Kimberly Bracken Long

Weddings have become a billion-dollar industry, with the average cost of a wedding estimated at $30,000. Taking into account dramatic shifts in attitudes toward marriage in recent years, many pastors are confused and frustrated about their role. This book offers a foundational understanding of marriage for today's North American church. Exploring current sociological analyses of marriage and the history of Christian marriage rites, Kimberly Bracken Long suggests that the church rethink its involvement in weddings and offers a distinctively Christian understanding of marriage. Today's church, Long contends, needs to reinterpret classic biblical metaphors and expand the range of scriptural sources that inform our understanding of marriage. Long also looks closely at each element of the wedding service and what makes a marriage liturgy faithful, inclusive, and sensitive to pastoral concerns. She provides practical suggestions for music and Scripture during wedding services as well as guidance on how to respond faithfully to those who are divorced or divorcing. Packed with constructive pastoral wisdom, From This Day ForwardRethinking the Christian Wedding delivers a practical theology of marriage that will be of help to clergy, seminarians, and others interested in this topic.

This new volume in the Feasting on the Word series will serve as an all-in-one pastor’s companion for Lent and Holy Week, providing worship materials and sermon preparation tools for both lectionary and nonlectionary preachers. In keeping with other Feasting on the Word resources, four essays provide theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical perspectives on an Old Testament and a Gospel text for each Sunday. A complete order of service is provided for each of the Sundays in Lent, plus Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Hymn suggestions, midweek services, and children’s sermon suggestions make this an invaluable resource for the season of Lent.

As the country moves toward marriage equality for gays and lesbians, couples and pastors are in need of updated language for marriage services. This sourcebook not only provides inclusive marriage services, taking into account a variety of situations, but also provides guidance for couples and pastors to take into account for all couples. In addition, it includes prayers for a number of situations that happen around many weddings, such as rehearsal dinners, the wedding participants before worship, and the reception. Inclusive Marriage Services includes updated but traditional language carefully chosen, resembling historical marriages we are all familiar with, but improving some of the language.

As the country moves toward marriage equality for gays and lesbians, couples and pastors are in need of updated language for marriage services. This sourcebook not only provides inclusive marriage services, taking into account a variety of situations, but also provides guidance for couples and pastors to take into account for all couples. In addition, it includes prayers for a number of situations that happen around many weddings, such as rehearsal dinners, the wedding participants before worship, and the reception. Inclusive Marriage Services includes updated but traditional language carefully chosen, resembling historical marriages we are all familiar with, but improving some of the language.

Kimberly Bracken Long, by focusing on what presiders do with their bodies, eyes, ears, lips, hands, feet, and heart, describes an attitude and style of worship leadership that is both firmly rooted and blessedly free. A wonderful offering for all worship presiders, seminarians, commissioned lay pastors, new pastors, and experienced pastors, The Worshiping Body is essential reading for anyone interested in how their presence and movement during worship make a difference.