Worship

What a joy to gather with Christians from all over the world in this Symposium! In this service, we will sing music that expresses our joy and our calling to live and work together as part of Christ’s body in the world. We will pay attention to way that biblical Psalms express all four of these key themes, centuries before these four marks of the church came together in the Nicene Creed. The songs and prayers in this service could be used on almost any occasion, but would be especially poignant during celebrations of Pentecost.

Join us for this contemplative evening prayer service, set in the darkness, as we gather around a large map of the world, with the cross—our Tree of Life—at its center, to pray for nations, places, and peoples in need of healing, hope, and peace. Note: Workshop C6, Prayer around the Cross: Unpacking the Liturgies is being offered to help participants think about how to offer these kind of liturgies in their own setting.

Congregational singing invites us to not just think about the events of Holy Week, but to become participants in unfolding drama of Christ’s passion and resurrection. Through song we explore what it means to be united with Christ in his dying and rising (Rom. 6:4). Come ready to sing the story of the events that unfold from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, with songs from Lift Up Your Hearts (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2013), and to prepare your hearts for your own shaping of Holy Week services this coming spring.

This Vesper/Prayer Service will feature the inspiring prayers, songs, and readings from the African American worship tradition past and present.