Harry Boonstra

The worship team of our church met recently to discuss the Lord's Supper—not its theology or spiritual significance, but the mode of our participation. Should we sit in pews, the way we have done for the past sixty years? Should we consider gathering around tables, as our church's founders did in 1915? Should we come to the front and take the bread, dip it in the cup, and eat while walking back to the pew, as we have tried a few times (dubbed "dip and run")? Should we stand in a circle as we take the bread and wine?

Gathering for Worship: We prepare for worship in the Gathering Space. Welcome! Choir: "On Christmas Night" [Sussex Melody] Processional: "Once in Royal David's City" [stanza 1, soloist; stanza 2, choir; stanzas 3 and 4, choir and congregation] (PH 49, PsH 346, RL 201, TH 225) Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2; 42:5-9

Generalizations are dangerous, but I'll hazard one. I have visited enough churches in The Netherlands to generalize that usually not a soul or body in those congregations will so much as nod a greeting at a visitor. After the service there may be occasional "hellos" among friends, but few people linger. Five minutes after the benediction both the sanctuary and the bicycle parking lot are empty.

Even if you don't know very many Scripture choruses or praise songs, there's a good chance you'll know "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God." From the time it was written in 1972, the song has been a "hit" and has been incorporated into countless hymnals and albums. To its composer, Karen Lafferty, "Seek Ye First" has been a wonderful miracle which gives her daily joy.

New York: United Church of Christ, 1986,563 pages, $28.00

Every baptism should lead us to a new sense of gratitude I don't remember the hymns we sang, nor the Scripture we read, nor the sermon. But I do remember the baptism.

Spiritual nourishment for the shut-in We gathered around the kitchen table in the old farmhouse. The oilcloth with pictures of yellow pears and red strawberries was still on the table from lunchtime. So were the napkins and a few stray bread crumbs. There were four of us: the eighty-two-year-old widow who had lived in the house since her marriage sixty years ago, two elders, and myself.

by Sheri Triezenberg and Susan K. Verwys. Grand Rapids, 1988. Available from the authors, 2551 Birchcrest SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. $28.50.

by Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman. Westminster Press, 1989. See "Letting the Story Stand" (p. 25) for further information about the program described in this book.Our Heritage of Hymns. Choristers Guild, 1986 Exploring the Hymnal. Choristers Guild, 1986. These two educational books, reviewed in RW 5, are excellent resources for teaching children about the hymns of the church.