Sinfonia Oecumenica: Worship with the Churches in the World (English, German, French and Spanish Edition)

100 liturgies from around the world, collected by a German-Swiss project group – for a more vibrant liturgical experience and an intercultural opening of worship. This work is an absolute novelty on the theological book market: Each liturgy is presented in four languages ​​(English, German, French, and Spanish). This allows people of very different languages ​​and backgrounds to celebrate worship together. The book brings treasures slumbering in the liturgies of other denominations and cultures into the ecumenical liturgical learning community. In doing so, it strengthens the sense of belonging across national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries in new dimensions. Editor's Preface: A new Note a new Spirit Editors' Preface >>It's the services that hold us together<< - said Eduard Lohse, former chairman of the Protestant Church Council in Germany, at the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Vancouver 1983. Words like these show that something new is stirring. Services are different: they are no longer denomina-tionally rigid, but are imbued with an atmosphere from many different denominations and cultures. A new note has been struck, and continues to influ-ence ecumenical services. Since 1983 the WCC has initiated and held work-shops for liturgy and music in every continent, with a view to anchoring this new note as firmly as pos-sible in the different member churches. In many different churches of all continents there is a move towards the use of new forms of service based on the indigenous tradition and culture. At the same time western churches are rediscovering ancient liturgical traditions and setting these in an appropriate modern idiom. Worship - Feiern - Célébration - Comunión: These key words indicate the main concerns of ecu-menical worship services since Vancouver 1983: Contextualisation each situation and culture must be taken seriously. Holistic celebration - involving all five senses. A stronger emphasis on the musical forms specific to the culture. Recognition of the value of symbols and symbolic actions. These dimensions give this book its vitality. Its aim is to uncover a sample of the treasures which are lying hidden in liturgies all over the world, to incor-porate them into the liturgical studies of the ecu-menical community, and to make them available to local congregations. They will also renew and enli-ven our own services. A new awareness that we can celebrate services can grow even in our latitudes in harmony with the churches of the world. A common liturgical form, in which the richness of the different traditions are drawn together, is nee-ded in order to create ecumenical harmony, Sinfo-nia Oecumenica. This title takes up the biblical tra-dition of >>singing and dancing, (Lk 15,25), which celebrates the restoration of fellowship with the >>lost sons and daughters<<. The book is also intended as a gesture of thanks to the WCC on the occasion of its 50th birthday, and for the fellowship of the churches united within it. In particular it expresses thanks for the liturgical rene-wal which has taken place through it. It is our wish that through the WCC this spirit of joint celebration will be kept alive in the churches, and so new fel-lowship created. It is the first time that such a work has been produ-ced in four languages. We hope that this will open up an entirely new dimension of joint celebration in ecumenical contacts, and meetings with people from partner churches, other cultures and other lands. The liturgies in this book offer ideas and resources for the challenge of attempting new forms of ser-vice. We hope that this Symphony of ecumenical li-turgies will be heard in many places, and that con-gregations in many parts of the world will experi-ence new joy and vitality in liturgical forms, and dis-cover the richness of our fellowship in the Body of Christ, which transcends the boundaries of culture and language. Those who want to share comments on this book or would like to send in similar liturgical material can write to: Dr. Dietrich Werner, Missionsakade-mie, Rupertistr. 67, D-22609 Hamburg, Fax 0049-40-822 63 61. Beatrice Aebi, Fritz Baltruweit, Christiane Dithmar, Dirk Friederich, Markus Lesinski, Armin Mettler and Dietrich Werner Summary of chapters – Kapitelübersicht – Sommaire des chapitres – Vista general de los capítulos Congregational Life – Leben in der Gemeinde – Vie paroissiale – Vida comunitaria Prayers for the Day / Tageszeiten / Au long de la journée / Oraciones para el día — 56 Celebrating Eucharist and Agape-Meals / Eucharistie und Agape feiern / Célébration de l'Eucharistie et de l'Agape / Celebración de la Eucaristía y del Agape — 114 Remembering our common Baptism / Taufe erinnern / Commémoration du baptême / Conmemoración del bautismo — 216 Called to be One / Zur Einheit berufen / Appelés à l'unité / Llamados a la unidad — 248 Partnership and Mission / Partnerschaft und Mission / Partenariat et mission / Asociación y misión — 308 Pilgrimages / Pilgerwege / Pèlerinages / Peregrinaciones — 344 Lamentation and Accusation / Klage und Anklage / Lamentations et accusations / Lamentaciones y acusaciones — 362 Compassion and Justice / Erbarmen und Gerechtigkeit / Compassion et justice / Compasión y justicia — 408 Peace and Reconciliation / Frieden und Versöhnung / Paix et réconciliation / Paz y reconciliación — 462 Illness and Healing / Krankheit und Heilung / Maladie et guérison / Enfermedad y salud — 512 Church and AIDS / Kirche und AIDS / Eglise et SIDA / Iglesia y Sida — 536 Finding Rest / Zur Ruhe kommen / Trouver le repos / Encontrando la quietud — 562 Giving and Receiving God's Blessing / Segen geben und empfangen / Donner et recevoir la bénédiction / Dar y recibir la bendición — 576 Living in the Ecclesiastical Year – Leben im Kirchenjahr – L'année ecclésiastique – Celebrando el año eclesiástico Advent, Christmas, Epiphany / Advent, Weihnachten, Epiphanias / Avent, Noël, Epiphanie / Adviento, Navidad, Epifanía — 598 New Year's Eve / Jahreswechsel / Nouvelle année / Año nuevo — 656 Lenten Season / Passionszeit / Carême / Cuaresma — 682 Easter and Pentecost / Ostern und Pfingsten / Pâques et Pentecôte / Pascua y Pentecostés — 754 Israel Sunday and Shoah Memorial Day / Israelsonntag und Shoah-Gedenktag / Dimanche d'Israël et commémoration de la Shoah / Domingo de Israel y conmemoración de la Shoah — 814 Thanksgiving and the Preservation of Creation / Erntedank und Bewahrung der Schöpfung / Action de grâces pour les récoltes et sauvegarde de la création / Acción de gracias por las cosechas y por la preservación de la creación — 840 Repentance and Renewal / Umkehr und Erneuerung / Repentance et renouveau / Arrepentimiento y renovación — 898 At the End of the Church Year / Am Ende des Kirchenjahres / La fin de l'année ecclésiastique / Fin del año eclesiástico — 932 Confessing our Faith / Glauben bekennen / Confession de foi / Confesión de fe — 960