Robert E. Webber
Robert E. Webber is a featured instructor and contributor at Worship Training.
Videos, Audio & Articles by Robert E. Webber (42)
downloadThe Spiritual Journey Of Advent Worship
Advent is a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of Christ. When the church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified. What we do
downloadAn Introduction To The Worship Of The Christmas Season
The Christmas season extends from December 25 to January 5 and includes at least one Sunday and sometimes two. Christmas day is the most widely celebrated day of the Christian year. Customarily more people attend the midnight Christmas Eve service than any oth
downloadTraditional Opening Prayers For Christmas Worship
Many of the following texts date to the earliest recorded years of the history of the church. Each of the prayers express the basic themes of Christmas worship. Adapt the prayers below to local style and custom. The Nativity of our Lord: Christmas Eve or Day (
downloadThe Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath, which hangs at the front of the church with its five candles, symbolizes the coming of Christ. Sample texts that can accompany the lighting of the candles are printed ealier in this chapter. In the past two decades, the ancient custom of the
downloadStages Of Worship Renewal
Worship renewal, like most growth in the natural or spiritual realms, takes place in stages, beginning with the awareness of the need for renewal. It culminates in a climate that encourages continued openness to the Spirit's transformation of church worship. I
downloadAn Introduction To The Ordinary Time After Pentecost
The season from Pentecost to the beginning of Advent is ordinary, or nonfestive, time. During this season, the church focuses on its vision for witness to the world and on God's continuing work in bringing about his kingdom. Once the festival seasons of Advent
downloadIntroduction To Palm Sunday Worship
The Palm Sunday services rehearse the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Contemporary renewalists draw on the drama and pageantry of the ancient customs as described below. In contemporary worship, the ancient tradition of worship described by Egeria ha
downloadAn Introduction To The Maundy Thursday Service
Below is a description of the meaning and content of the ancient Maundy Thursday service. Adapt this material to current usage and style. In the ancient church the service of Maundy Thursday began the great triduum, the three great days of the paschal celebrat
downloadAn Introduction To Good Friday Worship
This article traces the most ancient traditions of Good Friday worship. With these in mind, the reader and worship planner will be able to put into context the articles and resources that follow. In the ancient church, the paschal celebration from Thursday of
downloadThe Blessing Of The Crèche
In many churches it is a tradition to bless the crèche during the opening of the Christmas service. A person in the processional may carry a figure representing the Christ child to the crèche and lay the child in the crèche as a symbol of the birth of Christ.
downloadA Service For Holy Saturday
The third day of the triduum is a day for silence. During this day, Christians may gather for prayer, to feel the silence and to sense the weight of Jesus' death. This service prepares worshipers for the Great Paschal Vigil on Saturday evening. In the early ch
downloadAn Introduction To The Paschal Vigil Service
The Paschal Vigil is the foundational service of all Christian worship. In this service the great theme of Christian salvation is enacted in recollection of the days of salvation. Inasmuch as the purpose of worship is to celebrate the death and resurrection of
downloadRecovering The Twelve-Day Christmas To Epiphany Celebration
The commercialization of Christmas may be combated by following the suggestions below to recover a full twelve-day celebration that begins at Christmas and ends at Epiphany. The word epiphany means "manifestation" and refers in particular to the manifestation
downloadThe Origins Of Advent Worship
The history of Advent teaches us a great deal about its meaning and prepares us to observe this time with reverence and understanding. This history reveals the simultaneous importance of both penitence and hope, of both remorse and rejoicing. Preliminary Consi
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Death
The following liturgy may be used in times of family gathering at the occasion of a death, especially when a pastor is not able to be present. Gathering Leader: Dear friends, we gather to mourn the death of [Name] who has gone home to be with the Lord. Let us
downloadLiturgy For Thanksgiving Day
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations, especially when the worshiping community itself does not gather on Thanksgiving Day. Gathering Leader: Today is a special day in the life of our nation and in the life of our home. We gat
downloadFeatures Of Solomonic Temple Worship
The temple emphasized the presence of God in the midst of Israel. Worship was characterized by sacred symbols, sacred rituals, and a sacred ministry. This model had a great impact on the development of liturgical worship in the ancient church. The temple empha
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Birthday
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: My dear friends, today is a special day in the life of our family, for on this day
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of An Engagement Or Betrothal
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community, serving as a means of both celebration and of challenge to the couple preparing for marriage. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gatheri
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Wedding Anniversary
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: We have gathered this day to celebrate the anniversary of [Name] and [Name]. We giv
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Retirement
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Notice how the liturgy views retirement not as time to abstain from kingdom work, but as a time of a change in vocation. Adapt to local
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A House Blessing
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear friends, we gather in his name to give thanks for this house, to dedicate it a
downloadThree Models For Evangelism Through Worship
Manifest-presence evangelism, seeker-service evangelism, and liturgical evangelism are three ways in which those outside the church encounter, experience, and believe in God and are drawn into a vibrant community. These models are explained in the following ar
downloadRecovering Symbolism In Worship
The concern of this article is to focus on symbolism as a medium through which the gospel of reconciliation may be communicated within the Christian community through worship. The Place of Symbolism in Worship It is generally recognized that a symbol both poin
downloadAn Order For "The Seven Last Words" Service
Many congregations order their worship on Good Friday around the seven statements that Christ spoke on the cross. The following liturgy provides an example of this type of service. Introduction In the early church, devotions were held during the three hours Ch
downloadA Holy Family Service
In many liturgical traditions, the Sunday after Christmas is the celebration of the Holy Family. The emphasis on the Holy Family is a recent one, having originated in Canada in the nineteenth century and spreading since around the world. Given the breakdown of
downloadA Convergence Epiphany Service
The service outlined below is designed for January 6. Since many churches celebrate Epiphany on the first Sunday of January, much of the following material could be adapted or incorporated into a standard Sunday morning service in an evangelical or charismatic
downloadWorship And Spirituality
This author suggests that Christians reexamine the specific nature of worship and spirituality. Worship has to do with interiority and with patterns of living that are shaped by the living, dying, rising, and coming again of Christ. In worship, the emphasis is
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of Dying
The following liturgy may be used in the absence of a pastor to comfort a person who is dying. Relatives and friends of the dying may gather around the bed and read one or all of the following Scriptures. Psalm 23 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He
downloadWhat Is The Christian Year?
The Christian celebrates the saving events of God in Jesus Christ by marking those particular events in which God's saving purposes were made known. The most common term for the yearly celebration of time in worship is the Christian year. The Christian year, d
downloadLiturgy For Father's Day
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear family, this day is a very special day for us all, for on this day we honor th
downloadLiturgy For Mother's Day
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear family, this day is a very special day for us all, for on this day we honor Mo
downloadHoly Week In The Early Church
Worship renewalists have revived the ancient customs of Holy Week worship. In particular Holy Week worship centers around the re-enactment of the last days of Christ. This article summarizes worship on those days in the early church. In the church of the first
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of An Illness
The following liturgy may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear friends, we have gathered together to pray for [Name], who is ill. We are remi
downloadSynagogue Worship Space
The synagogue space in which Jews worshiped was treated as sacred space. Worshipers gathered around the symbols that spoke of God's redeeming and revealing activity among them. Synagogue worship was organized around two foci. The first focus of the synagogue w
downloadThe Exchange Of Peace (Biblical)
Most contemporary Christian liturgies include an exchange of peace, in which worshipers greet those around them with expressions such as "The peace of the Lord be with you." The exchange is usually accompanied by physical contact such as a handclasp or, where
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Wedding
The following liturgy may be used at the time of celebration that accompanies the marriage service, perhaps as a devotional act at a wedding reception. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear friends, today is a most happy occasion; for on thi
downloadThe Great Thanksgiving (Biblical)
The sequence of liturgical actions immediately preceding the partaking of the Lord's Supper has often been called the "great thanksgiving." These acts may include the Sanctus ("Holy, Holy, Holy"), the eucharistic prayer incorporating the invocation of the Spir
downloadThe Love Feast (Agape) (Biblical)
The love feast is a meal set in the context of Christian worship, usually the Lord's Supper. It expresses the spiritual aspect of fellowship and compassion within the body of Christ. It is generally recognized that primitive Christian worship was set in the co
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of A Baptism, Confirmation, Or Renewed Commitment Of Faith Of An Adult
The following liturgy may be used in family celebrations at the occasion of confirmation, profession of faith, baptism of adults, or any other occasion of renewed commitment. Adapt to local needs and customs. Gathering Leader: Dear family and friends, today is
downloadLiturgy On The Occasion Of The Birth, Baptism, Or Dedication Of A Child Part I
The following liturgies may be used in small or large family celebrations or in gatherings of the larger worshiping community. Adapt to local needs and customs. On the Occasion of a Birth Gathering Leader: We gather today in the spirit of rejoicing to celebrat
downloadAn Introduction To Worship In The Home
Family worship serves an important role in shaping both children and adults in their Christian formation. More specifically, every family is continuously exerting influence on its members by the ways they order and live out their lives. This echoes the adage t