Worship and Congregational Life
"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into God's presence with singing" (Ps 100:1-2).
Koinonia: Services and Prayers
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This worship resource is intended to strengthen the common identity and prayer life of the worldwide Lutheran communion, as well as for use in ecumenical gatherings. A number of the liturgies and prayers in this book were written for the LWF Tenth Assembly (2003). As the editors write in the preface, "the Greek word koinonia (literally communion, participation) describes Christian living, marked by acts of sharing and hospitality, forgiveness and reconciliation." Liturgical developments in recent years have influenced the choice and shape of the material.
The liturgies and prayers in this book are printed as parallel texts in English, French, German and Spanish. Copies can be ordered from liesch@lutheranworld.org (for USD 13 or EUR 10, plus postage and handling).
A modified version of Koinonia is now available online.
The liturgies and prayers you may want to use can be downloaded in
PDF format in English, French,
German, and Spanish. A
Finnish
translation of the texts is also provided, as encouragement for you
to have this material translated into yet other languages. If you do
so, please send us the translation so that we might share it with
others on this Web site. Permission is granted to download and copy
this material for local use, provided you indicate that it is from
this LWF publication. (All links require Adobe
Acrobat Reader) 
AGAPE: Songs of Hope and Reconciliation
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One of the church's greatest gifts is its musical heritage. From the earliest days of the church, poets and musicians have expressed their faith through music. Agape: Songs of Hope and Reconciliation (for further information please click here) is a collection of 111 worship songs from all over the world, compiled as a resource for the 2003 LWF Assembly, which met under the theme "For the Healing of the World."
The songbook, published by Oxford University Press in association with the LWF, communicates agape, all-embracing love, as expressed by Christians around the world. This fellowship of love, or agape, is vital to each one of us. The songbook aims to contribute toward an experience of healing, hope and reconciliation of individuals and societies.
The songbook, compiled by an ecumenical team of musicians, lyricists and theologians from around the globe, provides an additional volume of worship resources for the LWF member churches and can be used worldwide at ecumenical and multicultural gatherings. The songs are wide-ranging and encourage churches and congregations to develop their style of worship.
All songs are printed first in the original language, followed by translations into English, German, French and Spanish. When appropriate, keyboard accompaniments, guitar chords and rhythmic patterns are given.
Copies can be ordered from liesch@lutheranworld.org (for USD 19 or EUR 15, plus postage and handling).
Worship in African Contexts of Holism and Crisis
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Church in Ndego, Kibungo Province, Rwanda. © LWF/P. Nella Pieterse |
What, from an "African" perspective, is worship? What does it mean to be a worshipping community in the midst of crisis? How does worship relate to the immediacy of crisis and still maintain its timeless confession? More specifically, how do such elements of worship as shape, substance, practice and space reflect the often tragic realities of the gathered community? These questions guided interactions with younger theologians from Lutheran churches in Africa, and has resulted in the resource Worship in African Contexts of Holism and Crisis.
Please click here to download Worship
in African Contexts of Holism and Crisis in PDF format. (Requires
Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
For further information, please contact Ms Ursula Liesch
