FULLY-SCRIPTED
ADVENT SERIES
FULLY-SCRIPTED
ADVENT SERIES
All is calm. All is bright.
"Silent Night" has become the best-loved worship moment of many Christians–even those who only come to church once a year. Something mystical occurs as we light our candles and sing the hope of "all is calm, all is bright"–peace and light for the world. Originally written during the 200th anniversary of the song's debut in 2018, this worship series celebrates the carol's message over the entire season of Advent and highlights its call for our lives that can guide us all year long.
Why This Series?
The classic hymn, “Silent Night,” first made its debut more than 200 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1818 at the St. Nicholas chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The melody by composer Franz Gruber is instantly recognizable from the first few notes, and the original text by Joseph Mohr has been translated from the original German into over 140 languages. In 1914, just four years shy of the 100th anniversary of “Silent Night,” the soldiers fighting World War I along the Western Front held a ceasefire in some areas out of mutual respect for the holiday. Members from opposing sides exchanged gifts and stories with one another, played games, and sang Christmas carols together, including the beloved hymn “Silent Night.” Today, churches all over the world gather together each year on Christmas Eve to join hands, light candles, sing “Silent Night,” and participate in a timeless tradition of inimitable ritual power.
Our fully-scripted Worship Design Studio series, “Calm and Bright: 200 Years of Silent Night,” was developed for the 200th anniversary of the titular song. At the time of this writing in 2018, our communities, our churches, and our world are torn and divided about many issues of cultural contention. Families fight, politicians argue, flame wars spread ignorance and hate on the Internet, and sometimes we feel that hope, peace, love, and light are missing from our lives. It is our sincere prayer that this Christmas will be a time of ceasefire from our own sources of conflict. This year, we will raise our voices in song to celebrate the birth of Christ with spirits of peace and love that transcends all barriers.
Watch the get-ready webinar to learn more about the series!
Learn all about the materials included in this series and get a big picture overview of the flow of worship in this recording of my get-ready webinar.
What's Included in the Series?
Our fully-scripted series are designed to give you everything you need to provide your congregation with sensory-rich worship for a whole season. This Lent series includes:
6 full worship scripts including Advent 1-4, Christmas Eve, and the Sunday after Christmas
Sermon fodder to inspire your preaching, small group missions outreach ideas to engage your congregation at home and throughout the week
Visual and Media Arts ideas for bringing the series to life in your worship space and online, series logo, video trailer, and photos for worship guide covers for each week
Music resources, including original threshold song by Chuck Bell and Dr. Marcia McFee, a powerful anthem by Rev. Marsha Moors-Charles ("We Need a Silent Night"), anthem suggestions, and versatile congregational song suggestions for classic or contemporary settings
Access to an online community of pastors and worship teams who will be using these resources alongside you and brainstorming adaptations, sharing ideas, and more!
Watch a preview of the series in the video trailer below!
About Dr. Marcia McFee, Creator of the Series
Dr. Marcia McFee is a professor, worship designer, author, preacher, and ritual artist. Drawing on a first career in professional dance and musical theater and equipped with a Master's in Theology and a PhD in Liturgical Studies and Ethics, she understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit.
Dr. Marcia McFee has been known for creating deeply meaningful and memorable worship for over 25 years. In her Worship Design Studio online coaching website, subscribers have access to years of worship series with ideas for every Sunday, designed specifically for mainline Protestant churches with a variety of worship styles!
Praise for "Calm and Bright"
“We are loving the Calm and Bright series. The music is beautiful and our worship team has worked hard to bring it to life. We have a table with candles and a tree of stars as well as our weekly mission projects. It is so much fun to see how different churches are using the visuals! Thank you Marcia McFee.” - L.B., Cumberland, ME
"My congregation does not want to miss a week if they can possibly help it. Attendance increasing along with the comments of gratitude. As pastor looking out into the congregation of expectant faces some with tears in their eyes, I can tell you it's moving for me as well. The bonus is that I'm loving it! Worship at its finest!" - D.A., Gloucester, MA
"We LOVED your Advent series. The first Sunday was truly the best first Sunday of Advent in my years as a pastor. It was soooooooooo moving for all!" - J.D., Midlothian, VA
Click the button below to check out. If you would like to become an all-access yearly subscriber, there will be a chance to upgrade, giving you access to all our resources, all year long!
***After purchasing, you will immediately get an e-mail receipt and "thank you for purchasing" e-mail with a VERY important link that you MUST click to get access to the materials on the WDS website. If you do not see that e-mail, PLEASE CHECK YOUR JUNK OR SPAM FOLDERS (and if you don't see it there, contact us at [email protected]).***
Searching for a different theme? Peruse our complete list of ready-made, fully-scripted Advent series at worshipdesignstudio.com/adventseries. Get access to ALL our fully-scripted series by becoming a full-year Worship Design Studio Subscriber!
