Preparing to lead a congregation in worship Sunday after Sunday can be a formidable and pressure-filled responsibility. That's why busy worship planners will love this all-new edition of a favorite CSS reference. It's a handy, easy-to-use resource with several prayers and a worship theme relating to the assigned scriptural passages for every Sunday and major observance in Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. For each First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel text there's a call to worship, an invocation/collect, a prayer of confession, an offertory prayer, and suggested hymns. But that's not all: each day's material also includes the appointed psalm, words of assurance, a pastoral prayer, and a benediction. This complete collection offers a wide selection of practical aids for creating sincerely reverent and more meaningful worship.
"Dr. Kirkland, with skill and artistic imagination, offers fresh and exciting wording that captures the highest form of praise, spiritual preparation, and petition, and reflects the mood of sincere reverence that ought to characterize corporate worship at its best."
Earl G. Hunt Jr., United Methodist bishop
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
"Dr. Kirkland, out of a well seasoned and productive ministry, has compiled a helpful worship handbook for pastors who carefully prepare their words and thoughts to give spiritual guidance to the congregation."
Roy C. Nichols, United Methodist bishop emeritus
Oakland, California
During more than fifty years in the ministry, H. Burnham Kirkland served as the pastor of eight local congregations and as a missionary in the Philippines, as well as being district superintendent, conference program director, and treasurer of World Missions of the United Methodist Church. A graduate of the College of the City of New York and Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Dr. Kirkland also holds honorary doctorates from Philippine Wesleyan University and DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana). Now retired, he lives in Lakeland, Florida.