vol. 1 (232 pp.) 1994, vol. 2 (244 pp.) 1996, Communication Resources, Inc., 4150 Belden Village St., 4th floor, Canton, Ohio 44718. $39.00 per volume. Reviewed by Al Hoksbergen, a retired Christian Reformed pastor living in Spring Lake, Michigan.
These two volumes can be a great asset to worship planners who want to create fresh and engaging liturgies. Both volumes come in user-friendly, well-organized, loose-leaf binders. Included are calls to worship, invocations, prayers of confession, litanies, benedictions and a number of other prayers and affirmations often used in worship. The entries are listed according to the primary seasons of the Christian year.
The language in both volumes is contemporary, but perhaps the language in the second is a bit more upbeat than that of the first. One of the fine things about this material is that it can be used "as is" or modified to fit a particular interest or need. "Use these prayers and words as they are or let them encourage the poet in you," says Larry Peacock, one of the contributors.
The contributors are pastors who serve congregations in the Reformed, Presbyterian, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, and Methodist traditions. Although the resources have an ecumenical flavor, they are in most instances firmly rooted in Scripture and the recognition of our daily need for the grace of God. Most users would be hard put to find doctrinal nuances that would make the material unsuitable to a particular tradition.