the gift of God’s Word delivered from the heart on the public platform can be a formative experience for all who are ready to receive. Read more Magazine   Embracing Mystery and Receiving Wonder: The Lord’s Supper BY JOHN D. WITVLIET I find myself praying more and more that congregations and their leaders will pray for a profound sense of wonder at the table and that they will seek to shape cultures of amazement. Ultimately, cultures of amazement and astonishment can be gently nurtured. Read more   Ten Counsels: Richard Foster on Spiritual Formation BY RICHARD FOSTER What does spiritual formation have to do with worship? Everything. Our dialog with God in worship moves us through the same formation, conformation, and transformation process as Richard Foster suggests takes place in spiritual formation.   Read more   Subscribe today for premium content Articles and resources in this eNewsletter marked with are premium content that require you to log in. To access premium content at the Reformed Worship website and our digital library, please subscribe today. Join now Worship planning Resources   Lectionary Resources from Reformed Worship  Does your congregation make use of the Revised Common Lectionary? Have you wondered if Reformed Worship had resources for you? We certainly do! Check out this chart for Year B resources for the fall season up to Christ the King Sunday and American Thanksgiving (Ordinary Time). Story Holders and Life Shapers: Psalm 96 and Congregational Song Singing shapes us more deeply than simple memorization. Our songs hold the stories of God. We sing them to remember the stories and the character and actions of the God who saves, protects, guides, comforts, and loves us. We sing together because joining our voices unites our spirits, and we lift our songs to tell those who don’t yet know that our only comfort is that we belong.  In a Slump Dean Heetderks, art director for Reformed Worship, shares his thoughts on getting out of a slump and being productive again for worship planners. Paid advertisements Advertisement content blog     Six Considerations When Choosing Songs for Children By Joyce Borger What must we consider when we choose songs for children? Rev. Joyce Borger offers six important elements PLUS song suggestions for pre-K to 6th graders. Read more   Quietly Catching Jesus By Syd Hielema Through a variety of worship practices and disciplines such as singing, submitting to teaching, and corporate confession, Jesus’ presence within and among us is strengthened. Read more   Worship Blues By Kevin Adams Wise and honest Christians sing the Blues. Regularly. We sing them habitually, so we know the words by heart and soul. Read more CRC Worship Ministries 1700 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508-1407 Preferences | Unsubscribe View in browser   Renew or manage 800.333.8300 | info@reformedworship.org You are receiving Reformed Worship updates because you are a current or past subscriber to our print magazine, signed up on the website, or asked to be subscribed to the mailing list. Copyright © 2021 Worship Ministries, Christian Reformed Church in North America. All rights reserved.