Presbyterian Mission Agency

Call to Worship

Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts offers insight and inspiration for pastors, church musicians, artists and other worship leaders. This quarterly journal is published by the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Learn how to subscribe.

Call to Worship subscribers: the Lectionary Aids for 2012-2013 (Year C) are now online.

Check out a free sample of the Lectionary Aids for next year, 2013-2014 (Year A): Trinity Sunday, June 15, 2014. Note that this sample includes the liturgical texts only; the usual musical resources will be provided in the final print and electronic editions. You can also see a sample of archived resources for Trinity Sunday from previous Year A editions of the Lectionary Aids. 

The Lectionary Aids issue, available in print and online to Call to Worship subscribers, provides worship planning materials for the church year. For every Sunday and festival in the liturgical calendar, you’ll find calls to worship and prayers of confession, along with suggestions for hymns, psalms, global music, praise and worship songs, choral anthems, organ selections and handbell music. Based on the Revised Common Lectionary, suggestions related to both complementary and semi-continuous readings are included.

Three other print issues per year explore current topics in liturgical theology and practice, such as Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (November 2012), The Service for the Lord's Day (February 2013), and The Season of Advent (May 2013). Each issue includes original artwork as well as a full-color feature on liturgical arts.

Recent issues

Call to Worship 46.2 – Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry – This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry—the 1982 World Council of Churches paper that launched a wave of advances in ecumenical agreement and sacramental renewal. How has this document influenced the life and liturgy of the church? What further challenges are on the horizon? The issue also provides new liturgical resources for Baptism, Eucharist, and ordination. November 2012.

Call to Worship 46.1 – Lectionary Aids, Year C (2012-2013) – This annual issue provides lectionary-based worship planning aids for every Sunday and festival in the Christian year, including: brief summaries of the Revised Common Lectionary readings; Calls to Worship and Prayers of Confession; suggestions for hymns, psalms, and other congregational songs from a variety of sources and traditions; recommendations for anthems for larger choirs, smaller/youth choirs, and children's choirs; ideas for organ and handbell music; and original liturgical artwork. August 2012.

Call to Worship 45.4 – The Body – This issue explores the notion of Christian worship as an embodied event. We experience God’s living Word and mysterious presence through our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. We pray and praise God through gesture and posture, speech and song. The promises of God are enacted through the sacraments of Baptism (turning, washing, anointing, embracing) and the Lord’s Supper (taking, blessing, breaking, giving). We go forth with hands to serve our neighbors and feet to bear the good news to all. May 2012

Call to Worship 45.3 – The Holy Spirit – What difference does the Holy Spirit make in Christian life and liturgy? How does the Spirit empower and enliven our praise and prayer? Where, when, and how do we experience the Spirit’s work in worship? Theologians and practitioners will address these questions drawing on a range of Christian traditions, including Reformed, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Pentecostal perspectives. February 2012.

Call to Worship 45.2 – Markings – This issue marks two significant anniversaries, the 400th year of the King James Bible and the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Presbyterian Directory for Worship. In addition, theologians and other church leaders will reflect on the liturgical movements and developments of recent decades, taking stock of where we’ve come from, where we are, where we’re going, in music, liturgy, and the liturgical arts. November 2011.

Join our Facebook page

Are you a friend of Call to Worship? Our Facebook page provides a way for pastors and other worship leades to share ideas and resources and to join online discussions of articles in the journal. Like our page!

Find events of interest

Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) sponsors three Worship and Music Conferences each summer which seek to model a high standard of worship through the promotion of worthy church music and other arts and through the sharpening and refining of the tools of worship. They provide opportunities for intensive work in many areas and stimulate the imagination through exposure to new possibilities for worship. Learn more about PAM events.

Download indices

Use these indices to search the Call to Worship (2000 to present) and Reformed Liturgy and Music (1971 to 2000) archives. The indices are arranged by volume/issue, by subject and by author. To inquire about back issues contact us or call (800) 728-7228 x5306. Single copies of past issues from Volume 42 (August 2008) to the present are $34.95 for Lectionary aids and $8.75 for other issues. Older volumes are $29.95 for Lectionary aids and $7.50 for other issues.

Chronological index
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Subject index
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Author index
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Contact the editor

To offer feedback on the journal, to make suggestions for upcoming issues or articles, or to submit a manuscript, contact David Gambrell.

Lectionary resources

The PC(USA) Devotions and Readings Web site offers the lectionary in several formats, including RSS and podcast. You can also download lists of lectionary readings (citations only, not full texts) from The Consultation on Common Texts.