Worship at Hand - August 2025 | Whole Month [Save 10%]

Worship at Hand

Complete Lectionary-Based Worship Services for Sundays in the Church Year

By Philip Garside

 August 2025 | Whole Month

About this month's material

Pentecost 8 | 3 Aug 2025

Today we hear two powerful and provocative texts: from Colossians 3:1-11, a call to shed the old self and be clothed in the new life of Christ; and from Luke 12:13-21, a warning not to place our trust in wealth or possessions.

Together, these readings invite us to consider what truly matters, how we define ourselves, and how we live out our commitment to Jesus.

In a world driven by accumulation and status, we are challenged to become rich toward God and clothed in grace.

 

Pentecost 9 | 10 Aug 2025

Today’s readings from Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16 and Luke 12:32-40 invite us to reflect on faith not as rigid belief, but as courageous trust in what we cannot yet see.

We hear of Abraham and Sarah stepping into the unknown, and of Jesus urging his followers to live with readiness, hope, and generous hearts.

In a world still waiting for transformation, we’re called to be people who keep the flame of faith alive – even when the way ahead is uncertain.

 

Pentecost 10 | 17 Aug 2025

Today’s readings from Isaiah 5:1-11 and Luke 12:49-56 confront us with fiery images and urgent voices. 

Isaiah sings a love song turned lament, where God’s carefully tended vineyard yields only injustice and bloodshed. Jesus speaks of fire, division, and the cost of discipleship – warning us not to mistake comfort for faithfulness. 

Together, these passages challenge us to see beyond appearances, to hear the prophetic call to justice, and to respond with courage in our lives and in our church.

 

Pentecost 11 | 24 Aug 2025

Today we hear two powerful readings: one from the Letter to the Hebrews 12:18-29 that invites us to step into the unshakable, grace-filled Kingdom of God; and one from Luke 13:10-17, where Jesus heals a woman bent over for eighteen years. 

Together, they ask us what truly holds us up – rules or compassion, fear or freedom?

As we listen, may we be stirred to see healing not just as physical restoration, but as the courage to stand tall in the presence of love.

 

Pentecost 12 | 31 August 2025

Today’s readings from Hebrews 13:1–8, 15–16 and Luke 14:1, 7–14 call us into a life of humble hospitality and generous faithfulness.

Hebrews offers practical, encouraging reminders about how to live well together – with love, compassion, and contentment – grounded in God’s constant presence.

In Luke, Jesus uses a story to flip our usual ideas about honour and reward, challenging us to include those we might overlook.

Together, these passages offer a vision of the Kingdom of God marked by welcome, humility, and unearned grace.

About Worship at Hand

You can purchase packages for individual Sundays or for a whole month:
https://philipgarsidebooks.com/collections/worship-at-hand

Use these flexible, all-in-one service scripts to:

• Prepare thoughtful, spiritually grounded worship with minimal stress
• Engage congregations with inclusive, poetic language
• Follow the Revised Common Lectionary with confidence and creativity
• Offer well-structured, theologically liberal worship experiences
• Save time with ready-made sermons and prayers, and children’s talk ideas
• Inspire participation with interactive and multi-age elements.
  

Features

A weekly worship resource based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings that comprises:

• A complete liturgy
• A 1000-word sermon included for each service
• 10 engaging “Introducing the Theme / Story Time” ideas
• 12 hymn suggestions from NZ Hymnbook Trust music books
• A royalty free image illustrating the theme to use on the cover of the Order of Service, PowerPoint slides etc.

Material for each week comprises a zipped file containing:

• The Leader’s A4 version of the Order of Service (includes the liturgy, sermon, hymn suggestions and Introducing the Theme / Story Time ideas), in Word and PDF formats
• A draft A5 Congregation version of the Order of Service, ready for you to add hymn and Bible reading texts, in Word and PDF formats
• A .jpg format image
  

You will be emailed a link to download the zipped file when you complete your purchase.

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2025)

Praise for Worship at Hand

"Worship at Hand for August: Pertinent, very useful material to read, reflect on, spark thoughts and assist with services. I find it a good resource." JH 25 June 2025

"I find the Liturgies very helpful along with the sermon preparation guide. The prayers are thoughtful and easy to follow. Always relevant to the subject theme."
PJ 19 June 2025

"I have a variety of worship resources on hand that I use to prepare liturgy and have therefore to date not sourced your Worship at Hand. Because I have had a very busy few weeks, I thought I'd give your Pentecost resources a go, thinking there might be some ideas that I could incorporate. What I have found is a very balanced and well thought out liturgy and a sermon that in my view is one of the better sermons I have come across, certainly better than I would likely have come up with. Thank you so much for offering your talent to the church in this way, it is a gift to at least this tired Presbyter!" SW 5 June 2025

"I really appreciate the new resource as it provides a very helpful resource for creating church services. I don't need to spend as much time putting the services together, especially looking for songs or creative ideas for children/young people. It also means that if we don't have a preacher available at least there is a good talk that someone can read."  HW 28 May 2025

"Great material. A wonderful resource. I have recommended it to others as well." DE 10 May 2025

"I used some of the material for 25 May and received positive feedback. Thank you for providing this material. Several of our people said they appreciated the simple and straight forward message included in your Reflection."
RB 26 May 2025

"Thank you for this resource. Worship at Hand is excellent. It goes with the set readings of each Sunday and it's simple for people to understand.
it's in everyday language, and the theology is very clear and brings the love of God to the worshipping community. thank you very much." ST 28 May 2025

Description

Worship at Hand is your weekly solution for creating meaningful, high-quality church services that are theologically grounded and easy to lead. Designed for clergy, lay preachers, and worship leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond, each downloadable service in this growing collection includes everything you need to lead a complete Sunday gathering.

Each service is based on the Revised Common Lectionary.

Liturgies are responsive, reflective, and action-oriented – inviting congregations to participate deeply in the rhythm of worship. 

Whether you’re preaching every week or leading occasionally, Worship at Hand gives you everything in one place. Just open, read, and adapt as needed. Services are created with beauty, care, and a deep love for the church’s task of telling the Good News.

These services are crafted with pastoral insight, theological depth, and liturgical artistry. Use them as supplied or adapt to suit your context – each service includes permission for use with attribution.

While you can present them as is, we suggest that you personalise the sermons provided by adding your own stories and messages relevant to your congregation and local community.

About the Author

Philip Garside is a Methodist lay preacher, worship leader, publisher, and singer / musician based in Aotearoa New Zealand. With over 15 years of experience leading creative, multimedia services, he brings a special blend of theological depth, pastoral sensitivity, and liturgical imagination to his work. Through Philip Garside Publishing Ltd / Philip Garside Books, he equips worship leaders with tools to inspire thoughtful, inclusive, and engaging worship grounded in the life of the Spirit and the call to justice.

Contents

Each downloadable service includes:

Opening Section

• Welcome & Introduction
• Call to Worship (responsive)
• Lighting the Candle
• Opening Prayer
• Hymn #1 [You provide the hymn text]
  

Exploring the Theme

• Prayer of Approach (responsive)
• Words of Assurance
• 10 Children’s Talk / Story Time ideas
• Hymn #2 [You provide the hymn text]
• Bible Readings (RCL-based) [You provide the Bible text(s)]
• 1000-word Sermon
• Hymn #3 [You provide the hymn text]

Community Time

• Sharing the Peace
• Notices
• Sharing Joys and Concerns
• Prayers of Intercession (responsive)
• The Lord’s Prayer in te reo Māori
• Offering Invitation and Blessing
• Hymn #4 [You provide the hymn text]

Closing

• Benediction / Sending Forth
• The Grace in te reo Māori