Similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum. Qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores eaple. Highlight Heading SectionĪt vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus et quas fuga easgeorem. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Heading Title SectionĪt vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sin.Ĭupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?” Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Support Presbyterian Today’s publishing ministry.Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Speak to us of the love and faith that will sustain us in the weeks and months to come.
Speak to us of the hope and peace that are in short supply. Speak to our grief, our loneliness and our uncertainty. We enter Advent ready to receive Your Word,įor this season does not call for speaking or shouting or singing. She runs an online faith community at and recently launched a podcast, Bible Stories for Big Kids. Consider different ways sounds and smells might be incorporated in places and spaces that used to be occupied by singing and/or speaking.Īnne Russ is an ordained Presbyterian pastor currently residing in New York City. Baking bread, mulled cider, peppermint and even a freshly cut fir tree are smells that are easy to replicate and shouldn’t bother even super-sensitive noses. Do a survey of your congregation to discover their top five holiday smells, and then have those scents welcome people as they come in the door. Relate the number of chimes to something specific to your theme or your congregation. Consider using a chime from your organ or a single handbell to replace a traditionally sung response.
While I’m not a fan of incense (because of allergies), now is a really good time to take a note from our high church Anglican friends and trot out some smells and bells. Joy Jazz hands! Or maybe just a single fist jabbed up at the sky, à la “The Breakfast Club.” Smells and bells Peace Arms reaching out in front with palms upstretched, ready to receive God’s peace. Hope Hands stretched up above the head and eyes to the sky in hopeful anticipation. Worship leaders can choose postures that best suit their particular congregation and context, but here are some suggestions: Consider adopting a different prayer posture for each Sunday of Advent. Advent without singing? Without our responsive liturgies? Will it even feel like Advent?Įven though we are called the “frozen chosen” for good reason, this season is an excellent time to introduce some movement into worship. If you are gathering for a masked and socially distant in-person worship during the Advent season, it’s obviously going to be very different. IDEAS YOU CAN USE Give your worship a boost by discovering other ways to engage the senses and lift your spirits By Anne Russ | Presbyterians Today