About this series theme
“The wolf will lie down with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion will feed together, and a little child will lead them.” - Isaiah 11: 6
“May Christ come to us now and always,
and may we have a song in our hearts to welcome him.” - Adam Tice
Like notes on a music staff, we are called to join together to sing songs that proclaim the renewed creation of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. This year throughout the Advent and Christmas season, we will encounter familiar and new Carols for the Coming Christ and pause to consider their messages in fresh ways. As a popular quote attributed to Hans Christian Anderson says, “Where words fail, music speaks.” Song poets have long helped us “speak” when our own words fail in the face of our human struggle. The promise of the Coming Christ is that our hearts can hold the world and that the songs in our hearts can heal our weariness.
This series is inspired by a new Advent devotional book by Adam Tice, a hymn writer with copious contributions published in our hymnals, many with powerful justice themes. Tice’s book weaves daily reflections about songs of the season and invites us to our own reflection. Each entry pairs a song text with scripture, thoughtful commentary, and reflection questions. Creative response prompts throughout encourage deeper engagement through writing, music, and visual art. Each worship service features two carols/hymns (Tice uses these terms interchangeably) featured in the devotional book–one familiar to our traditions, and one by a newer composer. This package of worship materials offers a way to seamlessly integrate worship, individual devotions, small group activities, and ideas for interaction with the larger community.
See more about the scriptures, theology, content, and format of the series
by checking out these files:
Watch the series trailer
This clip is included in the downloads as an unbranded video (without the WDS logo) for you to share on your church website, on social media, and e-newsletters.
This fully-scripted series includes:
Worship Scripts for Advent 1-4, Blue Christmas, Christmas Eve, the Sunday after Christmas, Epiphany Sunday (including suggestions for hymns/songs)
Sermon fodder to help jumpstart your sermons
Communion liturgy that can be used any week
Individual and small group study resources suggestions
Study your Own Carol Guide
Visual and Media Arts ideas to bring the series to life in your worship space
Children’s Time scripts to engage the youngest members of your community
Series logo and Canva template for complete customization
Series video trailer to get the word out (customizable)
Daily social media posts to use on your accounts
Interview with the author of our inspiration book, Carols for the Coming Christ
Click HERE to go to the chat thread for this series (see and add photos, ideas, experiences, questions)
Access the Series
Paid Subscribers, scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to get to your download button. 👇 If you do not have a paid subscription, you may purchase this series a la carte for $50.
When you purchase the series a la carte, the confirmation page will direct you to the file-sharing site called Hightail/Open Text. You do not need an account in Hightail, simply download all the files to your computer. If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at marcia@marciamcfee.com.
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See the full list of series HERE
Marcia McFee, PhD is the creator and visionary of the Worship Design Studio. Find out more about her work HERE. Questions? E-mail marcia@marciamcfee.com
