ISBN 0-7880-1906-6And in the process we would become a community, looking at each other, joining hands, praying together with a kind of intimacy hardly imaginable. And if we decided to try to make it work at home, we would subscribe to a monthly newsletter, “In the Worship Workshop,” published by CSS.
Now retired and living in Santa Fe, Dick Avery and Don Marsh continue their creative teamwork, much as they did in First church, Port Jervis, N.Y., for 40 years.
This book contains material culled from some 500 issues of their newsletter. It is a manual for use by those, ministers and/or lay persons, who are responsible for the worship life and, more specifically, for Sunday morning services and other seasonal celebrations. It contains practical steps from planning to evaluation and what needs to take place in between. Chapters in Part 1 are designated by the liturgical seasons — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost. Part 2 is an appendix of 13 songs by the two composers, some previously published and some brand new, that are examples cited in the text for possible use.
The book’s theological perspective is that of a loving God who frees us to give fully of ourselves in community, particularly the community of faith we call church. It is in the church that we are to celebrate this gift and act upon our commitment to God, to each other and to the world. As stated, “the Sunday morning service is a family reunion, the gathering of a scattered household.” The gift and celebration of friendship is modeled on Jesus known as friend. While earlier traditions, such as those documented in the early church as the community of Jesus, are commended to us, the material is grounded in our own day, with all its technology, busy-ness and fragmentation. There is throughout the book the attempt to build and to make real this community, no matter how large or small the congregation, whether it is an urban or rural setting, through the creative process of planning services as well as through the use of tools suggested.
In addition, worship is intended to be a learning experience and inclusive of all ages. Children are to be active participants and important to the shaping of a congregation’s life, according to the authors, and thus many of the practical suggestions are made for children’s inclusion.
My criticisms are very few, for as one who has worked for many years on liturgy, I found it a delight to read through the book, bearing in mind eight congregations of which I have been a part. I can honestly say that I found marvelous resources for every occasion! That said, it would have been helpful to have the 20 or more suggestions in each chapter grouped in some way for quicker reference, such as “Symbolic Gestures” or “Use of the Space” or “Related Activities.”
My other comment has to do with recent theological insights and movements. For example, it would have been instructive to have some reflection on what the theology of hospitality has to say to the building of community, or whose insights from a theology of accompaniment, we might incorporate into creative symbolic actions for affirming world peace. There is also a great need, as we model inclusivity for a section on inclusive language that would take seriously the unique experience of women as a part of the community of faith. That having been said, the hymns of Avery and Marsh are thoughtfully inclusive and rich in images that, along with the material in this book, can transform worship into a vital experience for all of us.
