Worship at Hand – Easter 7 | 17 May 2026

Worship at Hand

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

By Philip Garside

Easter 7 | 17 May 2026

About today's material

Today we stand with the disciples at two thresholds – hearing Jesus pray in John 17:1-11 on the night before the cross and watching him commission his followers in Acts 1:6-14 before the coming of the Spirit.

In both moments, uncertainty hangs in the air, yet Christ speaks of glory as self-giving love, eternal life as relationship, and mission as Spirit-empowered witness rather than political control.

He prays not that his followers be removed from difficulty, but that they be protected within it, and he entrusts God’s future to imperfect, still-learning people.

As we gather in our own season of change, we are invited to move from anxious waiting to faithful participation, trusting that the same Spirit still leads us forward.

Reminder:
Do check out the A4 Leader's version of the Order of Service which contains a sermon, and suggestions for hymns and children's talks, in addition to the prayers and liturgy.

About Worship at Hand

You can purchase packages for individual Sundays or for a whole month.

(Click here to purchase Worship at Hand for the Whole of May 2026)

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:

• Prayers for a complete liturgy
• A 1000 to 1200-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. 

[You will also get a link to download the unzipped Word document of the Leader’s A4 version of the Order of Service]

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2026)

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 to 1200-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