Calendar Notes

The color from now until All Saints Day or All Saints Sunday (November 1 or 4) is green. Consider using different shades or patterns of green throughout the coming months, if you have means available to do so. On All Saints, the color is white or gold.

For Your Planning Team

Planning for This Service

This week, we’re nearly back to normal, even if for many of our congregations, the third Sunday of the month is not a normal time to celebrate Holy Communion. Everything but the font is now in place. It will return and be put to use next week.

Why Communion in this service? Because in our Scripture for today, the story that unfolds works because there is going to be a sacrifice. Samuel, the priest, is back on duty. So it’s time for our pastors to do the same by presiding at our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, Holy Communion.

That, and we’re in week four of a five-week series. And the general energy of this series is moving “upward,” and the depth of our worshipful work is increasing as we progress. We’ve moved from morning prayer, to preaching, to Communion (this week), to an altar call with baptismal reaffirmation next week at series wrap.

If you’re looking for ways to segue from sermon into response, look at the Preaching Notes. Throughout this series, I’ve written them with the needed segues in mind.

Finally, today is Father’s Day in the United States. As with all “special or civic days,” plan worship around the Scriptures for the day, not the civic or special day. The service order provided helps you do that. We’re worshiping our God today, not fathers. So plan a good reception-- or maybe a cookout on the grounds-- for fathers after worship. And be sure to include fathers in the prayers of the people today.