Preeminent German hymn writer Philipp Nicolai was a Lutheran pastor whose small town, Unna, was devastated by the plague during the winter of 1597-8 with over 1300 deaths.  He officiated at many funerals, as many as 30 a day.

Dina Datsko de Sánchez wrote this new poem for the re-imagined Homecoming Sunday at First Congregational Church, Long Beach.

Amanda Udis-Kessler shares LBGTQ+ hymns along with the sheet music – just click on the title of the hymn to open the PDF Sheet Music.

Annually, for several years, I visited the monastery of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, a beautiful compound north of downtown Tucson. I was amazed at the physical, mental, and spiritual liveliness of these mostly older women, and the level of their engagement with the world despite their mostly cloistered way of life.

    “Leaning In: A Prayer of Intention” is a sung prayer of intercession that aims to break down the distinction between the typical “us” and “them:” of such prayers. It also shifts away from petition (asking …

Here’s a collection of 10 church songs that come from some pretty famous and influential secular artists. They’re easy enough for most people to sing along to, come in a printable format and are pretty straightforward to play, too.

    Son. Father. Uncle. Friend. Human being. Child of God. What blindness could keep anyone from seeing the sacred life in this man? Bystanders saw it. And cried out that his precious life be spared. Only …

Amanda Udis-Kessler shares 8 hymns along with the sheet music – just click on the Title of the Hymn to open the PDF Sheet Music.

When we realized because of COVID19 we couldn’t sing together, we refused to give up the use of music in our Gatherings; it is just too important. So we turned to the only source of music we thought could offer the same experience even if it didn’t involve singing along: YouTube.

My street is quiet now.
Cars, buses, lorries,
noisy polluters of our very breath,
have fled in disarray.

“Something new to say” is a collection of liturgy resources for the season of Advent and Christmas. Author Bronwyn White lives in Aotearoa New Zealand, where Christmas comes at summertime.

Crises drive us from our comfort
to the edge of vital choice,
children speak the words we’ve hidden,
simple words we’ve failed to voice.

In his lifetime Jesus taught us
To observe and then reflect
On the laws that nature teaches
If we pause and then inspect,

A hymn text specifically for congregations currently doing virtual worshipping. It is to the tune of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Nettleton 8.7.8.7.D.)

What forms do your communion elements take during this time of Shelter In Place?  See mine, below this entry… from Palm Sunday.  Mt Hollywood Church is urging people to take pix of their home-made communion elements – whether wine and bread, milk and cookies, juice and cereal – and posting them on social media

The peace that we share when we turn and shake hands
Is simply the peace that our Savior commands.

Fast from fear and feast on love.

Fast from violence, feast on peace.

O Christ, we remember the things that you did,
The lessons you taught us, the way that you lived.