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Home > Resources > Interdisciplinary Learning > Teaching > Syllabi > RuthSyllabus WO 525 Time and Remembrance in Christian Worship (3 Credit Hours)
Wilmore On-Campus Section, Spring 2004
This course will involve multi-media instruction. Students will be expected to 1) have familiarity with the First Class Client email system and ability to use it; 2) have a computer to run the class CDs and/or time to access the CDs on reserve in the library, using computers there; and 3) have use of a computer with Web capabilities in order to access the class website.
Course Description
Exploring the importance of time in Christian Scriptures and theology, this course investigates the role of remembrance and eschatological hope in Christian worship and thus how worship participates in the Kingdom of God, present and coming. Reviewing different ways Christians have organized time in worship, it will also explore how these insights impact the selection of Scripture for worship and the content of worship's song, sacrament, prayer, and preaching.
The course's premise is that, regardless of style, current Christian worship often does not tell a good enough story to rightly give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Given worship's formative power, the failure to do so is likely contributing to a sub-scriptural, sub-apostolic piety. Too often secondary concerns highjack more critical issues like whether our worship provides a full remembrance of God and God's saving activity, whether our worship reveals a compelling vision of the Kingdom of God, and whether our worship is rooted in an eschatological narrative in which we live between Christ's resurrection and second coming. This course will seek to address these critical issues by focusing on full scriptural, apostolic remembrance as the starting point for planning and leading Christian worship. Take this course if you want to develop standards for Christian worship that go beyond the limitations of style labels.
Course Objectives
Students completing this course will be able to:
-articulate a theology of worship as anticipatory participation in the Eschaton, awaiting the return of Christ;
-articulate a theology of remembrance as dynamic participation in God's saving activity;
-understand the ways in which Christians have structured time in worship;
-assess worship based on criteria of fullness of scriptural remembrance;
-prepare worship for a local assembly, under a variety of orders of worship and pastoral occasions, using fullness of scriptural remembrance as the starting point for planning; and
-lead worship that appropriately embodies the scriptural content of any one service.
The achievement of these objectives should enable the student to do the following:
-understand the diversity of Christian worship practices, along with self-critical appraisal of one's own approach;
-enrich congregational worship through prayer, Word, and sacraments, making sound worship decisions informed by a variety of sources for theological thought.
More Thoughts on Course Objectives, a Note from the Professor
The course is intended to be related to the practice of ministry. What we will do here is what the professor likes to call "poetic theology," with poetic not meaning the opposite of prose but a creating ( poesis ) out of theology. Worship and its leadership is where remembrance and knowledge of God gets turned into prayer, into proclamation, into affections of the heart, and postures of the body for the community known as the church, the Body of Christ. We will seek to look at the creation and the assessment of these.
This course has also been designed with the presumption that we are not the only ones doing Christian worship. The student will see something of the range of cultures and worship pieties-both current and historical-as we progress through the semester.
Finally, the course approaches this topic through a Wesleyan perspective on the story of salvation. The student will see the influence on this Wesleyan perspective at several points, some less obvious and some more so (e.g., as when we will examine the future orientation in the Wesleys' theology of the Lord's Supper).
What the Student Needs for This Course: Required "Texts" and Other Items
.A CD set (three CDs). Contact ExL support (type that in the address line of an email in First Class) if you have any difficulties running these. If you have trouble running the digitized video on the CDs, make sure you have you have Quicktime 6 or higher installed on your computer. It is available on the CDs. When running the CDs, turn up the sound on your computer's speakers beforehand. The sound quality on some videos is marginal.
CD #1 contains the material for the two Touchstone Churches. These churches are semi-fictitious congregations that we will use for assignments and discussion. See below for more information.
CD #2 contains the material for modules #1 (Story) and #2 (Week). The materials for module #1 are all short lecture segments. #2 has lectures and a video clip of a worship service.
CD #3 contains the material for modules #3 (Year), #4 (Day), and #5 (Pastoral Rites). The first two modules have both lecture and worship videos. The last only has lecture video.
.Two books to be purchased. Both are available in the seminary's bookstore:
-Hickman, Hoyt, et al. The New Handbook of the Christian Year. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992. ISBN 0-687-22760-4
--Blain, Susan A. et al., editors. Imaging the Word: An Arts and Lectionary Resource, volume 2. Cleveland: United Church Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8298-1033-1
The Asbury Seminary bookstore will also have available a very nice artistic poster representing the entire Church year. It is called the Year of Grace Poster Calendar 2004. The ISBN is 1-56854-416-2. This is a recommended acquisition, not a required one.
.Something to keep as a journal as you devotionally use Charles Wesley's Charles Wesley's Hymns for the Great Festivals (available in the course center in the class folder on ExL and on the course website) and the book entitled Imaging the Word. More information is given below.
.Clean paper and writings instruments in each class. You will be asked to do quite a few immediate, in-class responses.
Additional Readings for the Course
There is only one written textbook for the course: Handbook of the Christian Year. It will only be used in Module 3.
In all five modules, students will be expected to review these other "texts" as assigned:
-videos of lectures on the CDs
-videos of worship on the CDs
-class material on the course website www.asburyseminary.edu/classweb/wo525
(The logon name is wo525; the password is anamnesis.)
-the following articles available through the link in the course folder in First Class.
Module 1 readings
Hauerwas, Stanley M. "A Tale of Two Stories." In Christian Existence Today. Durham: Labyrinth Press, 1988. pp. 25-45.
Kallenberg, Brad J. Live to Tell. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2002. pp. 31-38, 47-54.
Sayers, Dorothy L. "The Greatest Drama Ever Staged." In Christian Letters to a Post-Christian Worship. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969. pp. 13-17.
Green, Joel B. Salvation. St. Louis: Chalice, 2003. pp. 119-122, 127-130, 133-137, 144-145.
Pasquarello, Michael. "Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching: Inhabiting the Story." In Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. pp. 177-193.
Ruth, Lester. "Worship True to God." Unpublished essay
Suggested reading: Jenson, Robert W. "How the World Lost Its Story." In The New Religious Humanists. Simon & Schuster, 1997. pp. 135-149.
Module 2 readings
Wainwright, Geoffrey. "The Church as a Worshipping Community." Pro Ecclesia 3, 1 (Winter 1994): 56-67.
Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1973. pp. 11-22.
Fisch, Thomas, editor. Liturgy and Tradition. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1990. pp. 89-100.
Dawn, Marva J. How Shall We Worship? Wheaton: Tyndale, 2003. pp. 151-159, 164-170.
Taft, Robert. Beyond East and West. Rome, 2001. pp. 15-29.
Stookey, Laurence Hull. Calendar. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. pp. 39-49.
Rattenbury, J. Ernest. The Eucharistic Hymns of John and Charles Wesley. Akron: OSL Publications, 1996. pp. 130-144, 183-188.
Wainwright, Geoffrey. Eucharist and Eschatology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981. pp. 123-130.
Suggested reading: Stackhouse, John G. "Music at the Theological Roundtable." Available at www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2002/october7/5.60.html
Module 3 readings, in addition to The Handbook of the Christian Year, these electronic readings:
Stookey, Laurence Hull. Calendar. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. pp. 155-161.
Ruth, Lester. "Why not 'Move' Advent to November?" Reformed Worship 69 (September, 2003): 8-10.
Schmemann, Alexander. Of Water and The Spirit. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1974. pp. 37-51.
Suggested reading: Senn, Frank C. "Should Christians Celebrate the Passover?" In Passover and Easter. University of Notre Dame Press, 1999. pp. 183-205.
Module 4 readings
Boers, Arthur Paul. The Rhythm of God's Grace. Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2003. pp. 55-67.
Module 5 readings
Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1973. pp. 81-82, 88-91.
Witvliet, John D. Worship Seeking Understanding. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. pp. 291-308.
Saliers, Don E. Worship as Theology. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994. pp. 49-68.
An Additional "Text": Two Touchstone Churches
To serve as a basis for some assignments, two semi-fictitious churches have been created for this class. These are called "Touchstone Churches." Videos for both churches are on CD#1. Other materials for these churches are on the class website. Familiarizing yourself with both of the churches will be important for completing the modules satisfactorily. Showing familiarity is one of the assignments for Module 1.
Touchstone church #1 is St. Peter's Methodist Church. Touchstone church #2 is Centertown Community Church.
The Organization of the Course: 5 Topical Modules
There will be five distinct sections of the course. Each of the sections, called a module, is organized around a certain topic and will have its own set of learning goals. Students are expected to achieve an acceptable quality of work on every learning goal in all modules. Here are the modules and their learning goals:
. Module 1: The Story: The learning goal in Module 1 is to understand and love the Gospel of Christ as eschatological Story, being able to articulate this Story and describe its importance for the Church. This is the most conceptual and least creative part of the course. Upon this module's theological foundation the remainder of the course will be built. At the end of this module the student should be able to:
-articulate why the Gospel as story is important for the church's worship
-express the Gospel as eschatological story, noting our place within it
-articulate a theology of remembrance in worship
. Module 2: The Week: The learning goal in Module 2 is to be able to plan Sunday worship that reflects the theological commitments of this class for a Christian congregation. This module includes both conceptual and creative dimensions. At the end of this module the student should be able to:
-articulate a theology of Sunday and Lord's Supper as eschatological participation
-be able to theologically analyze a worship service and its constituent parts for appropriate Christian theological content and action
-showing an understanding of course's theological premises, develop a Sunday worship service
-embody the eschatological Story in leading weekly worship within and outside the worship service
. Module 3: The Year: The learning goal in Module 3 is to be able to plan major yearly feasts in an appropriate manner. This module includes conceptual, informational, and creative dimensions. At the end of this module the student should be able to:
-articulate a theology of anamnesis and prolepsis as the basic tension of the church year
-articulate and embody a theology of baptism as participation in salvation history, noting additional aspects of baptismal theology beyond this approach
-know the basic, classic features of services for the following major feasts and seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Transfiguration Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, the great 50 days, Pentecost, and All Saints'.
-embody the eschatological Story in leading yearly worship within and outside the worship service
. Module 4: The Day: The learning goal in Module 4 is to be able to plan commemorative prayer services in an appropriate manner. At the end of this module the student should be able to:
-show understanding of the commemorative aspects of morning and evening prayer
-express appreciation for the rhythms of morning and evening prayer
. Module 5: Pastoral Rites: The learning goal in Module 5 is to be able to plan pastoral rites appropriate for particular occasions that also remember the Gospel as eschatological Story. At the end of this module the student should be able to:
-articulate a theology of pastoral rites as occasion for eschatological revelation
-with understanding of this theological premise, show ability to appropriate choose variable material for the pastoral rites of weddings and funerals
The Semester-Long Assignments:
. A Devotional Journal: There is another required assignment for all students beyond the module materials. Each student should use devotionally Charles Wesley's Hymns for the Great Festivals (available in the course center in the class folder on ExL) and the book entitled Imaging the Word. Use these materials to contemplate the vastness and wonder of God's activity toward us. Keep a journal recording your discoveries as to how your knowledge of the story of salvation has expanded. The existence of such a journal will be checked on May 11. The professor will not look at the journal itself but will accept an email on this day that you have completed this assignment. Failure to have kept a journal will result in the lowering of the semester's numeric grade ½ letter (e.g., A to A-; B+ to B, etc.).
. Participation in opening and closing exercise: Each student will be required to participate numerous times in worship to open and close class. With respect to opening class, the student should select some Scripture that speaks of God's activity and lead us in a prayer, based in remembering this activity. The prayer will be assessed with regard to structure, content, and outward and inward postures. The Scripture will be assessed with regard to whether the reading was an appropriate oral interpretation and to how the text itself was handled. With respect to closing class, the student will be called upon to use her or his discernment in extemporaneity to respond to what has happened in that class, leading the class in an appropriate closing act of worship. It might be one of a variety of kinds of prayers. It might be a blessing. It might be silence. Students are encouraged to be exploratory with respect to activity and physical posture.
Course Schedule
Feb. 10: Class Introduction
Module 1
To prepare for Feb. 12: 1) read Hauerwas, "A Tale of Two Stories" and Kallenberg, Live to Tell; 2) watch module 1 lecture clip entitled "The Stories that Shape Us"; 3) prepare the following: identify a powerful story you have heard that creates a powerful reality; think of how it accomplishes what Hauerwas, Kallenberg or Ruth says a compelling story does; in 5 sentences or less identify the story and how it exhibits its power.
Feb. 12 class: sharing of stories [CP]
To prepare for Feb. 17: 1) read Sayers "The Greatest Drama Ever Staged" and Green, Salvation; 2) watch module1 lecture clips entitled "Parse the Verbs First" and "The Gospel as Story"; 3a) prepare the following: What insights from your experience do you have of the difficulty of discerning the Kingdom of God in worship? How can we become aware of this other spiritual realm in our worship?; 3b) prepare the following also: sketch out your understanding of the complete history of salvation (past, present, and future). Which aspect most causes your heart to fill with love and awe? Write out your thoughts on 3a and 3b, not using more than 1 page total to do so.
Feb. 17 class: sharing of insights [CP]; developing a sense of the total Gospel story [CP]
To prepare for Feb. 19: 1) read Pasquarello Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching; 2) watch module 1 lecture clip entitled "Filled by the Spirit to..?" Come ready to share insights. There is nothing to write.
Feb. 19 class: open discussion on filling out the Rule of Faith and developing an apostolic perspective [CP]
To prepare for Feb. 24: 1) read Ruth "Worship True to God"; 2) watch module 1 lecture clips entitled "The Power of Remembrance" and "Personal and Cosmic"; 3) watch the worship video clip for Touchstone Church #1 (St. Peter's Methodist Church); 4) prepare short written answers to each of the following (2 sentences or less per question): does this service seem to have a sense of the complete sweep of salvation history? Which actions of God does it remember? Where in the Story does it put us? How strong is the apostolic perspective on salvation history? What is the implied theology of remembrance? Where is the emphasis in the personal/cosmic range of remembrance?
Feb. 24 class: discussion of assessment of Touchstone Church #1 [CP]
To prepare for Feb. 26: 1) access the Touchstone Church #1 music repertoire on the class website and read over the songs listed there
Feb. 26 class (actually part of Module 2): professor will model the basic building block of a commemorative order of worship
Module 2
To prepare for March 2: 1) watch the worship video clip for Touchstone Church #2 (Centertown Community Church); 2) prepare short written answers to each of the following (4 sentences or less per question): does this service seem to have a sense of the complete sweep of salvation history? Which actions of God does it remember? Where in the Story does it put us? How strong is the apostolic perspective on salvation history? What is the implied theology of remembrance? Where is the emphasis in the personal/cosmic range of remembrance?
March 2 class (actually finishing Module 1): discussion of assessment of Touchstone Church #2 [EX]
NOTE: AFTER THE CLASS ON MARCH 2 YOU WILL HAVE 1 WEEK TO TAKE THE EXAM FOR MODULE 1. THE EXAM IS AN ESSAY EXAM TO BE ACCESSED THROUGH A WEBSITE TO BE NAMED. IT MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. ON MARCH 9. YOU WILL HAVE TWO HOURS TO COMPLETE THE EXAM.
To prepare for March 4: 1) read Stookey, Calendar, pp. 39-49 and Wainwright, "Church as a Worshiping Community"; 2) watch module 2 lecture clip entitled "Sunday"; 3) and write out 3 things you learned about the eschatological character of Sunday and worship on Sunday
March 4 class: discussion of the eschatological character of Sunday worship [CP]
To prepare for March 9: 1) watch module 2 lecture clips entitled "OT and NT as Time Words" and "Remembering and Reciting the Story"; 2) watch module 2 worship video clip entitled "A Sung Liturgy"; 3) write out your observations on the following questions (no more than one page): how much of the story of salvation history did this sung liturgy include? If the Old Testament and New Testament are time words describing the breadth of salvation history, how much Old Testament and New Testament were in this sung liturgy?
March 9 class: discussion of "A Sung Liturgy" [CP]
To prepare for March 11: 1) watch module 2 lecture clip entitled "A Basic Rhythm"; 2) complete the exercise entitled "Worship Verb Exercise" found in the course center in the class folder on ExL; 3) assess the first 10 songs in the music repertoires of both of the Touchstone Churches, labeling them for what theological verb best applies (what does each song do theologically?); 4) be prepared to discuss the following: how full is the remembrance of salvation history in these repertoires? How strong is the eschatological consciousness and apostolic perspective in them? How might Scripture readings, remembrance in prayer, preaching, and visualization of salvation history establish a broader commemorative context for their use?
March 11 class: review of "Worship Verb Exercise" and music repertoire assessment [EX]; discussion of the use of the music [CP]
To prepare for March 16: 1) develop a worship service for Touchstone Church #1 using the guidelines to be distributed
March 16 class: reviewing the worship services for Touchstone Church #1 [CP]
To prepare for March 18 class: 1) read Schmemann, For the Life of the World; Fisch, Liturgy and Tradition; Dawn, How Shall We Worship?; and Taft, Beyond East and West; 2) be prepared to discuss in small groups what common ground these readings have with themselves and with the earlier Stookey and Wainwright readings: Where do they agree? Where do they disagree? Where do they expand on an understanding of Sunday worship as eschatological and commemorative?
March 18 class: students will gather in class, divide into groups, and discuss how the additional readings compare and contrast with the earlier Stookey and Wainwright readings on Sunday worship as eschatological.
NOTE: EACH GROUP SHOULD TURN IN AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON MARCH 25 A REPORT THAT SUMMARIZES YOUR THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ESCHATOLOGICAL CHARACTER OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP ON SUNDAY. THE REPORT SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 4 PAGES (DOUBLESPACED; 10 OR 12 POINT TYPE). [IC] AT THAT TIME EACH STUDENT WILL BE ASKED TO ASSESS HER OR HIS FELLOW GROUP MEMBERS AS TO PARTICIPATION IN SHAPING THE REPORT [CP]
To prepare for March 23: watch module 2 lecture clip entitled "As If in the Kingdom Already"
March 23 class: practicum on administering the Lord's Supper
To prepare for March 25: read the case studies (to be designated) on the class website and come prepared to discuss
March 25 class: discussion of case studies
NOTE: DUE ON APRIL 6 WILL BE A COMPLETE ORDER OF WORSHIP FOR TOUCHSTONE CHURCH #2. MORE COMPLETE GUIDELINES WILL BE GIVEN IN CLASS IN TIME TO PREPARE THIS EXERCISE. [EX]
To prepare for April 6: 1) read Rattenbury, The Eucharistic Hymns and Wainwright, Eucharist and Eschatology; 2) watch module 2 lecture clip entitled "The Supper of the Lord"; 3) write out a half page summary of the most important theological features of an eschatological theology for the Lord's Supper; in a sentence or two note any theological meanings for the Lord's Supper that might be underemphasized by this eschatological approach
April 6 class: discussion of theology of the Lord's Supper [CP]
Module 3
To prepare for April 8: watch module 3 lecture clips entitled "The Story and Baptism" and "Drama in Worship"
April 8 class: practicum on administering baptism
To prepare for April 13: read Schmemann "Of Water and the Spirit"; write out a half page summary of an eschatological theology for Baptism; in a sentence of two note any theological meanings for baptism that might be underemphasized by this eschatological approach
April 13 class: discussion of theology of baptism [CP]
ON ONE OF THE WEEKS STARTING ON A SUNDAY FROM APRIL 11 TO MAY 1 (APRIL 11-17, APRIL 18-24, OR APRIL 25-MAY 1), USE THE MATERIAL FOR DAILY PRAYER PROVIDED ON THE COURSE WEBSITE AND IN THE CLASS FOLDER IN FIRST CLASS. KEEP A RHYTHM OF MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER FOR ONE WEEK, INDIVIDUALLY OR IN A GROUP. A CANDLE MIGHT BE USED FOR EVENING PRAYER.
To prepare for April 15: 1) watch the module 3 lecture clips entitled "Overview of the Year" and "The Lectionary"; 2) as part of a small group to which you will be assigned, review the assigned Scripture lessons from Year C (began first Sunday in Advent) of the Revised Common Lectionary for the following times (First Sunday of Advent through Baptism of the Lord; Ash Wednesday through Pentecost); 3) prepare a 15 minute or less assignment which accomplishes the following: a) visualizes the flow of remembrance in these scriptures and b) lists what is remembered about God, God's activity, salvation, and the church. Copies of the lists should be made available to everyone in the class. The Scriptures can be found in the respective sections of Handbook of the Christian Year.
April 15 class: presentation of lectionary overviews [EX for the group; students will be asked to evaluate other group member's participation (CP)]
To prepare for April 20: 1) watch the module 3 lecture clip entitled "Feasts and the Problem of Verbs and Adverbs"; 2) from the module 3 worship video clips, watch the ATS Easter Vigil and one of the following: Palm/Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Stations of the Cross; 3) compile a list of the things you see in the Handbook of the Christian Year services for Passion/Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday Evening, Tenebrae, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil; 4) compare this list to the things you saw in the worship video clips (what was common and what was different?); compile a list of the things common and different between the services in the book and the services on video
April 20 class: Holy Week and Triduum review [EX]
To prepare for April 22: 1) from the module 3 worship clips, watch the ATS Ash Wednesday; 2) compile a list of the things you see in the Handbook of the Christian Year services for Ash Wednesday, Easter Day or the Second Service of Easter, Ascension and the Sunday Following, and Pentecost; 3) read pp. 105-110 in Handbook of the Christian Year, compile a list of how the time of Lent differs from Easter and the Great Fifty Days in activities and tone
April 22 class: Backwards and forwards from the Triduum [EX]
To prepare for April 27: 1) from the module 3 worship clips, watch Christmas and Transfiguration; 2) compile a list of the things you see in the Handbook of the Christian Year services for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord, and Transfiguration; 3) compare this list to the things you saw in the worship video clips (what was common and what was different?); compile a list of the things common and different between the services in the book and the services on video
April 27 class: Birth and Revelation [EX]
To prepare for April 29: 1) compile a list of the things you see in the Handbook of the Christian Year for the services for the time of the year described from pp. 53-69; 2) read Ruth "Why Not 'Move' Advent to November?"; 3) read Handbook of the Christian Year pp. 51-3, looking for the original character of the Advent season
April 29 class: Anticipating the Coming Theophany [EX]
ON MAY 4 TURN IN A COMPLETE WORSHIP SERVICE FOR TOUCHSTONE CHURCH #1 FOR ONE OF THE MAJOR FEASTS OF THE YEAR. MORE COMPLETE GUIDELINES WILL BE GIVEN IN CLASS IN TIME TO PREPARE THIS EXERCISE. [EX]
STARTING ON MAY 4 THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS THROUGH THE COURSE WEBSITE AN OBJECTIVE EXAM TESTING HER OR HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE CLASSIC FEATURES OF THE FOLLOWING MAJOR FEASTS AND SEASONS: ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, EPIPHANY, BAPTISM OF THE LORD, TRANSFIGURATION, ASH WEDNESDAY, LENT, PASSION/PALM SUNDAY, MAUNDY THURSDAY, GOOD FRIDAY, EASTER VIGIL, ASCENSION, PENTECOST, AND ALL SAINTS' DAY. THE EXAM WILL TEST THE STUDENT'S MEMORIZATION OF THIS INFORMATION THROUGH MULTIPLE CHOICE, TRUE/FALSE, AND IDENTIFICATION QUESTIONS. THE EXAM MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. ON MAY 19. [IC]
To prepare for May 4: read the case studies (to be designated) on the class website and come prepared to discuss
May 4 class: discussion of case studies
Module 4
To prepare for May 6: 1) read Boers The Rhythm of God's Grace; 2) watch the module 4 lecture clip entitled "The Structures of Time in Daily Worship"; 3) watch the module 4 worship video entitlted "Easter Vespers at Notre Dame"; 4) prepare one insight learned from following daily prayer for one week; 5) prepare, using the guidelines and instructions to be developed, an order for evening prayer for Touchstone Church #2
May 6 class: sharing of insights [CP]; review of evening prayer services [EX]
Module 5
To prepare for May 11: 1) read Schmemann, For the Life of the World; Witvliet Worship Seeking Understanding; and Saliers, Worship as Theology; 2) write a theological reflection of a half page on the eschatological and revelatory quality of weddings and funerals; 3) watch the module 5 lecture clips entitled "Weddings and Funerals" and "Acknowledging Popular Piety"; 4) complete the exercise to be distributed on choosing materials for weddings and funerals
May 11 class: discussion on the eschatological character of worship in pastoral rites like weddings and funerals [CP]; review on exercise on choosing material to enable full remembrance [CP]
To prepare for May 13: complete the exercise to be distributed
May 13 class: review of exercise [EX]