Many thanks to NALC pastor Cathy Ammlung for this second in a series of videos intended to provide congregations – especially those with temporary and/or longer-term pastoral vacancies – with some tools for worship planning.   A link to Cathy’s video can be found HERE.  A link to our You Tube channel, which contains sixty-one reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found HERE. 

In this video, Cathy discusses the church year and festivals.  She looks at the rhythm and logic of the secular year, as broken unofficially into various seasons and as punctuated by special holidays, as a way to think about the church year cycle.  She gives some suggestions for how the church year can help you plan a season of worship as well as some simple examples of using the season or day of the church year in your congregation’s life.  Next session will focus on understanding and using the lectionary as you do your worship planning.

“Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:7-8)

The earth is filled with its own rhythm. The Lord reflects who He is through what He has made. Look around and see all that the Lord has made and know that it has its own rhythm which He has implanted in it. Be guided by the Lord and His goodness and know that in Him alone is the only eternal hope. He is righteous and will guide those who come to Him in His righteousness.

Lord, open my eyes to see Your goodness and mercy. Open my eyes to see the beauty of all that You have created. Guide me according to Your goodness to walk in the way that I have been created to walk. Clear my eyes that I may see more clearly and do those things which You have given me to do. May I be guided by Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life.

Lord Jesus, You are the example of One who walked in the Father’s will. By Your example and Your leading, guide me today and every day to walk as I should walk in this creation of Yours. Lead me in the upward path of becoming like You that I may see and understand how I fit into Your creation. Raise me up to become like You, a willing and obedient child of the Heavenly Father. Amen.