Strong Center Open Doors
Strong Center Open Doors is devoted to taking liturgy out of the box through:
  • Articles, resources & links for liturgy
  • Consulting by arrangement
  • On line worship and liturgy courses
  • Author-Reader dialogue
Taking Liturgy Out of the Box
"Liturgy" is not a four letter word. Many have
put what they imagine liturgy to be in a box and
set it on a shelf in favor of other approaches to
worship. But maybe, in this post-modern,
post-Christian, post-denominational time, the
Spirit is waiting for courageous people and
congregations to see and explore "the work of
the people." I host this site to provide pastors,
priests, musicians, and other worship leaders
with a place to think, reflect and connect with
worship that is centered around the central
things of the Christian faith and, at the same
time, be radically open to the hurt and hope of
the world.
Events
The events, workshops or online
courses  at which I will be a leader,
and I encourage your participation.
Copyright ©2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Daniel T. Benedict, Jr.
All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Strong Center Open Doors
Patterned by Grace news:
  • For a Q&A with Daniel Benedict
    in the United Methodist
    Reporter click here.
  • Patterned by Grace: How Liturgy
    Shapes Us is now available.
    Order from Cokesbury or The
    Upper Room Bookstore. For
    more on this book see the
    content menu bar on the left.
  • Liturgy Out of the Box online
    workshop is now finished, but I
    would be happy to host another
    one. If you would like to be in a
    future workshop contact the
    author.
What's New
Check out new events in the
events column below.








    Of interest primarily to United
    Methodists








  • Baptism and Identity--a
    Calvin Institute for
    Christian Worship look at
    baptism and Christian
    practice in worship and life.
Calendar and Resources
Click here for resources for the following days on
the liturgical and cultural calendar. The lectionary
what are designated as "ordinary time." For the
full listing of the table of readings see The
Revised Common Lectionary: The
Consultation of Common Texts (Abingdon,
1992).

For more about the Revised Common
Lectionary and related resources click here.

The Psalm or Canticle in ( ) is a reminder that its role in the
liturgy is a response of the congregation to the first reading
and is not a reading as such.


Note: The Old Testament reading after Pentecost in the
Revised Common Lectionary can follow two tracks, a
complimentary approach where the reading is correlated with
the gospel reading and a semi-continuous reading approach.
The listings here follow the semi-continuous pattern. For
more information on the Revised Common Lectionary click
here.

(Year C in the RCL)

March 7, 2010 [Purple]
Third Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

March 14, 2010 [Purple]
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3,11b-32

March 21, 2010 [Purple]
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8

March 28, 2010
    Palm/Passion Sunday [Red or Purple]
    Liturgy of the Palms
    Luke 19:28-40
    Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

    Liturgy of the Passion
    Isaiah 50:4-9a
    Psalm 31:9-16
    Philippians 2:5-11
    Luke 22:14-23:56 (or Luke 23:1-49)

March 29, 2010 [Red or Purple]
Monday of Holy Week
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 36:5-11
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 12:1-11

March 30, 2010 [Red or Purple]
Tuesday of Holy Week
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 71:1-14
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
John 12:20-36

March 31, 2010 [Red or Purple]
Wednesday of Holy Week
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32

April 1, 2010 [Red or Purple]
Holy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Worship Planning Helps

April 2, 2010 [No Color]
Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13�53:12
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

April 3, 2010
Holy Saturday [No Color]
Job 14:1-14 or Lamentations 3:1-9,19-24
Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16
1 Peter 4:1-8
Matthew 27:57-66

Easter Vigil [White]
The following readings and psalms are providedfor yous at
the Easter Vigil. A minimum of three Old Testament readings
should be chosen. The reading from Exodus 14 should
always be used.
Old Testament Readings and Psalms
    Genesis 1:1-2:4a
    Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
    Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13
    Psalm 46
    Genesis 22:1-18
    Psalm 16
    Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21
    Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
    Isaiah 55:1-11
    Isaiah 12:2-6
    Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
    or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21;9:4b-6
                  Psalm 19
    Ezekiel 36:24-28
    Psalm 42 and 43
    Ezekiel 37:1-14
    Psalm 143
Second Reading and Psalm
    Romans 6:3-11
    Psalm 114
Gospel Luke 24:1-12

April 4, 2010 [White]
Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34-43 or  Isaiah 65:17-25
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
John 20:1-18 (or Luke 24:1-12)

April 4, 2010 [white]
Years A, B, C
The following readings are for occasions whenth main
(eucharistic) Easter service must be lsate in the day. They are
not inteendedd for Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Easter
Sunday.
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 114
1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8
Luke 24:13-49

April 11, 2010 [White]
Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

April 18, 2010 [White]
Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 9:1-6, 7-20
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

April 25, 2010 [White]
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
From Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa
Barbara CA:

"Inclusive Language in Worship:
Because language has the power to shape
our thinking about God and one another,
Trinity Church makes every effort to bring
the language of worship in line with biblical
theology that affirms that the personhood
of God embraces all that is truly female and
male, and that men and women are equals.
In our liturgy some historical texts that are
widely known and loved are left
unchanged."

How does your church understand its language of
praise and prayer in terms of inclusiveness of all
persons; young and old, male and female,
newcomers and longtimers, racial/ethnic, gay and
straight,...?

Have leaders conversed about inclusive language
and other languages in terms of communicating
welcome and overcoming dis-ease about "will I /
we be welcomed here?
For a listing of upcoming events, scroll down.
Ecumenical Liturgical Texts available
for use from ELLC:

ELLC, the English Language Liturgical
Consultation, is the ecumenical agency
for the Revised Common Lectionary in the
English language world. In 1988 ELLC
published modern language versions of
ancient texts of Christian liturgy. These
formed a revision of an earlier set of texts
contained in Prayers We Have in
Common, and were accompanied by
introductory notes and commentary under
the title Praying Together. They include
canticles, creeds, and other "ordinaries"
for offices and the Eucharist. The UMH
and most other hymnals through the 80s
and 90s used these texts or adaptations
of them. You can find their work at
http://www.englishtexts.org.
Haiti Earthquake
These are some of the many
spontaneous resources posted on the
internet. You and your congregation may
find here prayers, litanies, songs and
other acts of worship to aid them in
intercession leading to compassionate
action.
..Christianity is about water:
“Everyone that thirsteth, come ye
to the waters.” It’s about baptism,
for God’s sake. It’s about full
immersion, about falling into
something elemental and wet. Most
of what we do in worldy life is
geared toward our staying dry,
looking good, not going under. But
in baptism, in lakes and rain and
tanks and fonts, you agree to do
something that’s a little sloppy
because at the same time it’s also
holy, and absurd. It’s about
surrender, giving in to all those
things we can’t control; it’s a
willingness to let go of balance and
decorum and get drenched.
Annie Lamot, Traveling Mercies, p. 231