Maren C. Tirabassi - Before the Amen: Creative Resources for Worship

BEFORE THE AMEN

Creative Resources for Worship

Maren C. Tirabassi and
Maria I. Tirabassi,
editors

The Pilgrim Press, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115

thepilgrimpress.com

2007 Maren C. Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirabassi

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. Changes have been made for inclusivity.

All rights reserved. Published 2007

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that contains post-consumer fiber.

This book has been reproduced as a digital reprint.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Before the amen : creative resources for worship / Maren C. Tirabassi and

Maria I. Tirabassi, eds.

p. cm.

Includes indexes.

ISBN 978-0-8298-1750-8 (alk. paper)

1. Worship programs.I. Tirabassi, Maren C.II. Tirabassi, Maria I., 1983

Amen is derived from a Hebrew verb that means things like this: to take care, to support, to be firm or reliable, to trust in, to believe in. Jesus of Nazareth alone uses it to introduce his words of teaching; in the Synoptic gospels, we find Amen, I say to you... and in John, even more emphatically, Amen, amen, I say to you.... Throughout the rest of scripture amen comes afterwards as an affirmation or confirmation of what has gone beforeoften promise or praise. Amen can be solemn ratification and amen can be the burst-out assent to truth preached or prayed or presented or made person.

In our contemporary personal practice and congregational liturgy, amen is sometimes little more than nondescript punctuation. Too bad! Amen!

This is a book full of things that come before amen, and we editors heard ourselves whispering, shouting, or singing Amen! over and over again as we received the liturgical gifts of eighty-four contributors to Before the Amen. We were moved, amazed and energized by prayers, litanies, services, songs, and dramatic pieces.

What follow are nine chapters of seasonal materials, three chapters of sacraments and services, and seven chapters oriented by topic. The boundaries are fuzzya generous browsing will locate, for example, elegant invitations to communion collected rather than dispersed into different seasons. A Lenten theme may appear under the chapters for justice concerns or healing issues, and Labor Day materials are found under civic concerns rather than ordinary time.

A startling discovery, since the publication of Touch Holiness seventeen years ago, is the diminished use of the Revised Common Lectionary. New lectionaries, local adaptations, and creative combinations are enriching worship life. To accommodate this shift and serve churches using the lectionary, we organized broad seasonal divisions within which liturgical offerings are arranged by beauty, poetry, and use of scripture, rather than divided by weeks. We cite scripture by chapter and verse in the text, but the scripture index simplifies the search by using only chapters. The topical index is designed to guide the reader to needed or unexpected giftssuch as blessing a Habitat house foundation or a church picnic, praying to enter a labyrinth, lamenting a dying church, or calling to worship for a fair trade service.

Before the Amen has three goals. The first is to serve as a straightforward reference to assist pastors or lay worship planners with bulletin materials. The second is to introduce worshiping congregations to incredible new liturgical voices. The third, and perhaps the most important, is as pump-primerto inspire the reader to create new liturgies and shape new prayers about concerns we do not yet know, emboldened by the spirit found in these resources!

In other wordsprayers. More prayers. Shared. Amen!

We appreciate the authors whose images became headings for the seasonal chaptersMolly Phinney Baskette, Susan E. Brown, Kathryn J. Campbell, Patricia Catellier, Abigail Hastings, Jamie Norwich McLennan, Nancy Rockwell, David Slater and Penelope J. Stokes. We were touched that Patricia Robbennolt offered her husband Rogers work and are honored to publish him posthumously. We are more than grateful to those in our home lives who have been patient with the time-intensive nature of anthology. For support, trust in us, and her own genius, thank you to Kim Martin Sadler. She is the kind of editor who makes an authors life a joy and shares not only skills but her own deep faith. Finally, for generosity and creativity beyond anything called duty, we thank Kristin Firth and Rick Porter for faithful care of the details of copy editing and layout!

Maren C. Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirabassi

THE ONE WHO TESTIFIES TO THESE THINGS SAYS, SURELY I AM COMING SOON. AMEN. COME LORD JESUS!

Revelation 22:20

Tender Christ, in this sacred meantime, guard our hearts and prepare our minds, so that we may wait creatively, not distracted by the obligations of the season, nor unreadied by sloth. Prepare us, that at your coming we may recognize you and rejoice in your appearing. Grant us the courage to pray as people who believe in your appearing.

David Slater

In this blessed season, God, we must be thankful. First for the joythe joy we hear raised in song, shared in a choir most triumphant, praising the story of Jesus birth. Second, for the peace of these most quiet days, when the world remains still, as it was for the shepherds on lost hills. Third, God, for the love you have given us, for the love you showed when you told Mary that she need not be afraid, even in the midst of a most terrifying thing. And lastly, for Christ himself. Thank you for sending him to us to spread a message of forgiveness and acceptance to all people. We praise your name. Amen.

Maria I. Tirabassi

We come together in these dark days.

We must look to you now to light our mornings and our evenings.

We come seeking renewed joy.

We must look now to each other for our spirits to be improved.

We come carrying gifts along with the burdens of the year.

We now look within to bring tidings of great joy.

Maria I. Tirabassi

Advent PoemLuke 2:820

How hard it is to be patient, Child.

Your coming we anticipate.

Patience is not our strong suit, Child.

It is truly hard to wait.

We prepare gifts and food and cards

In many stops and starts.

But so often we forget, Child,