Find reflections on scripture, concepts for worship and disciple formation, music, liturgy, and more to invigorate your worship planning. Most of these come from Methodist sources and reflect Wesleyan theology.
Holy Week Resources
In Awe of Grace
Every day is a holy day if you live into the truth of the ever-present God. Every moment is a moment rich with possibility and hope; every relationship is a potential insight into the activity of the Spirit; every conversation is a living word of grace and peace. “Best of all,” John Wesley supposedly said as his last words, “God is with us.” Amen. Yet there are times and seasons that seem even more holy. There are moments that reverberate with the living presence of the living God, and our only proper response is to fall to our knees in awe of grace. These eight days are one of those times. Some argue they are the preeminent days when history, our history, and our understanding of self and God and life itself all changed. From Palm Sunday through Easter, the world is remade, a new creation, and we are blessed to be a part of it, blessed to receive a gift beyond words, which is nothing less than eternity itself.
Women's History Month
During this month, the General Commission on Religion and Race invites you to honor faithful women of color worldwide who have stared down racism and sexism to model Christian love, justice-making, and service to transform the world.
Lent Resources
Learning to Live Inside Out
Lent is a bi-directional season. Or at least it should be. That isn’t how we usually experience the season, however. Too often, we see the Lenten journey simply as a journey inward. While that is a great start or an important component to a powerful Lenten experience, it can’t be the whole story. Examining your soul is more than just looking inward; it is also considering the state of your soul as it walks about in the world. This isn’t new. Historically, the church has talked about the spiritual disciplines in two directions. Like the great commandment, these two sides of the same coin cannot ultimately be separated. That is why this series is about doing both – looking inward and moving outward. We are learning to live inside out.
#BeUMC worship and preaching materials
Incorporate the #BeUMC campaign into worship services with the help of planning ideas, Scripture, preaching notes, prayers, resources and more from Discipleship Ministries. The series runs for four weeks and is based on John Wesley’s three General Rules.
ICC Sermon Starters: Promoting Intercultural Competency In Preaching
GCORR has created this PDF downloadable resource to assist both clergy and lay preachers to attend faithfully to the biblical text while engaging Intercultural Competency (ICC) as a value and skill set.
United Methodist–Related Sources
United Methodist Discipleship Ministries
- The worship staff at this United Methodist agency provides weekly scripture commentary, sermon ideas, United Methodist Book of Worship content, and worship service suggestions for the upcoming seasons and Revised Common Lectionary readings.
- Scripture reflections for preaching, planning and leading worship, services for special occasions, prayers and litanies, complete orders of worship, worship for children, music, and more.
- Articles, suggestions, references, and more for United Methodist congregational ministry, including worship resources.
- A comprehensive index of hymns and hymnals.
- A religious order dedicated to sacramental and liturgical scholarship, education, and practice.
- A three-year cycle of scripture texts used by many church bodies around the world.
- Innovative ideas for sensory-rich and well-integrated worship services. Led by Dr. Marcia McFee, a recognized United Methodist worship designer and author, the site offers videos, interviews, resources, advice for coordinating worship teamwork, webinars, and crowdsourcing. The material applies to churches of various sizes and worship styles.