Rev. James Hart Brumm is a general synod professor in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and is assistant professor of Reformed Church studies at New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, NJ. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and Drew University. He has served as the book review editor for The Hymn, a journal of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and as moderator of the RCA Commission on Theology. He has written articles for The Hymn, Reformed Worship, the Bulletin of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and The Church Herald (the RCA denominational magazine). He is the author and editor of multiple books, and was part of the committee that prepared the hymnal supplement Sing! A New Creation (2001). His most recent collection of hymn texts was published under the title God Brings Joy: Hymn Texts, 2014-2022 (2024).
Last Updated: September 10, 2025
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.
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
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.
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.
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. |
Every spring, from New Brunswick Theological Seminary's commencement to dozens of ordinations and installations across the country, organs swell to the strains of toulon, and congregations lift their voices as in prayer, singing "God of the Prophets." This hymn, a special gem of our Reformed tradition, is rehearsed over and over again in celebrations of ministry.
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