James Hart Brumm

Advent is a time of waiting, but it can also be a very meaningful time of confession. These four litanies for confession and assurance are designed for consecutive use during the four Sundays in Advent. First Sunday in Advent Song: “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” (st. 1-2, sung by choir) LUYH, CH 245, PH 9, PsH 328, SFL 123, SWM 81, TH 194, WR 154

For these Advent candle litanies, the candle lighters —a couple of people or a family—should stand at the Advent wreath, and the psalm reader should stand in another place in the sanctuary. The parts in bold are read by the congregation. One of the lighters reads the regular type; several lighters may read in turn. First Sunday in Advent Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

The Advent/Christmas/Epiphany cycle is a time of newness: a new liturgical year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. A new year on the secular calendar begins before the cycle is done. And let’s not forget the new babies in the stories!

In addition to teaching and praise, the psalms can be a great resource for prayer. Those appointed by Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary lend themselves particularly well to that. What follows are examples of the psalms for Year B used as building blocks for prayers of the people for Lenten Sundays.

Prepared by the Psalter Task Force of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Toronto: Presbyterian Church of Canada, 1995. 354 pp.

With this “Songs for the Season,” we again introduce songs on the working list for the new hymnal supplement being prepared jointly by CRC Publications, the Commission for Worship of the Reformed Church in America, and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. This supplement is intended to introduce twentieth-century hymnody, praise music, and world music that will enhance Reformed worship.

The Presbyterian Hymnal Complete Concordance and Indexes, compiled by Judith L. Muck. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997. 340 pp. Paper $26.00. Hymnsearch: Indexes for The Presbyterian Hymnal, compiled by William S. Smith. Jackson, Mississippi: William S. Smith, 1995. 458 pp. The Presbyterian Hymnal: Software Edition, produced by Steve Metzger. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997. CD-ROM with some documentation. $199.00.

It's easy to gear ourselves up for a big Easter celebration. We're more than happy to sing the joyous songs and fill the sanctuary with flowers on that glorious Sunday, rejoicing in our Savior's even more glorious life beyond death.

JUNE God of the Prophets Pentecost, the celebration of God's gift of the Holy Spirit to the church, falls on the first Sunday of June this year. At this time of the year we also find ourselves in the midst of a variety of ordinations, making "God of the Prophets" a good hymn to sing.