29 — Two sample services led by Philip

29 — Two sample services led by Philip

 A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship

Constructing a Service - Part 7

Two sample services led by Philip

 

Click for audio narration

Introduction

Welcome to the final post in my Constructing a Service series. In this post, I offer two of my recent services as working examples of how to apply the principles outlined in the previous six blog entries. These examples are intended to be practical, transparent, and full of usable ideas that you can adapt for your own context.

I hope this post will help you to:

  • See how AI tools like ChatGPT can support sermon writing and liturgy creation
  • Get inspired by fresh, context-sensitive ideas for introducing the theme visually or interactively
  • Learn from my comments on what worked well and what didn’t in actual services
  • Access downloadable materials to adapt for your own worship setting
  • Evaluate the impact of theological themes and visual storytelling in designing services.

For each of the services, I provide links to download, view or listen to:

  • The Congregation’s version of the Order of Service
  • My Leader’s version of the Order of Service, which includes notes to myself and the full text of the sermon (I use larger text and print this version to lead from)
  • A Facebook livestream video of the whole service (lower resolution to keep download file sizes down)
  • An MP3 audio file of the readings and sermon
  • An MP3 audio file of the entire service

For both services, I used ChatGPT to generate the prayers and liturgy (with the exception of the te reo Lord’s Prayer and The Grace) and to help shape and polish the sermon. 

I encourage you to consider critically whether this AI-generated liturgy is valid and effective. In my experience, it is – and the congregation accepted and participated in the prayers and liturgy as they normally would.

Note: I don’t read aloud the bold subheadings that ChatGPT includes in the sermon text, but I do find them helpful for reminding me of the flow and context of each section while I’m presenting the sermon.

• • •

Service One: Sunday 12 January 2025 – Epiphany 1

Bible Readings: Luke 3:15–17, 21–22; Acts 8:14–17
Theme: Preparing the Way – Two Paths

I knew that I wanted to share with the congregation the poem “John, the Baptist” by Clive Sansom, from The Witnesses and Other Poems, which I have performed in the past with Drama Christi, the drama group based at our church. The poem offers another perspective on John and helps us to imagine what it was like to be there when Jesus was approaching. I treated the poem as another scripture reading.

There is a real sense in the Gospels that it was important to show John the Baptiser as being less important than Jesus and I wanted to discuss this in the sermon.

John’s and Jesus’ missions were related but different and I also discussed this in the sermon. I extended this idea into the theme that we have two different paths to choose from at the start of a new year.

To introduce the theme, we attempted a water relay activity. Six adults and children participated. Although it ran longer than expected and lost a bit of momentum, it still managed to create a physical, visual moment that reinforced the idea of the Spirit helping us work together.

Musically, the waiata Wairua Tapu, which the congregation had learned the previous year, was a perfect fit.

I generated the cover image using ChatGPT.

Links:

• • •

Service Two: Sunday 23 March 2025 – Lent 3

Bible Readings: Psalm 63; Luke 13:1–9
Theme: Thirsting for Life: Growing Good Fruit in Dry Times

This service focused on spiritual thirst and resilience during dry seasons. 

I performed my original song Psalm 63, arranged for two guitar parts with Heather. (Guitarists: I dropped my bottom E string to D for a deeper tone, which meant using non-standard fingering. Heather played with a capo on fret 7, with alternative chords, for a lighter texture.) I did fluff the intro and had to restart, but that’s real life!

We also included a lovely setting of There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy by local composer Jonathan Berkahn. To help the congregation sing confidently, I asked the organist to play through the refrain and first verse before we joined in.

For the Introducing the Theme section, I used two simple but effective activities: a bowl of water and a bell. Everyone came forward and took part. These were two of ten options generated by ChatGPT. They worked well as parallel experiences, and were easy to set up.

I adjusted the usual order of service so that the readings came before the theme activity and second hymn, which made better narrative sense for this service.

I found it challenging to link the Psalm and Gospel readings, but prompting ChatGPT for connections helped. 

I also brought in a personal touch: I held up two large tomatoes I had grown in my deck garden and used them as a symbol of fruitfulness in tough times. People enjoyed this visual element.

Links:    


About the Series

This is the final post in the Constructing a Service series. If you missed earlier entries, they covered:


Conclusion: What We Learned

These two services show how the planning principles discussed in this series come to life in practice.

From interactive activities and contextual sermon illustrations to thoughtful liturgy and music choices, each element contributes to a rich worship experience.

We also saw how AI tools can be allies in creativity and preparation, without replacing our voice or discernment.

These examples remind us that worship is both art and offering – something we shape with care, and through which God continues to speak.


What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear your feedback about this post and the others in the Constructing a Service series.

Share your thoughts in the comment box below (I approve comments before they go live), or email me at books@pgpl.co.nz

Have you tried any of the ideas in your own services? What worked for you? What didn’t?

Would you like more input about a particular aspect of leading worship?

What would you like me to cover in future blog posts?

Let me know!

Ngā mihi
Philip

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