Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts offers insight and inspiration for pastors, church musicians, artists and other worship leaders. This quarterly journal is published by the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Learn how to subscribe.
Advent Sample: Try a free sample of the Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for Advent 2015 (Year C):
PDF [includes music suggestions] | Word [full liturgies, pre-assembled]
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Call to Worship Volume 48, including the Lectionary Aids for Year B (2014–2015)
Call to Worship Volume 49, including the Lectionary Aids for Year C (2015–2016)
Volume 48 (2014–2015)
Lectionary Aids, Year B
Grace and Gratitude
The Season of Lent
New Worshiping Communities
Volume 47 (2013–2014)
Lectionary Aids, Year A
Glory to God
Daily Prayer
All Saints
Volume 46 (2012–2013)
Lectionary Aids, Year C
Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry
The Service for the Lord's Day
The Season of Advent
The annual Lectionary Aids issue, available in print and online to Call to Worship subscribers, provides worship planning materials for the church year.
For every Sunday and festival in the liturgical calendar, you’ll find calls to worship, opening prayers, and prayers of confession, prayers of the people, and eucharistic prayers, along with suggestions for hymns and songs for the day, psalm settings, choral anthems (for larger choirs, smaller/youth choirs, and children's choirs), organ selections, and handbell music.
For every season in the Christian year, you'll find calls to confession, declarations of forgiveness, prayers for illumination, affirmations of faith, calls to offering, prayers of dedication, prayers after communion, and blessings and charges, as well as suggestions for seasonal congregational songs.
Based on the Revised Common Lectionary, suggestions related to both semi-continuous and complementary readings are included.
Three other print issues per year explore current topics in liturgical theology and practice, such as Glory to God (a special issue on the new Presbyterian hymnal), Daily Prayer (practices that help to connect Sunday worship with daily life), and All Saints (remembering significant persons and events in public worship). Each issue includes feature articles, columns, practical ideas, resource reviews, and original artwork, as well as a full-color feature on liturgical arts.
Recent issues
Call to Worship 46.4 — The Season of Advent — What are you waiting for? This issue of Call to Worship will shed new light on the season of Advent, exploring its historical origins, theological significance, and contemporary relevance—including a recent proposal to expand the season of Advent. Practical and creative suggestions for worship planners will help congregations engage this season more fully, as they watch with hope and expectation for the coming of Christ. May 2013.
Call to Worship 46.3 — The Service for the Lord's Day — Get the inside story on the new hymnal liturgy. The 2013 Presbyterian Hymnal, Glory to God, will include a full order of worship for the Service for the Lord's Day, adapted from the 1993 Book of Common Worship. This issue will examine the theological and liturgical foundations of the order of worship, asking what we do in Sunday worship and why, and what difference it makes for the mission and ministry of the church. February 2013.
Call to Worship 46.2 – Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry – This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry—the 1982 World Council of Churches paper that launched a wave of advances in ecumenical agreement and sacramental renewal. How has this document influenced the life and liturgy of the church? What further challenges are on the horizon? The issue also provides new liturgical resources for Baptism, Eucharist, and ordination. November 2012.
Call to Worship 46.1 – Lectionary Aids, Year C (2012-2013) – This annual issue provides lectionary-based worship planning aids for every Sunday and festival in the Christian year, including: brief summaries of the Revised Common Lectionary readings; Calls to Worship and Prayers of Confession; suggestions for hymns, psalms, and other congregational songs from a variety of sources and traditions; recommendations for anthems for larger choirs, smaller/youth choirs, and children's choirs; ideas for organ and handbell music; and original liturgical artwork. August 2012.
Call to Worship 45.4 – The Body – This issue explores the notion of Christian worship as an embodied event. We experience God’s living Word and mysterious presence through our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. We pray and praise God through gesture and posture, speech and song. The promises of God are enacted through the sacraments of Baptism (turning, washing, anointing, embracing) and the Lord’s Supper (taking, blessing, breaking, giving). We go forth with hands to serve our neighbors and feet to bear the good news to all. May 2012
Call to Worship 45.3 – The Holy Spirit – What difference does the Holy Spirit make in Christian life and liturgy? How does the Spirit empower and enliven our praise and prayer? Where, when, and how do we experience the Spirit’s work in worship? Theologians and practitioners will address these questions drawing on a range of Christian traditions, including Reformed, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Pentecostal perspectives. February 2012.
Call to Worship 45.2 – Markings – This issue marks two significant anniversaries, the 400th year of the King James Bible and the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Presbyterian Directory for Worship. In addition, theologians and other church leaders will reflect on the liturgical movements and developments of recent decades, taking stock of where we’ve come from, where we are, where we’re going, in music, liturgy, and the liturgical arts. November 2011.
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Are you a friend of Call to Worship? Our Facebook page provides a way for pastors and other worship leaders to share ideas and resources and to join online discussions of articles in the journal. Like our page!
Find events of interest
Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) sponsors three Worship and Music Conferences each summer which seek to model a high standard of worship through the promotion of worthy church music and other arts and through the sharpening and refining of the tools of worship. They provide opportunities for intensive work in many areas and stimulate the imagination through exposure to new possibilities for worship. Learn more about PAM events.
Download indices
Use these indices to search the Call to Worship (2000 to present) and Reformed Liturgy and Music (1971 to 2000) archives. The indices are arranged by volume/issue, by subject and by author. To inquire about back issues contact us or call (800) 728-7228 x5306. Single copies of past issues from Volume 42 (August 2008) to the present are $34.95 for Lectionary aids and $8.75 for other issues. Older volumes are $29.95 for Lectionary aids and $7.50 for other issues.
Chronological index
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Subject index
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Author index
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Contact the editor
To offer feedback on the journal, to make suggestions for upcoming issues or articles, or to submit a manuscript, contact David Gambrell.
Lectionary resources
The PC(USA) Devotions and Readings Web site offers the lectionary in several formats, including RSS and podcast. You can also download lists of lectionary readings (citations only, not full texts) from The Consultation on Common Texts.
