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  • The sun sets dramatically over the Lofoten Islands, painting the sky with warm colors and reflecting on the serene waters below.

    ‘Your Will Be Done’ - A Theological Reflection by Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    Martin Luther told children to get into conversation with God. “He wants to entice us,” the reformer wrote in explaining the address of the prayer that Jesus taught us, to believe “that he is truly our Father and we are truly his children in order that we may ask him boldly and with complete confidence, just as loving children ask their loving Father.” That is sometimes easier said than done.

  • Sky with clouds, sun shining behind the clouds

    ‘Final Word’ - A Theological Reflection by Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    Personally, I like to avoid conflict, but sometimes the other person whom I encounter loves it. That is the way it is with me and Satan. “I lie, you die” was his introduction of himself; he got that line from Jesus (John 8:44). The worst thing about his conversation with me is that it finds resonance altogether too often inside of me. A fifth column has penetrated the walls of my being and works effectively to weaken my defenses. No matter how often I call the public safety officers at the Holy Spirit’s headquarters, my own arrogant rebellion against my Creator and Lord continues to peek out and flame up, spewing its poison into my system again.

  • 'I Will Glory In the Cross’ - A Theological Reflection by Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    When I was a child, I sang the hymn “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” by the British diplomat, imperial administrator, and poet, John Bowring, a Unitarian layman. With him I sang of Christ’s cross as it towered over the wrecks of time and shone its glorious light around his head sublime. Its radiance added luster to the day. When I got a bit older, we began to sing “Lift High the Cross,” with a text from two Anglican priests, George W. Kitchin and Michael R. Newbolt. It summoned the world to adore Christ’s sacred name, for he is victorious and leads his people in conquering ranks against death and hell. Kyle Borcherding glories in a cross that has blood running down it, with a weak, suffering, scorned, shamed, dethroned man on it, a man whose throne is in fact in heaven at the right hand of his and our heavenly Father. And Borcherding expects us to find glory there.

  • ‘Gone’ - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    God himself is present. Throughout Scripture people encountered God and conversed with him. He was at hand, there, where people were. Sometimes his presence made them uncomfortable, and sometimes his presence brought peace and joy. Sometimes it seemed that he had gone away, leaving his people in one wilderness or another. But it always turned out that he had been there all the time. He was the promised “Immanuel” (God with us) (Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:23), who assured us that he would be with his people to the end of the age (Matt. 28:18). Those who trust in him sometimes wonder where he is, but they always find out that he was there all along.

  • ‘Bethlehem’ - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Aaron Unseth

    It was one of the most memorable Christmas Eve’s I have ever experienced. It happened on the 5th night of my 18-month-old daughter’s hospitalization as she battled a particularly brutal strain of RSV. As I lay alone on the plastic hospital couch and listened to the other child in the double room cry loudly that night I was questioning if my daughter would ever be able to recover from this virus and pondering how far away God felt in that moment. On that less than silent night, it felt like hope was far away, that there was no peace in my corner of the earth, and that there was no joy present in my world. Even on Christmas Eve, Bethlehem seemed so far away.

  • Arise - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    Instability seems to be shaking the foundations of our world on all sides. Where can we find a place to stand on firm ground? What offers a sure place where we can leave change and deterioration behind? What can give me an immovable, unshakable anchorage? Simon and Garfunkel expressed the hope that one can shield himself with the self-made armor of his own room, protected from the love that has only brought tears and disappointments. “I am a rock. I am an I-land,” they sang. But “I” prove less than a reliable, unshakable rock, and the delusion of my attempt to stand still and rest on my own two feet just tumbles me into doubt and despair. The seventeenth-century English poet John Donne recognized that no one is an island. My own stability and reliability as a sure place to stand quivers at the sound of the ambulance siren, for I know that the siren also wails for me.

  • ‘Psalm 46 (A River)’ - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    As the year 1971 began, Walter Ulbricht had directed life in the German Democratic Republic, under the tutelage of his Soviet mentors in Moscow and their military might, for a quarter of a century, as head of the ruling Marxist party and for a few years also as head of state. In the middle of 1971, I attended a pastoral conference in East Berlin. The massive presence of propaganda slogans—“the head, the brain, the soul of the People is the State,” for example—and the East German pastors’ stories of governmental pressure on Christians from Kindergarteners to the elderly quickly made an impression on me. I asked one of the pastors, “Humanly speaking, how can the church survive in this situation?” Ignoring my “humanly speaking,” he replied, “Walter Ulbricht is not the Lord of the church.” Ironically, by the end of 1971, Walter Ulbricht was not even lord of the DDR. His comrades had forced him from power, replaced by a new generation.

  • ‘Grace Upon Grace’ - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    Trying to wrap our minds around God not only frustrates, it breaks our minds. He—“he” indicates that God is a person—exceeds our imaginations in unimaginable ways. Trying to stretch our minds into his immensity and his timelessness brings our thinking to its point of collapse every time. God in his fullness is hidden from us not just because we are sinners who have consciously and determinedly tried to avoid looking at him. The Creator in his totality extends far beyond the competence of our fantasy because Creators are simply greater than what they create.

  • Christ My Victory

    'Christ My Victory' - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    We encounter the hosts and hordes of the Deceiver and Murderer on battlefields scattered across our lives. They come at us not only in daily confrontations with all the luring offers of pleasure and profit in media of all kinds, but also assault us with a plethora of opportunities to gain an advantage over others or take advantage of them at work, at home, at school, or at play. 

  • 'United in Christ' - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    It is not easy to be a hip. The feet make a mistake, take a false step, and the hip suffers. The hip suffers not only from being twisted the wrong way but also from the complaints of other parts of the body that depend on a healthy hip and feel its twist at a distance. Hips like to do things their own way, and the feet or the back do not always agree. 

  • ‘Rescue’ - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb

    We usually call the incident “Peter Walked on the Water.”  The real story gives the report with a different subject: Jesus rescued Peter, a fellow too dumb to recognize the limits of his own abilities, too enthusiastic about pursuing his own plans to properly estimate the perimeters of his own potential.  Peter resembles us all.  Peter thought he was heading toward the Lord, but on his own he could not reach Jesus. 

     

  • 'Take Me With You' - A Theological Reflection

    By Rev. Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. Ph.D.

    The song “Take Me With You” begins with the bridge, which sets a proper tone for approaching the Spirit in prayer. Talking on the psalmist’s posture of wonder before God, the song begins and ends with an address to the Holy Spirit in the form of two questions: “Where are You going? / Where are You leading?” Rather than seeking to discern the Spirit’s movement and direction on his own, the supplicant humbly asks the Holy Spirit to take control and guide him on a journey to grasp more deeply His works in creation and in his own life: “Take me with You / Can I come with You?”

  • Review - In Defense of Christian Ritual

    By Rev. Steve Zank

    In his book In Defense of Christian Ritual: The Case for a Biblical Pattern of Worship, David Andersen made two significant arguments. First, he argued that worship practices deeply and stubbornly form the beliefs and culture of the church — both institutionally and individually. As a specialist in Christian apologetics, Andersen made this argument with the same methods he used to defend the historical resurrection of Jesus, namely, the collective insights of anthropology, psychology, neurology, epistemology and the social sciences.

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Podcast Network

We teach that there are three core competencies of worship arts ministry that should be embraced, practiced, and nurtured. We continue to explore these 3 competencies through the Center for Worship Leadership Podcast Network. Our shows are:


Worship Theology

Theology in Motion

Join Steve Zank for conversations about the theology of Christian worship and how it is related to practice, design, and culture. The "Theology in Motion" podcast is produced by the Center For Worship Leadership, Christ College, Concordia University Irvine, CA. "Theology In Motion" is a part of the Center for Worship Leadership Podcast Network.


Ministry Leadership

On the Ground Floor

Join Matt Preston as he leads conversations with real life ministry leaders as they share the wisdom of their experience in worship leadership. Just as it is important to get a 30k foot view of concepts and ideas, theology and philosophy, it is important to see those ideas lived out as we encourage and lead our local churches. Join us for monthly conversations here on the ground floor. The "On the Ground Floor" podcast is produced by the Center For Worship Leadership, Christ College, Concordia University Irvine, CA.


How the Soup is Made

How the Soup is Made

Join host Corey Witt for interviews with worship musicians, as he explores musical questions of growth through the lens of practical applications and practical skills - hence the title: "How the Soup is Made." We're going behind the scenes on what skills it takes to get better and better at doing the work of a worship musician and practitioner. "How the Soup is Made" is a part of the Center for Worship Leadership Podcast Network.

Liturgies

A good service order, liturgy, or planning template builds meaning and connection at each step. The church has many such resources available, especially in our hymnals, but little is available to those attempting to leverage modern tools in service to the gospel in worship. To provide turnkey resources and curate helpful models, CWL annually produces liturgies in both modern and traditional formats.

In the midst of an often polarized worship culture, the Center for Worship Leadership sets out on a middle way. We recognize that an “anything goes” mentality of worship insufficiently represents how worship shapes believing, and fails to acknowledge that worship is in service to the gospel. A good service order, liturgy, or planning template builds meaning and connection each step of the way, pointing toward, and stemming from, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, as we understand from our Lutheran heritage, our orders of worship “must serve for the promotion of faith and love and not be a detriment to faith” (Luther).

As a training organization we recognize that in many situations people are best served by “learning to fish.” We also understand, however, that there are many ministry leaders within the church who are well served by using, and learning from, a resource that has been created for them. For this reason, the Center for Worship Leadership endeavors to provide orders of worship as a resource for the church. Certainly, our hope is that these liturgies will help those who plan modern worship services. The CWL, however, aspires to support the whole church and is committed to writing liturgical resources that will serve the two broadly defined modes of expression – modern and traditional.

God Who Bleeds Sermon Series

Prepare your congregation’s hearts for Lent with our newest 10-part sermon series, centered around the powerful song God Who Bleeds from The Songwriter Initiative.

This resource, curated from Pastor Jon Gruen’s work, includes:

  • Suggested liturgies
  • Song & hymn recommendations
  • Sermon outlines
  • And more tools to enrich your worship services!

Worship leaders and pastors—don’t miss this opportunity to bring meaningful reflections to your community this season. Let’s journey together toward the cross and the empty tomb with deeper understanding and worship of the God who bleeds for us all.

God Who Bleeds Lent Series

Arise: One-Sheet & Liturgical Resource

We at the Center for Worship Leadership (CWL) have crafted two liturgy options for the song "Arise," published by CWL. Both are call and response formats, designed to enrich your worship experience. Feel free to use these liturgies as they are or adapt them to fit your unique context. We hope they inspire you and bless your community!

Arise: One-Sheet & Liturgical Resource

Opening Liturgy & Candle Lighting for Advent

We at the Center for Worship Leadership are excited to share a new resource from our Liturgy Initiative: an Opening Liturgy and Candle Lighting for the four Sundays of Advent, crafted by Alex Guebert of Orange County, CA. This collection includes thoughtfully composed liturgies for each week of Advent, incorporating scripture, hymns, and responsive readings to help you celebrate the journey towards Christmas with your congregation.

Each of the four Advent services follows a similar structure, featuring an invocation, a candle lighting moment, hymns, and a shared confession and absolution. The liturgies are designed to draw the congregation into the rich themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, building anticipation for the celebration of Christ's birth.

We encourage you to use these liturgies as they are or adapt them to suit your worship setting. Whether you choose to use the full liturgy or just incorporate parts of it, our hope is that these resources will inspire and enrich your Advent worship.

We hope that these liturgies will bless your community as you prepare your hearts for the coming of our Savior!

Opening Liturgy & Candle Lighting for Advent (Series B)
Opening Liturgy & Candle Lighting for Advent (Series C)

 

4th Sunday in Advent

Looking ahead to the 4th Sunday of Advent? We have a special resource for you. Last year (2023), Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday morning, and we created a unique liturgy to support worship planners navigating this special occasion. While that specific scenario may not happen every year, the liturgy remains a powerful and flexible resource designed for the 4th Sunday of Advent. This liturgy includes a call to worship, confession/absolution, prayers, and song recommendations—all built around the day's readings. And it’s fully adaptable to fit the needs of your community. Download the resource today and make it your own!

4th Sunday in Advent

2023 Holy Week Writing Retreat

This material was created at a writing retreat hosted by the Center for Worship Leadership (CWL) of Concordia University Irvine. There, a team of creative writers, theologians, and writers worked together to create the following tools for you to consider, adjust and use for your Holy Week services. Thanks for downloading and please keep the following caveats in mind as you engage the material:

  1. Each group was asked to focus on the poetics and focus of one of the pericopal readings. For example, Maundy Thursday 1 was written with the Exodus readings especially in view, while Maundy Thursday 2 was written with the poetics of the Psalm in view. This was done to see what kind of variety could be created liturgically, akin to a Pastor preaching primarily on one of the texts of the lectionary. This creative endeavor was the first step in the larger vision of creating an online worship planning tool.
  2. Not all of the following materials will work in every context - each local liturgist will need to use wisdom in selecting and adapting these resources. Please feel free to cut, paste, and change the materials as suits your context. Also, please use them without crediting the liturgical authors or CWL in your bulletin. We do not offer these resources as a turn-key resource, nor do we offer these as complete Holy Week services. You might like a particular call to worship, or a confession as it fits with your sermon or set of songs. You might like several of the components within one of the sets and integrate them into your service flow. You might not find anything here helpful for your context, maybe you are simply inspired by something you read.
  3. We hope that engaging, reflecting and using these resources enriches your Holy Week services and the proclamation of Christ’s death and resurrection for us!

2023 Holy Week Liturgies

Good Friday: The Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross

Poetry can help us engage familiar ideas in new and stimulating ways. The CWL Liturgy Initiative is proud to share a poetic presentation of the seven words of Jesus on the cross for you to consider for your Good Friday service. As with all our content, the liturgy has gone through a doctrinal review process. By Rev. Caleb Adams of Bend, OR.

Good Friday: The Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross

WALi One-Day Services

The WALi One Day is a single-day event, designed to support your community in a particular way. Bring a team member to your area to help facilitate empowered learning, common support, and professional inspiration in one of the following areas. Don't see what you're interested in here? We also put together custom events, email us at [email protected]!

  • Media Integration (Dante, Planning Center Services, Audio Systems, etc.)
  • Liturgical / Modern Service Design
  • Songwriting Workshop
  • Band Workshops
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