| Bringing you relevant inspiration, right for this moment. |  | | august 2023 |  | As August wanes the pressure of the coming months increases for pastors, church staff, and those involved with worship planning. Some of you might be engaging in the season of creation; others are planning commissioning services to mark the beginning of formation classes or various music ministries; and still others are thinking a bit more seriously about plans for World Communion, Thanksgiving Day, and maybe even Advent which always seems to come too quickly. Wherever you find yourself in your planning, know that Reformed Worship has practical resources for whichever season you find yourself in as well as articles to help you and your worshiping community engage more deeply on related themes. As you plan your worship calendar for the months ahead we’d like to encourage you to intentionally include opportunities for self-care and rest. If you have a helpful practice already in place that you would be willing to share with others, send us an email editors@ReformedWorship.org or write a facebook post on the Reformed Worship page. We look forward to hearing and learning from you. “You made us, O Lord, for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
–Saint Augustine | | |  | | The Ecological Witness of the Psalms Winnie-the-Pooh said, “The only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” Far be it from me to pick a fight with A. A. Milne’s fictional bear, but, in fact, the book of Psalms begs to differ with this principle. Each element of creation, the psalms insist, exists not primarily for our consumption, but to praise its creator. Let’s listen for what the psalms have to say about creation’s unique capacity for praise, as well as the psalms’ implicit critique of any attempt to stifle creation’s song. | | |  | | | A Litany for Reflection While this litany is meant for a leader and congregation, we are sharing it as a way to encourage you to take a moment and rest. This was written by a worship leader who wished to remain anonymous but understands the challenges of ministry. Read it, ponder it, pray it. “In a world where we are called into ministry…where we get carried away, burnt out, overworked, and discouraged, remind us of our limitations and of your greatness.” | | | |  | | | A Worshipful Tasting Session Even while embroiled in another season of unexpected weather patterns, churches are all too often completely silent in response to the climate crisis. We could name any number of reasons for that culpable silence—or vocal dismissiveness. But for churches who hear the urgent moral call of these frightening days, we now have a growing number of resources to help us respond, including resources for worship. This is one such resource.  | | | |  | | | | | Discover resources and planning tools that inform and inspire. Subscribe today to to receive our award winning print editions, to access premium content on the Reformed Worship website or in our digital library. | | | | | worship planning resources | | | | | Resources on the Theme of Creation Commissioning Teachers and Leaders A Thanksgiving service with Scripture, songs, poetry, and slides Reformed Worship has rich resources for preachers and worship planners whose worship services follow the Lectionary. Check out this chart for Year A resources or this one for Year B which begins with the first Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2023. | | | | | | A Liturgy Based on Matthew 15:21-28 | | | This liturgy aligns with the Revised Common Lectionary for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost, August 20, 2023.It is one of a series of resources created for lectionary users but adaptable for other services as well. | | | | | | | | Speaking with a Reformed Accent The Third Use of the Law | | | This is the second blog in a series of monthly blogs on "Speaking with a Reformed Accent". In this blog Dr. Cornelius Plantinga reflects on how the law can be a form of God's grace, something John Calvin referred to as the third use of the law. | | | | | | | | Subscribe to our award-winning quarterly worship journal and be able to read articles with this symbol:
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