For many, the calendar change from 2000 to 2001 will be the "real" millennial change! Perhaps "change," rapid change, is among the few aspects of "millennialism" that today's culture can agree upon. In the years of tremendous change, it is important that Christian worship incorporate imagery and language, sign acts and symbols, that help God's people to be Kingdom people amidst such confusing and unsettling times. Change has always been around us; but changes are coming more rapidly and affecting us in every dimension of live. The most engaging and all-consuming change seems to be the anticipation surrounding the close of one century and the opening of of a new millennium.“Our life is a dream, “Come, let us anew our journey pursue, For some, the last two years have been a time of anxiety, dread, and concern. They have also been a time for celebration, remembrance, and renewed hope, anticipating a new beginning. Charles Wesley’s New Year text, however, affirms the later, more positive, attitudes, for the Christian in changing times: fulfilling God’s will, improving our “talents” through patient hope and “the labor of love.”His adorable will let us gladly fulfill, This is a time that calls the church to be church [koinonia] 2— to reach out, guide, nurture, and witness. The turning, the frenzy of millennial change places the church at a crossroads of sorts. Early in 1999, the results were reported of a 5-year study by Margaret Ann Crain and Jack Seymour, professors at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary, Evanston, IL. This study of 40 people in 7 Chicago congregations, disclosed that there are 8 things for which people yearn: “(1) meaningful work that is consistent with faith; (2) connection with grace and spirit; (3) meaning and healing in personal crisis; (4) ways to address suffering and evil; (5) certainty and order; (6) ways to be known and accepted; (7) ways to build community and bridge differences; and (8) hope.” “We live in a spiritually malnourished world,” says Seymour. “People are yearning for meaning that gives life vitality and integrity.” 3 God has provided the church and its worship to be the channel through which our deepest yearnings can be expressed, explored, and answered.
No other group or resource can claim the unique call and ministry of the church to offer “living water” to a thirsty world. The church can “seize the moment” and choose to diligently affirm and renew its mission to persons in a world in need of spiritual balance and restored hope. Or the church can remain quietly passive, watching as the world spins and rushes on in hope of finding meaning, direction, and fulfillment. I believe that God is calling the church to enter the 21st century with holy confidence and spiritual boldness. With its unique good news, the church can be in the world, but not of the world, calming the anxiety, eliminating the dread, instilling hope. In these changing and challenging days, the church, its leaders, and all people of God, have all the spiritual and material resources necessary for the task. The church must provide spiritually “whole-some” opportunities for people to learn and remember God’s mighty acts, to reflect on past accomplishments and failures (and work yet unfinished) in light of God’s claim and call, to engage people in dynamic proclamation and study of God’s Word and to celebrate in Jesus Christ that a new day calls forth new ways.“The arrow is flown, the moment is gone, Standing at the Door was created as a resource to help church leaders, especially pastors, worship designers, musicians, and liturgical artists design new millennial worship liturgies and study settings; and to act as a springboard for exploring spiritual formation issues in worship. This collection provides worship and other formational materials designed for the period of the millennial change, 2000-2001 – Christ the King, Advent, Christmas, New Year’s, and Epiphany. The reader will find here worship outlines and entire liturgies ready to use or to be adapted for these festivals in the local church setting. Standing at the Door also contains several “Perspectives” on various aspects of the millennium and faith, offered to challenge your thinking as you prepare liturgy, sermons, and twenty-first-century millennial observances. These “Perspectives” can also serve as discussion material for small study groups in the church.“O that each in the day of His coming may say: Standing at the Door also provides churches and groups with two challenging and engaging Bible studies: “The Last Letter: Revelation’s News for Today’s Congregations” (exploring Revelation, Isaiah, and other Hebrew and New Testament eschatological texts) and “Repairing the World: God's Gift of Jubilee,” a five-session study on the call to a lifestyle centered on sabbath rest, justice, forgiveness, liberation, restoration, and celebration. In addition, this collection of resources offers churches a series of worship celebrations—Seven Days of Praise and Prayer—for the first seven days of the New Year and a Jubilee worship series of seven days of guided praise and prayer. Finally, the collection contains additional single worship resources and a selected listing of millennial/ecumenical references for reading and further study. Worship is central to the life and mission of the church as it lives out its calling to glorify God and to make disciples of Jesus Christ, especially in these days of challenge and change, of standing at the door to a new era. God is calling the church to step forward with “holy boldness” and proclaim, in its own powerful way, the great “happenings” of faith from Genesis to our day. What better vantage point than worship to recall and tell the story. My prayer is that these turning and changing times will cause the church’s worship to more deeply express Christian faith heritage and help the church hear God’s call. I hope that Standing at the Door will be the catalyst for you to accomplish this endeavor. What is the urgency? And why is this turning not just another year? Because Christians have hope, even expectation, in the return and reign of the risen Lord! At the core, the celebration–by the world and by the church—is the birth of Christ and hope in his sure return in power, glory, and judgment—the millennial (thousandth year) reign of Christ on earth. With hope and expectancy I commend this resource for your consideration, exploration, and use.
“O that each from the Lord May receive the glad word:
Roger C. Dowdy
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| Introduction | Preface | Contents | Copyright | | Millennial Perspectives | Worship and Study Resources | | Seven Days of Praise and Prayer |Prayer and Worship for a Jubilee Week | The Last Letter: Revelation’s News | Repairing the World: God's Gift of Jubilee | Hymns | Additional Liturgical Resources | Appendix |
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