You teach us that freedom comes in loving service, Yet we hunger for the “security” of weapons and walls. God, we confess that ours is still a world If you like the prayer also, O reader, you might want to purchase a copy of the book. One Prayer of Confession for the Christmas season caught my attention and won my favor more so than most other offerings in Thankful Praise. There one may find examples of many of the aforementioned elements of worship, as well as a form for the Lighting of Advent Candles and a rite for meditating on the Cross. The final part of the order of service is “The Community Goes Forth to Serve God in Mission.” The elements are, verbatim: Words of Institution and Breaking of Bread,.
![christian worship hymnal christian worship hymnal](https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2021/07/06/60e4730e09d7609008290252/m_60e4731e2ca9abe30e98ad26.jpg)
The fourth part is “The Community Comes Together Around the Lord’s Table.” The elements are, verbatim: Part Three is “The Community Responds to the Word of God.” The elements are, verbatim: The second part is “The Community Proclaims the Word of God. The first part is “The Community Comes Together to Serve God in Worship.” The elements are, verbatim: Thankful Praise sets forth “An Order for the Sunday Service” in five parts, with extensive commentary. And there are no worship resources in Chalice Praise (2003), a collection of 190 of the allegedly “best and often the freshest of songs that characterize contemporary Christian music” (page vi), an oxymoron if I have ever heard one. The worship resources section of Chalice Hymnal (1995) and the entirety of Chalice Worship (1997) duplicate no part of the 1987 book. Thankful Praise (1987) broke new ground, offering fresh resources and banishing archaic language. That hymnal’s successor, the Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), also a joint project with the American Baptists, contained a minimum of worship resources. This book, containing 598 pages, was a companion to Christian Worship: A Hymnal (1941), a joint project with the Northern (later American) Baptist Convention (later Churches in the U.S.A.). Edwin Osborn edited Christian Worship: A Service Book (1953), the first complete volume of its sort for the denomination. Thankful Praise exists in the context of other official volumes none of the subsequent books duplicates any part of it. Newman Kinnamon, and Keith Watkins–wrote the 192-page book, which Watkins edited. Kinnamon, Linda McKiernan-Allen, Katherine G. Thus Thankful Praise exists not to dictate how worship ought to occur but to offer suggestions to congregational leaders.
![christian worship hymnal christian worship hymnal](https://forwardinchrist.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NEWS_Hymnal.jpg)
Thus, in Disciples congregations, too, the life of thankful praise is in great need of renewal. Our celebrations of the Lord’s Supper often seem to have lost their connection to the historic faith that gives them depth and seem out of touch with contemporary resources of spiritual energy.
![christian worship hymnal christian worship hymnal](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427349678l/22097408.jpg)
Worship in many Disciples congregations today is less vigorous than it ought to be. The dominant tendency since the 1950s “has been to return to the earlier pattern with communion coming as a response to and fulfillment of the proclamation of God’s Word.” Nevertheless, As “The Renewal of Worship” section of Thankful Praise tells the reader, the relationship between the sermon and the sacrament, as in which one culminates the worship, has varied from congregation to congregation over time. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has, since its founding, observed the Lord’s Supper weekly and emphasized it as the central act of Christian worship.
![christian worship hymnal christian worship hymnal](https://forwardinchrist.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SealICON-e1580320119570.jpg)
Now, however, I have obtained and studied a copy, fortunately. At those times I lacked a copy of Thankful Praise (1987). Some time ago I wrote about other worship resources of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at this weblog. Above: Official Worship Resources of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 1941-2003