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.
Copyright ©2007, 2008, 2009 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.
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.

July 5, 2009 [Green]
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

July 12, 2009 [Green]
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Psalm 24
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29

July 19, 2009 [Green]
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 89:20-37
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 26, 2009 [Green]
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

August 2, 2009 [Green]
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35

August 9, 2009 [Green]
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Psalm 130
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35, 41-51

August 16, 2009 [Green]
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

August 23, 2009 [Green]
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11; 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

August 30, 2009 [Green]
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23



Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992
Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission.
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?
Chris Pascua blowing the traditional Hawaiian Pu at
the beginning of worship at his church, Wahiawa
UMC. This is a widespread practice in the churches
in Hawaii.

Photo: Daniel Benedict
St. Paul of the Cross Monastery
Chapel, Pittsburgh PA. The Order of
Saint Luke will have its annual retreat
here Oct. 12-15, 2009. For more
intormation click here.
The Impact of the RCIA: Stories,
Reflections, Challenges, ed. by Jerry
Galipeau, (World Library Publications,
2008) received third place award in the
Catholic Press Association's
"professional book" category.

The award was presented with these
words:

"This small book helps the reader understand
the impact that the RCIA has made on the
Church during the last twenty years. At the same
time it is also useful in providing a glimpse into
what may be possible in the years that lie
ahead. The fifteen essays are of the same high
quality--each very readable, pastoral, and
useful: no small accomplishment for the editor
who compiled all these wonderful stories."

Among the fifteen authors, the only
non-Catholic essay--"'A Period of
Well-Suited Instruction:' An Ecumenical
Perspective" was written by Daniel
Benedict.

The RCIA--Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults is the contemporary process the
Roman Catholic Church follows in
relating to and forming new persons for
baptism and Christian discipleship. Other
churches have adapted and adopted this
practice. Daniel's book, Come to the
Waters (Discipleship Resources, 1996) is
a pastoral invitation to United Methodists
to adopt this robust formational process.